New ASAE Research Shows the Buying Power of Associations

During its Annual Meeting in Cleveland, which winds up today, ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership has released new research on associations, demonstrating the economic impact generated in every state by these organizations that focus on community engagement.

“This new study for the first time quantifies the power of associations to boost America's economy and generate opportunity through good jobs with competitive pay, events that support local businesses, and substantial tax payments to all levels of government,” said ASAE president and CEO Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE. “Associations also strengthen our country by advancing job skills and advocating for American businesses, professions and workers in every industry, in every state, every day.”

Supporting jobs and wages in the United States

ASAE partnered with Oxford Economics, an independent economic advisory firm, on the study of 20,000 associations in order to capture the economic impact of this meetings and events industry sector. The analysis shows:

• Associations are a vital component of America’s job market, directly supporting 1.1 million jobs and providing $71.4 billion in wages throughout the 50 states.
• Events produced by associations inject significant revenue into state and local economies, creating a ripple effect that benefits a diverse range of businesses. Each year, more than 272,000 events attract nearly 52 million participants, directly supporting 342,000 jobs and generating $42 billion in spending in communities nationwide.
• Associations and their events generate critical tax revenue for every level of government, helping to fund infrastructure, education and public safety. These organizations pay almost $28 billion in federal, state and local taxes a year — and events generate an additional $7.5 billion in taxes to state and local governments.

“ASAE is the authoritative voice on association research, providing reliable data and insights that policymakers, business leaders and the public trust,” Mason added. “This study underscores our commitment to advancing understanding of the incredible contributions associations make to our country.”

ASAE's impact on Cleveland

This year's Annual Meeting — the first time the organization has held its largest event in Cleveland — welcomed 5,070 participants, just short of the 5,200 who attended the Annual Meeting in Atlanta last year and a bit more than were in Nashville in 2022.

The breakdown of participants was 63 percent buyers (2,874 association professionals) and 37 percent suppliers (1,893 exhibitor attendees).

"That's pretty healthy for our conference, and we are very, very excited about that," said Mason. The organization expects its economic impact on the city to be $15 million to $18 million, and anticipates that about 20 percent of the buyer community will book a meeting in the host city in the next five years. ASAE has announced the host cities for the next 10 years, starting with Los Angeles in 2025, which will be the recipients of the annual meeting's impact.

"We are thrilled that this many people chose to come to Cleveland," said David Gilbert, president and CEO of Destination Cleveland. "Over the past four or five years, we've hosted some of the biggest events in the country — the NFL draft and the NBA All Star game and the MLB All Star game and the women's Final Four. [ASAE] has garnered just as much attention from the community as those events, which you would never think about for just a convention. Hundreds of organizations, hundreds of volunteers have wanted to be part of this because they passionately want to show off their city."