Associations set the standards their industries work to. So when their leaders gather, the conversations matter.
From Tuesday, October 27, to Friday, October 30, 2026, that gathering was CSAE ANCHORED 2026, the annual conference of the Canadian Society of Association Executives, held in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. We Know Training was there as a sponsor. Nicole Ralph, James Hutchingame and Chris LaBossiere represented our team, staffed our booth and hosted our sponsored room. Here is what the week looked like, and what we brought home.
Day one: a Newfoundland welcome
The week opened on Tuesday with a distillery tour and a welcome reception for conference sponsors. Good food, good conversation, and a room full of people who work in association leadership.
Then came the St. John's Kitchen Party and George Street. Live music, local traditions and a Screech-in ceremony made it a proper Newfoundland welcome.
It sounds like the social part. It is also where the real work starts. Relationships built over a shared table carry into the sessions the next morning. That is why we show up in person.
"What story do you want to tell?"
Day two, Wednesday, opened with the keynote "Telling Canada's Story" from Mike Downie, the acclaimed Canadian filmmaker and storyteller, and brother of Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip. He spoke about Canadian stories, legacy and impact, drawing on the lives of his brother and of Terry Fox. His message centred on storytelling, community, and the courage, determination and resilience that connect them.
One question stayed with our team all week: what story do you want to tell?
Associations answer that question every day, whether they plan to or not. A credential tells a story about a profession. A training program tells a story about what members stand for. Choosing that story on purpose is worth the effort.
Leading through uncertainty
Day three, Thursday, opened with an engaging panel, "Anchored Amid Change: Building Stability in a Shifting World." That afternoon, Michael Rossi, founder of Voce Leadership and former CEO of adidas Canada, delivered the keynote "Everyone Has a Voice." His message was timely. Successful leadership is not about having all the answers.
He built the talk around three themes.
- Lead with purpose. A clear purpose gives people something to steer by when conditions shift.
- Stay grounded in values. Balance, fairness and empowerment keep decisions steady.
- Embrace collaboration. Listening, challenged assumptions, trust and fewer silos. People and culture sit at the heart of every strong organization.
Terry Fox came up again here. Rossi shared the story of a commemorative Terry Fox shoe initiative. Our team had already visited the Terry Fox Mile Zero monument in St. John's, where the Marathon of Hope began, and made time for Cape Spear. Between those visits, Mike Downie's stories and this keynote, Terry Fox became a thread through our week.
For association leaders, that lands close to home. Boards turn over. Regulations change. Member needs move faster than annual plans. Leaders who bring staff and members into the conversation give themselves more to work with.
Inside our sponsored room
We Know Training sponsored the Bannerman Room on days two and three. Six sessions ran there, three each day. Here is what was on the agenda.
Honest conversations (October 28). In What People Aren't Saying, Amber Richards of Amber Effect Events and Theresa Bailey of Starfish Synergies showed how association leaders can surface what stakeholders really think. The room used hands-on methods, Play-Doh included, to get past polite nods and safe survey answers.
Leadership pipelines (October 28). In The Invisible Glass Ceiling, Esmee Jordan of Prosum Health Benefits and James Gardner of The Benefit Code and CSAE Insurance Services looked at why leadership pipelines leak long before the C-suite. They made the case that women's health belongs in succession planning, and that the signals already sit in an organization's own data.
One front door for members (October 28). In One Front Door, Ashutosh Anil, Chief Membership Officer at Greater Vancouver Realtors, looked at how to unify member engagement. Members experience one brand and one promise. The challenge is keeping the human touch while the model scales.
Changing a chapter model (October 29). In Redesigning What Matters, Elise Newell, Sr. Director of Member Experience at HRPA, shared how HRPA moved from 26 chapters to 7. The focus was on leading change with legacy volunteers while keeping trust and member value intact.
Infrastructure as member value (October 29). In Your Infrastructure Budget Is a Member Value Strategy, Danielle Lamothe, President and CEO of CCAE, and a co-presenter from the association technology world challenged the idea that low infrastructure spending is the responsible choice. They also covered how to make the case for investment to the board.
Emerging professionals (October 29). The last session in our room, From Passive to Powerful, put association leaders and young professionals in one conversation. Julie Beckstead of the Ontario Real Estate Association and Nick Beynon of Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of Nova Scotia joined a third presenter to ask how associations can build the future with the next generation, not just for it.
A pattern ran through all six. Members experience one organization, not a set of departments. Honest conversation, a healthy leadership pipeline, the right systems and a seat for the next generation all shape that experience. The closing session on engaging emerging professionals was a fitting end to our room's run. It is the same thread that ran through the keynotes: trust, collaboration and a story worth telling.
What we took home for associations
We Know Training builds the infrastructure behind training and credentialing. For associations, the idea is simple. Your standard. Your brand. Our infrastructure.
The association owns the standard. We build, run and support the training and credential business behind it, under the association's own banner. Members get a learning experience that carries your name, and your team stays focused on members.
The stories and leadership lessons from St. John's point to the same need. Associations want members who are ready, credentials that hold up, and a community that keeps learning. Our job is to make the delivery side simple.
Let's keep the conversation going
Thank you to CSAE, the organizers, the speakers, the volunteers, our fellow sponsors and everyone who stopped by to see us, including those who joined sessions in the Bannerman Room. Thank you to our Newfoundland hosts for a week we will remember. Our Edmonton team flew home to a snowy Edmonton, and the trip was still worth it. And yes, there was karaoke. No photographic evidence survives.
If you lead an association and want to talk about member learning, credentials or non-dues revenue, we would like to hear from you. Start a conversation with our team.
