Slides for the opening keynote at the CAANZ Thought Leadership Forum on Professional Associations in 2026

1. The Future of
Associations
 Futurist
 Strategy advisor
 Author
@rossdawson

2. The power of guilds

3. The walls come down
Credit: Joergsam

4. Networks everywhere
Brain Internet
Applications
Organisations Industries
Proteins Actors
Society
PoliticsContagion

5. Associations
Shifts
Vision
Capabilities
Leadership

6. Associations

7. Representation

8. Education

9. Standards

10. Connections

11. Shifts

12. Content explosion
Source:
We Are Social

13. Source: Evans, Center for Global Enterprise
Blurring boundaries

14. Economy of individuals

15. Rise of platforms
Uber valuation
Source: AltMBA, CBInsights

16. Self-organisation
Credit: GotoVan

17. Content explosion
Source: University of Southern
California Marshall School of
Business
US Households, hours spent on media each week

18. Vision

19. Flickr credit: Joe deSouza
Fluid and dynamic

20. Trusted knowledge sharing

21. Enhanced serendipity

22. Democratic representation
Credit: Adrian Sulc

23. Collective action
Credit: toffehoff

24. Capabilities

25. Network facilitation
Source: Rob Cross, University of Virginia

26. Algorithmic and crowd oversight

27. Platform strategies
Other platforms
 Analyse platforms: trade-
offs, costs, choices
 Identify potential paths and
scenarios
 Apply game theory
 Establish commitments and
contingencies
 Identify complementary
participant pools
 Design compelling offer and
interface
 Create value for participants
 Enable participants to create
value
Own platforms

28. Dynamic, adaptive

29. Professionals
Efficient content creation
AlgorithmsCrowds

30. New revenue models

31. Leadership

33. Powerful visions
Compelling
Clear
Distinctive
Inclusive
Challenging
Aligned
Achievable

34. Governance for transformation
Upside Risks Risks of NOT
transforming
Participate in
transforming economy
Implementing the
wrong strategy
Extinction
Create immense
stakeholder value
Loss of staff who can’t
accept change
Irrelevance
Seen as creating the
future
Lose credibility Irrelevance

35. Cooperation and evolution
Source: Scientific American

36. Associations
Shifts
Vision
Capabilities
Leadership