Building Training Programmes That Make Money and Deliver Member Value

Building Training Programmes That Make Money and Deliver Member Value
A practical half-day workshop for association professionals responsible for education, CPD, and events.
9:00am – 1:00pm | Includes morning tea and lunch

Too much association training is content-heavy, presentation-led, and delivers limited return. This practical workshop focuses on a better approach — designing training that creates real outcomes for members and contributes to sustainable income.

What you’ll work on
Bring a real training idea — you’ll work on it during the session.

• Start with the change you want to see, not the content
• Design training that members value and will pay for
• Work backwards from outcomes to format and delivery
• Use simple tools to define measurable success
• Apply a practical design process you can reuse

Who should attend
This workshop is ideal for:

• Association staff responsible for education, CPD, or professional development
• Events and membership teams working with speakers or subject matter experts
• Anyone designing training without a formal L&D background
• Associations looking to strengthen training and grow non-dues revenue

What you’ll walk away with
By the end of the session, you will have:

• A clearer view of what effective training looks like — and what to stop doing
• A simple, repeatable design framework
• Practical ways to improve engagement without increasing cost
• Confidence in evaluating training beyond satisfaction surveys
• A reworked training idea ready to deliver

How it works
This is a practical, interactive workshop. Expect:

• Short inputs and practical application
• Minimal slides and maximum participation
• Real association examples
• Structured discussion with peers facing similar challenges
• Tools and templates provided

Why this matters for associations
Training is no longer just a member benefit — it is a core part of how associations create value and generate revenue.

This session is designed to help associations move from simply running training to building programmes that work for members and for the organisation.

Format: In-person workshop
Time: 9:00am – 1:00pm, including morning tea and lunch
Who should attend: Association professionals responsible for education, CPD, professional development, events, and membership engagement

Maire Smith (Presenter) Learning Design Lead / Kaiārahi Hoahoa Ako, Synapsys NZ 2025 NZATD L&D Consultant Award Winner Maire Smith is passionate about designing learning that creates real change. In 2025, she was recognised with the L&D Consultant Award from the New Zealand Association for Training and Development. She brings more than 25 years of experience in learning experience design, UX design, project management, and quality management, with work spanning the government, energy, and rural sectors. Maire’s award-winning approach focuses on helping learners apply new ideas and skills in practical ways back in the workplace.