Are Professional Associations Withering or Thriving? It Depends.
Membership in local industry associations is undergoing a sea change, ushering in a new generation of young professionals
SAMPE, the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering, is a global professional member society dedicated to enabling growth and innovation in the aerospace, transportation, construction, energy, marine, and general industry sectors. It’s all-encompassing and offers something for almost everyone in the scientific community.
Back in the late 1980s, when I was in graduate school, SAMPE was revered, and the opportunity to publish your work in the SAMPE Journal was a significant accomplishment. I read SAMPE J cover to cover, appreciating that it was loaded with information and a great resource for landing my first industry job.
When I graduated, a technical article based on my thesis appeared in SAMPE J and this felt like a validation of my work. There it was, my name in a SAMPE J byline! I followed SAMPE’s activities closely until I was invited to give a presentation at the New Jersey Chapter. I got to network with local professionals including quite a few industry veterans, with whom I formed lasting friendships. The value of local Chapter participation was immeasurable. Once I began attending national SAMPE conferences and CAMX shows, my knowledge of the industry increased, and continuous networking helped with the job as well as personal branding.
I became Chair of NJ SAMPE in 2013 and served for 5 years. Some use the position as a springboard for greater SAMPE ambitions, but I decided to focus on local students and young professionals, paying it forward, you could say. Monthly meeting attendance was small but steady. We began an annual Student Night, providing a platform for aspiring engineers and chemists to practice public speaking. We slowly attracted a group of young professionals that became our new Board members, allowing them to shape NJ SAMPE as they wanted.
Today, I serve in an advisory capacity to NJ SAMPE, and we are experiencing a sea change in membership. Older, established industry members don’t attend much anymore. The pandemic fueled this decline, but now it’s sustained behavior. Are the presentations at monthly meetings no longer interesting? Is the dinner conversation no longer stimulating? Is it easier to log onto a webinar or join a social network? Not entirely sure, but we are working on figuring this out.
What’s interesting though, is the fresh new wave of students. When local meetings take place on university campuses, turnout is healthy. Students are curious. Student chapter formation is growing. Our latest Additive Manufacturing symposium attracted both students and young professional researchers.
So NJ SAMPE is evolving, and meetings will require extensive retooling. What will the future bring? Don’t know yet, but students and young professionals are tuned in and thirsty, the same way I was over 30 years ago. No doubt that this behavior applies to all of the industry’s peer organizations as well.
The more things change…
Curious about NJ SAMPE and how to participate? Need to better understand the value of local professional organizations? Reach out for a free initial consultation today.