Guidebook Meets: How Asian American Journalists Association Builds Inclusive Events for 2,000+ Members Across 20 Chapters

Building events for a diverse membership spanning 20 geographic chapters and representing 50+ ethnic identities requires more than good intentions; it demands intentional design, authentic partnerships, and technology that truly serves varied needs.

The Asian American Journalists Association has developed a distinctive approach to inclusive event planning, from 15-person book tours to their flagship 1,500-attendee convention, always prioritizing member voice and community safety.

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AAJA's Event Ecosystem By the Numbers

• 2,000+ active members across journalism and media ecosystem.
• 20 geographic chapters requiring tailored event approaches.
• 1,500 attendees at flagship annual convention programming.
• 50+ ethnic identities and languages represented in membership.

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What You'll Learn

In this 45-minute webinar, Felicia Chanco (Director of Special Initiatives at the Asian American Journalists Association) shares strategies for creating inclusive, member-driven association events, including:

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Member-driven programming: listening across diverse communities

• Creating suggestion inbox systems for members to inform programming priorities.
• Working with committees to digest quantity and quality of member requests.
• Understanding language and terminology important to specific ethnic groups.
• Balancing needs of photojournalists, investigative reporters, video producers, and freelancers.
• Standardizing outreach across all 20 chapters while respecting local leadership.

Segmentation strategy: treating 1,500 attendees as individuals

• Creating segmentation lists to understand different attendee goals and needs.
• Designing experiences for specific groups rather than treating all attendees as one cohesive mass.
• Building leadership teams predominantly of Asian women to model collaborative culture.
• Addressing varied levels of tech literacy through multiple accessibility options.
• Maintaining on-site info desks staffed by volunteers trained to guide attendees.

Pre-event community building: connecting members before arrival

• Using Slack channels for organic connection-making (roommate matching, yoga groups, session buddies).
• Giving sponsors early access to attendees for pre-event networking and recruiting conversations.
• Facilitating sponsor connections around hiring priorities and ERG development.
• Archiving all member communications publicly for transparency and trust-building.
• Creating front-door pathways for members to engage at their comfort level.

Sponsor fulfillment: delivering clear ROI and meaningful connections

• Implementing QR code attendee tracking for sponsors to capture session participation data.
• Offering Sponsor Academy model: 4-6 hours of dedicated programming room space.
• Enabling post-event follow-up through instantaneous attendance capture.
• Aligning sponsor programming with AAJA mission to serve AAPI journalists.
• Measuring success by whether members feel positively about sponsor relationships.

Programming balance: content that serves mission and members

• Ensuring sponsor programming aligns with organizational mission and vision.
• Creating spaces where members can be themselves without political pretense.
• Building foundational safety and community respect before adding training layers.
• Varying event scale from 15-person book tours to 300-person brunches to 1,500-person conventions.
• Centering AAPI journalists in spaces no one else creates for them.

Technology implementation: accessibility for all literacy levels

• Using Guidebook mobile app with web browser fallback for non-mobile users.
• Implementing gamification through leaderboard to drive pre-event app engagement.
• Planning QR-based attendee verification for session tracking and sponsor fulfillment.
• Maintaining printed materials on-site for attendees with lower tech literacy.
• Training volunteers to guide attendees through app navigation in person.

Data-driven improvement: using attendance and feedback

• Tracking which sessions were requested versus which were actually attended.
• Using attendance data to create better spaces or expand popular programming.
• Understanding the 1,500 individual tallies at any snapshot in time.
• Applying lean startup principles to hear pain points from committee leads.
• Creating templatized workspaces that can morph to individual coordinator needs.

Crisis resilience: maintaining mission during challenging times

• Navigating anti-DEI narratives while maintaining 40-year organizational integrity.
• Responding to sponsor budget cuts while preserving partnership relationships.
• Recognizing increased event attendance when journalists face layoffs and need community.
• Maintaining essential programs like first-timers kickoff regardless of financial pressures.
• Using thematic messaging (active verb + participle + noun formula) to guide communications.

Who Should Watch This Webinar

• Association event planners managing diverse membership bases across multiple chapters.
• Nonprofit event professionals working with lean teams and limited budgets.
• Community organizers prioritizing inclusive design and accessibility.
• Event producers seeking to balance sponsor needs with member experience.
• Association leaders navigating challenging political and economic climates.

Real Results from AAJA's Event Strategy

Learn how AAJA's inclusive event approach achieved:

• Engagement from members representing 50+ ethnic identities and languages.
• Successful coordination across 20 geographic chapters with varied activity levels.
• High sponsor satisfaction through clear ROI tracking and mission-aligned programming.
• Leaderboard gamification driving pre-event app engagement among hundreds of attendees.
• Maintained programming integrity through 40 years despite external pressures.

Featured Speaker

Felicia Chanco serves as Director of Special Initiatives at the Asian American Journalists Association, where she oversees most organizational events across a diverse portfolio, from intimate 15-person book tours to the flagship 1,500-attendee annual convention. With eight years of running her own event production company before joining AAJA, she brings design thinking principles and lean startup methodologies to creating inclusive, member-driven experiences for the journalism community.

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