Joint Venture Invests in Matchbox Virtual Media's State-of-the-Art Virtual Education Platform, and Helps Ensure a Stronger Society
By Christopher Urena, MBA, CAE, Chief Learning Officer of Education, Programs and Meetings
The Society has entered into a unique agreement that will help contribute to our long-term financial health despite uncertain economic times, and, more importantly, allow us to continue creating and enhancing services, products, and other features that benefit our members.
Last month, we signed a joint venture with Matchbox Virtual Media, a company that provides online meeting platforms for membership organizations, such as ours, to host virtual conferences and educational events.
We are excited about this agreement from many perspectives.
This joint venture provides the investment monies that Matchbox Virtual Media needs to further develop and expand its already industry-leading suite of digital offerings. What’s more, the agreement is framed to provide the Society with a new stream of non-dues revenue, something that many nonprofit organizations are seeking in the face of economic headwinds.
This arrangement also places us at the vanguard of providing a crucial service that will benefit our peers in the medical and scientific association communities.
Like us, many of these groups provide continuing education opportunities for their community of learners and members. When the pandemic shut down in-person meetings, our sector scrambled to find alternatives to deliver this needed programming. A wave of virtual meeting vendors stepped up with a wide range of platforms options, which resulted in a wide range of outcomes and satisfaction levels.
While the pandemic has subsided, the virtual education option appears to be here to stay.
We know that organizations are still looking for reliable online meeting options that will provide their learners with meaningful programming and a rich, satisfying experience.
Enter Matchbox Virtual Media. After much research, consultation, and due diligence, we are confident that this company is best positioned to address the unique needs of the association world, especially those of medical, health care and scientific nonprofits.
We are proud to be associated with this company as it provides a state-of-the-art virtual education experience.
Among other things, the company is a pioneer in the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into their platform, which will provide association members with an even more tailored and meaningful learning experience.
From a Society standpoint, this joint venture enables us to access their services at a reduced rate. We expect our learners will have future opportunities to participate in virtual programs on the Matchbox platform.
As good custodians of our organization, it’s incumbent on us to look for new revenue opportunities that align with our mission and/or values. We absolutely will ensure that any potential partner organization or individual is of the highest standing with respect to science and commitment to ethics.
Finally, these enterprising activities in no way, shape, or form detract from our focus, attention, and uncompromised commitment to continue creating and enhancing services, products, benefits, and other features for our learning community. Society members can be assured that it's full steam ahead on that front. Rather, we’re repositioning ourselves to ensure near-term, mid-term, and long-term sustainability and continued success.