We are all time deprived. Not quite a newsflash, but that fact was driven home to me again last month as I attended two back-to-back association industry events. At the PCMA Education Foundation Professional Achievement Dinner honoring Deborah Breiter, Ph.D., Susan Iris, and Michael Payne, more than 10 attendees told me how great Convene looks. Unfortunately, they admitted, they just don't have the time to read it every month.

I understand. Really. Unless I'm traveling, I can't make a dent in that stack of magazines and books that I have every intention of reading. I think that even when we set a pile of materials aside for nighttime reading, our tired eyes, which have been trained on computer screens all day long, grow heavy from the effort.

I have no remedy for this constant state of being overwhelmed (or a proven way to get everyone to read through our issues, except to continue to vie for your attention with must-read content). But I have noticed that those who truly love and have a passion for their work - like those honored at our dinner - seem more cheerful in their complaints. Having too much to do, too much info to absorb, and not enough time to do it all, just comes with the territory.

And about Convene looking great … I'm glad those folks noticed. On the heels of the foundation dinner, I attended the Society of National Association Publications (SNAP) conference, where Convene picked up the top two prizes in the cover illustration category (gold for the October 2006 issue and silver for the February 2006 issue) - thanks to the art direction of our talented designer, Roger Greiner, at Shostak Studios.

The keynote speaker at SNAP, Dan Heath, author of Made to Stick (see the Soundview Speed Review in our June issue), talked about what it takes for messages to take hold with an audience. Three elements he touched on - simplicity, surprise, and storytelling - are all part of the winning marketing strategies several associations told us they use in promoting their meeting (see our cover story on p. 28). Getting it right when pitching your event to potential attendees is especially crucial today: In a recent PCMA survey, many of you said attendance building is your No. 1 challenge.

Your members and potential attendees also suffer from time deprivation. You only have a small window of opportunity to get their attention and convince them your event is really worth their time.