ASAE Great Ideas Conference Returns to Minneapolis
The association professional event concludes after a six-year hiatus at the Sheraton Minneapolis Downtown.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Remote Work
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The ASAE Great Ideas Conference held its return event in Minneapolis at the Sheraton Minneapolis Downtown Convention Center. The gathering highlighted innovation and professional development through a unique competition focused on past organizational failures.
Why it matters
The conference aims to normalize workplace innovation by encouraging professionals to openly share past project failures and the lessons learned from them. This focus on experimentation serves as a blueprint for organizations looking to evolve their internal strategies.
Five association professionals presented during the event, which returned to the city following a six-year hiatus. The winning entry for the competition was a paraeducator bootcamp model designed to address staffing gaps.
The players
ASAE
The American Society of Association Executives is a professional organization representing the association management industry.
Michigan Association of Administrators of Special Education
This organization represents professionals dedicated to the administration of special education services and won the conference competition.
The details
Attendees participated in a Shark Tank-style competition where they applied The Ease Equation to identify core problems and develop practical solutions. The event also featured an off-site dinner at Paisley Park for those in attendance.
Timeline
The conference hiatus spanned from 2020 through 2026.
The Great Ideas Conference took place in October 2026.
Market Landscape
The return of this conference follows the industry-wide 2020 pause of in-person gatherings. This shift signals a broader move toward restoring peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and mentorship within the association sector.
Professionals can apply the strategies shared at the conference to improve their internal organizational problem-solving. These initiatives may lead to more effective training models for local employees in various sectors.
The takeaway
Innovation thrives when leaders stop hiding their mistakes and start documenting them as part of a formal growth process. By adopting structured frameworks, organizations can turn past setbacks into repeatable successes.
Further reading
For more on industry gatherings and professional development, visit the Remote Work section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Smart Meetings.
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Do you believe sharing your past professional failures helps your career growth more than showcasing successes?
