“Association Nation,” the world’s first radio program for and about associations, has completed its first 13-week run and is now introducing a new segment devoted to the meetings industry as it enters its second 13-week schedule.

Developed by the Association Internet Radio (AIR) Network, the program airs on WMET-AM 1160 in the Washington, DC metropolitan area on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. Following each broadcast, programs are archived online for on-demand listening at www.associationnation.com, making them available to association professionals across the nation and around the world.

The meetings segment is entitled, “Your Meeting Matters,” and is hosted by Katherine Markham, CHME, co-founder of ConventionPlanit.com, a popular meetings industry Web portal.

The January 30, 2005 edition of Association Nation was completely devoted to the meetings industry and featured an in-depth interview with Gregg H. Talley, chairman of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and president of Talley Management Group.

His interview was followed by a panel discussion on trends in the meetings industry that included Talley; Windy Christner, Director of Meetings & Expositions for the American Pharmacists Association; and Carroll Armstrong, a former CVB executive who is now Director of New Business Development for ConventionPlanit.com.

Other programs each feature three segments covering different aspects of the association profession on a rotating basis. The other segments and hosts include:

• Association Power and Politics, hosted by Lisa Myers, CAE, an entrepreneurial association professional active in the association arena
• Communication Success Stories, hosted by Al Rickard, CAE, President of Association Vision, a Washington, DC communications company.
• Association Foresight, hosted by Jeff DeCagna, CAE, founder of Principled Innovation, and Amy Benbow Smith, President and Chief Learning Officer of Amy Smith Consulting.
• Association Leadership, hosted by Jack Cox, CAE, President of High-Yield Planning

“Association Nation is a show about associations - the issues, the people, the community,” explains Founder Kevin Murphy. “We’re capturing the spirit of what’s happening in the association world and delivering it to both the association profession and the public through this program. Because this is ‘Internet Radio,’ people can listen to the programs at their convenience right on their personal computers.”

Marriott International was an early sponsor of Association Nation, providing support to help launch the program. The program is seeking additional sponsors and advertisers.

Programs and more information can be accessed online at www.associationnation.com.