MACU, Marketing Association of Credit Unions

We are pleased to share some exciting changes to the MACU board of directors.

After five years of service to the board, including the position of board chair, Paul McAfee is stepping down from his role with the board. Paul’s commitment to MACU over the years and his leadership will be greatly missed.

Deb Melnyk is also leaving the MACU board after nearly 10 years of service. Deb has watched MACU flourish over the past decade and her dedication and long standing relationships with many credit unions have resulted in MACU’s growth. Our gratitude and appreciation are extended to both Paul and Deb.

By unanimous vote, Shawna Miller, board member since 2009 and Vice President of Marketing at Affinity Credit Union, is the new MACU chair.

The open director position has been filled by our newest member to the board, Gwendolyn de Guzman, Director, National Business Development Desjardins Investments Inc.

If you have any questions about the Board of Directors, please email or call any board member by visiting the board page on our website.

Sincerely,

Rachel Milan
The MACU Communications Chair

In just under four weeks a number of you will be getting together for the 22^nd Annual Strategic Marketing Conference, presented by Ipsos and AIME Gala dinner, presented by Canada Post Corporation.

We have a great agenda planned and have added a few new things to the mix this year.

1. We did not offer the ever popular MACU Masters event this year.  It had been a great and successful event for the past 4 years, but the Board of Directors decided to give this event a break and try something new, see #2.
2. On Monday June 4^th, 40 delegates will be headed out on the first ever (SOLD OUT) MACU Brand Tour, sponsored by Arcas Group.   The delegates will be touring Inniskillin winery and Great Wolf Lodge hearing about their marketing challenges and successes.  I can’t wait to hear all about it!
3. In response to feedback from past years we have moved the time of our Welcome Reception.  The reception will happen in the hotel and will start at 4:30pm. This will be a casual event where you can stop by catch up with old friends and make some new.
4. This year there will be a great group of exhibitors for you to check out during your breaks. There will be vendors from Canada and the US on hand to share with you their products and services.

Of course everyone is excited to find out the winners at the AIME Gala Dinner on Tuesday June 5^th.  We had over 160 entries submitted and have a lot of awards to give away!

The dinner will be hosted across the street from the hotel, at the Fallsview Casino Resort.  It is a great venue and will be nice to have a change of scenery. After the AIME dinner everyone will head upstairs to the elegant R5 Lounge for the official AIME after party, hosted by Lucidia.

And of course we have some fantastic speakers coming out; including the Disney Institute, Scott Stratten and Brent Dixon. View the complete agenda online.

It will be a fun filled and busy few days.

If anyone has any questions in advance for any of the speakers, please share below or contact me at info@macu.ca and I will forward them off in advance.

I just had the honour of emailing all of the 2012 AIME/AIM winners.  Winners have been advised that they won an award, but do not know for which entry or category – we have to keep some things a secret!

We can’t wait to show off our new trophy design and share the winners with everyone on June 5th at the AIME Awards Gala Dinner, presented by Canada Post.

photo courtesy of (Flickr/ Camera Slayer)

We just wanted to take a moment and congratulate the lucky winner in our early-bird draw….

Congratulations Jocelyne!  We hope you enjoy your complimentary hotel night and meal voucher.

Reminder we have extended the early-bird deadline to April 16th so if you haven’t already registered, check out the fabulous speaker line-up!

This is a message from the board Chair, Paul McAfee…

The Board of Directors of the Marketing Association for Credit Unions (MACU) are pleased to announce the appointment of two new directors to the board.

• Deanna Basso, Marketing Coordinator at Healthcare & Municipal Employees’ Credit Union
• Liisa Woolley, Director of Sales at Northern Credit Union

Both are eager to join the group and we are extremely happy to have them.

Our full list of board members can be found on the About Us page

The Achievement in Marketing Excellence (AIME) Awards recognize the best and the brightest achievements in marketing, advertising and communications.

Entries from credit unions, centrals and suppliers are on their way, or in some cases have already arrived, in Sudbury, ON.  The judges will take two full days to review and evaluate all of the received entries.

Credit unions are judged against other credit unions in the same division and centrals/suppliers are judged based on their marketing budget.

In 2011, MACU received over 160 entries and gave away 68 awards.  There are 15 different categories for which an entry can be classified under including: Annual Report, Electronic Marketing, Radio, POP, Coordinated Campaigns and Television.

I thought I would include a couple of photos from judging day a few years ago.  As you can see judging is no easy task!

Good luck to all that entered, we look forward to recognizing the winners at the AIME Gala – June 5^th in Niagara Falls, ON.

Welcome to the new and improved Marketing Association for Credit Unions (MACU) website.

This site features easier to access content and an improved members-only section.

Members will now be able to search for other members by name, expertise, location or credit union using the Peer Directory. We hope this tool will provide you with additional networking opportunities outside of MACU hosted events.

We have also added a member’s only forum where you can discuss all things marketing -  from supplier recommendations to sharing your latest success stories.

Please have a peek around and let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

(photo courtesy of Flickr/ Nutmeg Designs)

You still have a little over a month to get your AIME submission in. Submissions are due April 2, 2012.  Download the details and forms today!

Registration for the conference is now open. Register before April 2, 2012 and be entered in a draw to win a complimentary night at the host hotel and a $50 meal voucher.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

April 2 -  Early Bird registration ends
April 2 – AIME entry deadline
May 2 – Last day to book at the Hilton for a discounted rate
June 4 – Brand Tour (optional) and Welcome Reception
June 5 -6 – Conference
 

CUSource is offering a webinar to assist marketers within credit unions across Canada learn the impacts this Bill will have on your marketing programs and email marketing campaigns.

Webinar will take place on November 21st at 1pm EST.  Visit Understanding the Impact of the New FISA Regulations to register.