Australasian Society of Association Executives

What Australasian Society of Association Executives does

The Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE) is a not-for-profit membership body serving association and not-for-profit sector professionals across Australia and New Zealand. Founded in 1954 and reconstituted in its current form through the 2011 merger of the Australian Society of Association Executives with Associations New Zealand, AuSAE represents over 500 for-purpose organisations spanning 15 major industry segments. Its portfolio centers on membership administration (powered by the Wild Apricot platform), the flagship annual ACE Conference & Exhibition held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, regional roundtables and skills labs across both countries, the Association Knowledge Program webinar series, and CAE certification pathways delivered under ASAE Approved Provider status.

AuSAE monetises primarily through annual membership subscriptions — including individual tiers for CEOs, executives, and emerging leaders, plus organisational memberships with unlimited team access — alongside a $169 annual Digital Subscription available to non-members. Event and conference revenue (registrations, sponsorship, exhibition) and education programming contribute additional streams. The organisation is supported by a small operational team (CEO, Office Manager, Marketing & Communications Manager) and an elected board; the 2026 board refresh signals governance expansion concurrent with reported membership growth.

Technology and product surface include the Wild Apricot membership backbone, the Simon AI Knowledge Assistant (a retrieval-based assistant trained on AuSAE's webinars, reports, and member-exclusive resources), and a Snapsight integration providing real-time event transcription, multilingual translation, and cross-session intelligence across ACE and the broader events calendar. Strategic partnerships span AMS/CRM vendors (ASI/iMIS, Causeis, Membes, Higher Logic, Glue Up, Wave CRM, Zentso) and a recruitment partner (Revise Recruitment), positioning AuSAE as a neutral education and evaluation hub for the Australasian association technology stack.

Name

Australasian Society of Association Executives

Legal name

Australasian Society of Association Executives

Website

https://ausae.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE) is a not-for-profit membership body representing over 500 association and not-for-profit organisations across Australia and New Zealand, delivering membership services, the ACE Conference, CAE certification, AI-powered knowledge tools, and education programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hendra, Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership subscriptions for association professionals, offering tiered packages for CEOs, executives, emerging leaders, and organizational team memberships with unlimited team access.
2. Event and Conference Revenue: Registration fees for the ACE Conference & Exhibition, regional events, executive roundtables, and skills labs. Includes sponsorship and exhibition revenue from partner organizations.
3. Digital Subscriptions: $169 annual subscription for non-members providing access to the Association Knowledge Program: In Practice series, on-demand webinar library, special online events, masterclasses and workshops.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AuSAE is a not-for-profit, member-based professional body that provides membership services, education, certification, and networking resources exclusively for association executives and not-for-profit leaders across Australia and New Zealand. Its core commercial offering consists of annual membership subscriptions (individual and organisational with unlimited team access), the flagship ACE Conference & Exhibition, CAE certification pathways, an AI Knowledge Assistant (Simon), and a suite of educational and career resources (Learning Hub, webinars, Jobs Board, supplier directories).

Product overview

AuSAE operates as a professional association management body offering a suite of interconnected membership, education, and career services. The core offering centers on membership management via a Wild Apricot-powered platform, supplemented by flagship events (ACE Conference & Exhibition), professional certification (CAE), an AI-powered knowledge assistant (Simon), online learning (Learning Hub, Webinars), and career services (Jobs Board). Educational programming also extends to technology evaluation (Demo Day showcasing AMS/CRM platforms) and AI education. The portfolio is designed to support association professionals across their entire career lifecycle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AuSAE Membership Platform Membership administration service for association and not-for-profit leaders across Australia and New Zealand, offering individual tiered memberships and organisational memberships with unlimited team access to networking, upskilling, and career advancement resources.
• ACE Conference & Exhibition Annual flagship conference and exhibition bringing together association professionals from across Australia and New Zealand for keynotes, networking, and exhibitor engagement.
• CAE Certification Program Certified Association Executive credential pathway providing professional development credits for association executives, recognised internationally as a marker of commitment to the association profession.
• Simon AI Knowledge Assistant AI-powered knowledge assistant that answers association management questions, guides users through the AuSAE website, and provides members with tailored answers drawn from past webinars, reports, and member-exclusive resources.
• AuSAE Webinars / Virtual Events Online webinar series delivering regular professional development, including the Association Knowledge Program In Practice sessions, with CAE credits available to members.
• AuSAE Jobs Board Online jobs board and career centre listing vacancies from member associations and the broader association/not-for-profit sector to support recruitment.
• Supplier Directory (Australia and New Zealand) Online directories of vetted suppliers and service providers for Australian and New Zealand associations across member management, events, technology, and other service categories.
• Digital Subscription (Association Knowledge Program) Annual digital subscription for non-members offering access to the Association Knowledge Program In Practice series, on-demand webinar library, special online events, masterclasses and workshops.
• Regional Events and Roundtables In-person and hybrid regional executive roundtables and skills labs hosted across Australia and New Zealand for association leaders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 for-purpose organisations represented across Australia and New Zealand
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SnapsightcoreTechnology or Integration · 25 June 2026Snapsight provides real-time event content intelligence for AuSAE's ACE 2026 conference and broader events program. The platform delivers instant session takeaways, live translation, and cross-session event intelligence, turning live sessions into actionable insights. This partnership extends across all in-person and online events.
• Advanced Solutions International (ASI)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerASI is a Premium Alliance Partner and the developer of iMIS, an association management system. ASI hosts executive roundtables and Demo Days for AuSAE members, providing educational content on digital transformation and membership technology. Colin Bryant serves as Country Manager Asia Pacific.
• CauseiscoreTechnology or IntegrationCauseis is a global digital consulting firm and the current ASI Global iMIS Partner of the Year (5 times in 6 years). The firm delivers Causeis Launchpad powered by iMIS and supports AuSAE's Association Skills Lab workshops on AI readiness and member journey mapping. Michelle Lelempsis is CEO and Founder.
• Revise RecruitmentminorOthersRevise Recruitment is a boutique specialist recruitment agency for the Peak Bodies, Membership and Associations sector. As an exclusive member offer, they sponsor employees of member organizations to complete CAE Certification with every successful placement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association): PCMA is the global leading association for meeting, convention, and event professionals, with overlapping membership among association event planners and a much broader events-industry portfolio than AuSAE's association-only focus.
• MPI (Meeting Professionals International): MPI is a global association for meeting and event professionals with chapters worldwide, competing for the same professional development wallet as AuSAE's ACE Conference and webinar programs among association event teams.
• IAEE (International Association of Exhibitions and Events): IAEE is the international trade association for the exhibitions and events industry, overlapping with AuSAE's audience of association event leaders but with a broader exhibitions-industry focus and global footprint.

Others

• Higher Logic: Higher Logic provides AI-powered member engagement software used by associations and is an ecosystem platform partner of AuSAE; it competes for member technology budgets rather than operating as a competing association.
• Causeis: Causeis is a global digital consulting firm delivering Causeis Launchpad powered by iMIS and supporting AuSAE's Skills Lab workshops; it is an ecosystem technology/integration partner rather than a competing membership association.

Direct peers

• Association Forum: Association Forum is a US-based membership body serving association executives in the Chicago region, offering education, networking, and credentialing programming directly analogous to AuSAE's value proposition for association leaders.
• ASAE (American Society of Association Executives): ASAE is the leading US-based association for association management professionals and the issuing body of the CAE credential. AuSAE is essentially ASAE's Australasian counterpart, mirrors its mission, and draws CAE approval authority directly from it.
• CSAE (Canadian Society of Association Executives): CSAE is the Canadian association of association executives operating the same membership, certification, and event model as AuSAE for the Canadian market, with overlapping CAE-related programming and similar member segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/australasian-society-of-association-executives

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australasian Society of Association Executives