By Samantha Kilgore, AAEA Executive Director
The Ag Comm Network has been throwing a lot of different programming and event announcements your way. It is a lot to take in, and some you may be unfamiliar with. Take “SIG”, for example. Is it a disease? No, although it may sound like one. Is it different organization altogether? Not exactly. SIG actually stands for “Special Interest Group”. Here’s a quick rundown on what exactly a SIG is, why it is important to the Ag Comm Network and how you can get involved.
AAEA SIGs (Special Interest Groups) provide smaller communities for our member professionals within the larger membership as a whole. A national organization with 450 members and counting can seem a little daunting for someone new. SIGs can help new and existing members get plugged in with others in their region, profession, or career level.
Why are they important to AAEA- The Ag Comm Network? The Ag Comm Network is all about professional development. SIGs can help establish a focus on educational and professional priorities for each group among our membership. The Photography SIG, for example, might want to organize a series of white papers from AAEA Photo of the Year winners, while the Editor SIG could host a webinar on conducting better interviews. Our Young Professionals SIG held a networking mixer at Ag Media Summit, and our Association Communications SIG plans to host a presentation on “Working with Mainstream Media to Avoid a Potential Crisis” in the near future. SIGs are here for you to learn from your peers and become better at what you do. They are available so everyone can sharpen their skills and achieve excellence in the industry.
How can you get involved? SIGs are a membership benefit, so there is no cost involved. Check out this page on our website to see what SIGs have formed so far. As you click on each SIG, you’ll find the name and email of the chair. Reach out to them and express your interest! Whether you would like to serve in a leadership role or just want to stay up to date with what is going on, they would love to hear from you! If you don’t see a SIG you’re interested in developed just yet, email our AAEA staff team and let us know what would be valuable to you.