Author: Association Management Solutions (AMS)

You’re ready to form an organization or association but aren’t sure where to begin. Engaging an association management company (AMC) like Association Management Solutions (AMS) is an invaluable resource to ensure that your organization has the tools to succeed now and in the future. Here are the top ten benefits to hiring an AMC:

1. Professional Expertise

AMS staff offers expertise and experience in all aspects of association management including start-up consultation and assistance in creating and launching your organization, developing membership programs, financial management and reporting, governance, marketing and event planning. From pre-launch legal filings to ongoing strategic support, AMS offers a host of benefits to support and sustain successful associations.

2. Cost Efficiency

AMS offers a dedicated staff model so that your organization is managed by staff who understand your mission and goals. Engaging professional association staff benefits organizations by reducing overhead and operational costs.

3. Scalability

As an association grows or downsizes, an AMC can easily scale services up or down, providing flexibility that internal teams can struggle to match.

4. Access to Technology & Infrastructure

AMS offers an in-house technology platform (Association Management Software), Association Resources Online (ARO) ,that enables organizations to efficiently manage all aspects of their association from one easy-to-navigate dashboard.  We manage a variety of organizations,  providing a unique perspective that allows us to recommend tools and technology to fit your organization’s unique needs. 

5. Improved Governance

Understanding and developing bylaws, policies and best practices ensuring legal compliance and minimizing risk.  With over 25 years of experience, we can offer our recommendations on what works and what doesn’t.

6. Time-Saving for Volunteers and Boards

AMS’s dedicated staff is your back-office dream team. In managing all of the  day-to-day operations, your leadership teams and volunteers can focus on developing and executing on your organization’s strategy, not operations. In addition, AMS provides operational continuity during leadership transitions ensuring stability for the organization.

7. Meeting and Event Planning

Our team of Certified Meeting Professionals (CMPs) are experts in all aspects of in-person, virtual and hybrid meetings, events, trade shows, galas, leadership retreats and much more. From meeting and program design to budget management and reporting to technology support and troubleshooting, AMS offers meeting and event management around the globe and at a price point that can fit into your budget.

8. Financial Management & Transparency

A cornerstone of successful association management is transparent financial management. AMS offers budgeting, accounting, and audit preparation services. Monthly reporting ensures that your organization’s financial health is managed effectively.  We have systems in place for digital invoice management, approval and payment – all in compliance with GAAP accounting principles.

9. Membership Growth & Engagement

Membership sustainability and growth are essential to the long-term well-being of any organization.  AMS offers strategic and operational support to draw new members, improve membership retention, and increase engagement that is measurable. AMCs can implement proven strategies to attract new members, improve retention, and increase engagement to keep your membership strong.

10. Continuity & Stability

With a dedicated association management team in place, and policies to manage records and archives, your organization maintains its operational ability and institutional memory regardless of changes in leadership or volunteer membership, ensuring maximum stability.

At AMS Event Services, one of our core objectives as professional event planners is to create meaningful experiences that resonate with emerging professionals—those typically between the ages of 22 and 35 who are new to the workforce or transitioning into new roles within their fields. This dynamic demographic brings energy, fresh perspectives, and a strong drive to connect, learn, and grow.

Understanding their motivation is key. Research consistently shows that emerging professionals attend events to learn, to network, and to have fun. With that in mind, here are some proven strategies to align your events with their expectations:

• Tools to Enhance the Experience
  Leverage event technology to streamline registration, provide real-time agenda access, and integrate social media. These professionals are tech savvy and value innovation, so utilizing technology to enhance their experience is key.
  
• Targeted Programs
  Secure inspiring keynote speakers—visionaries who bring industry insight and energy to the stage.  Create sessions focused on career growth, skill-building, or leadership development. Topics like “building your personal brand,” “negotiating your first promotion,” or “navigating industry changes” –  sessions that are an investment in their future. 
• Dynamic Design and Engagement
  Craft a high-value agenda with a variety of session formats (small groups discussions, pre-recorded content for on-demand viewing, etc.) and a diverse speaker lineup. Better yet, let them moderate a panel, introduce a speaker, or contribute to a lightning talk session. Giving them the mic, even briefly, builds confidence and visibility—and helps them feel like contributors, not just attendees.  This encourages engagement, sparks ideas, and fosters ongoing conversation beyond the session rooms.
• It’s All Fun and Games
  Introduce gamification elements to drive interaction and make networking feel more approachable. Try mobile scavenger hunts, trivia battles, networking bingo or create gamified goals tied to a cause your attendees care about (e.g., “For every 100 points earned, we donate to [charity]”). Track progress on a live leaderboard. This taps into their values and community-mindedness and playful incentives will boost participation.
• The Yin-Yang of It All
  Create neurodiverse-friendly opportunities, such as:  quiet zones, sensory rooms, chair massages, and the like.   Prioritize wellness by incorporating varied food and beverage options, stretch sessions,flexible scheduling and meditation sessions. A balanced environment helps attendees stay energized and engaged throughout the event.
• Meet Your Mentor
  Facilitate connections between seasoned professionals and emerging talent through casual but structured networking opportunities just for early-career attendees to connect with each other and with approachable mentors or leaders. Icebreakers, hosted conversations, and light programming (e.g., “ask me anything” sessions) can break down barriers.
• The Afters
  Extend the life of your event with social media, virtual networking platforms, or event apps.  These help attendees stay engaged, reinforces learning, and builds long-term loyalty.   Millennials, which make up many emerging professionals, are highly active on social media and value connection, authenticity, and community, so use hashtags, post questions, and launch a post event challenge.  Encourage attendees to post, repost, interact and share their event experience. 

As a leading professional meeting and event company based in Silicon Valley, AMS Event Services is committed to designing innovative, inclusive, and high-impact experiences.

Contact us at events@amsl.com to speak with one of our Certified Meeting Professionals (CMPs) and learn how we can bring your next event to life.

“It’s his ‘baby’,” said  AMS Executive Director, Mike Parket, with a warm smile.

“It’s not that the events in the past were not successful by doing it all himself,” said Mike. “They were extremely successful and that is exactly why he needed our support.” The event had grown in scope and complexity to a level that required more resources in order to keep growing which was one of the client’s main goals. Mike and his team were hired to manage the event but the hand-off was slow and at times painful for both sides. “I quickly realized that we needed to clarify the scope of work, our respective roles and, really importantly, how the client preferred to communicate. Once we understood that and acted accordingly, we made major progress. Fitting all of these pieces together is what enabled us to identify what was helpful or if there was a duplication of effort. This was a first test for us because without that mutual understanding, the level of difficulty would have been much higher and potentially the event would have suffered.”

Mike created the project plan by assessing the event timeline from the earliest planning stages and building a detailed work breakdown structure. He identified areas where efficiencies could be employed, saving the client time and money, and just as importantly, improved the attendee experience. As part of his plan,  Mike proposed feeding the registration data into a more versatile and nimble onsite badge printing platform utilizing a custom API. By incorporating the onsite badge printing process, Mike was able to successfully eliminate wait times for onsite attendees to register and shortened lines for attendees who had pre-registered. The attendee feedback was overwhelmingly positive and that first experience upon arriving at the event, set the stage for a successful event overall.

Using a combination of custom programming and registration software platforms as the building blocks, and establishing a friendly, supportive rapport with his client while sharing measurable outcomes, like increased attendee satisfaction, Mike established trust with his client. The client began to feel comfortable turning over more of the “nuts and bolts” event planning which created more time for him to focus on developing the agenda, recruiting speakers, and securing event sponsors to help finance his event.

“It’s been such a rewarding experience to provide our event expertise to support our client and his association. Our team has been asked to take on a greater role each year since we came on board and the event continues to grow year by year. That is a testament to the work that we and the client put in to make the event such a success. It’s definitely a win-win.”

Learn more about AMS Event Services offerings.