11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

Arrivals/Hotel Check-In/Registration

12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. 

Beverage and Lunch

12:45 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

Welcome to the Regional Meeting

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. 

Opening Session: Ready, Set, Connect

Presenter: Karyn Nishimura Sneath, FASAE, Engagement and Leadership Lead, Synergos AMC

Overview: Some people enter a room for networking and jump in, eager to meet dozens of new friends and colleagues. Others walk in gingerly, hoping they don't look as awkward as they feel. Others hate networking events and activities so much, they don't even come in the door. Be prepared to ease into this session with a little bit of information and then move to create a lot of connections through structured (and NOT embarrassing) activities. We will not hold hands, nor sing songs. We will not trust fall into the arms of strangers. We WILL move, interact, and prepare for a conference full of new colleagues.

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Tips and Tools For a Transformational Future

Presenter: Gabriel Eckert, FASAE, CAE, Building Owners and Managers Association of Georgia

Overview: Gabriel Eckert, FASAE, CAE, will lead an interactive session in which he will share insight gained from research of dozens of nonprofit organizations. During the presentation, he will share easily implementable tips and tools that can be used to intentionally design a transformational future for any organization. Gabriel will highlight new ways to think, communicate, and create, collaborate, and more.

3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. 

Networking Break

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Hard Skills Get You in the Door; Mastering Soft Skills as an AMC Client Excecutive Ensures Success

Presenter: Bennett Napier, M.S., CAE, President/CEO, Partners in Association Management

Overview: This session will discuss best practices and examine trends to help AMC Client Executives achieve maximum effectiveness in the role; define the Personal/Professional Line with Board Volunteers and develop Professional Action Plans.

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The Launch Framework: A Roadmap for Guiding Association Clients Through Non-Dues Revenue Programs

Presenter: Angela Robbins, Ph.D., VP Global Business Development and Learning Solutions, Mission Fuel 

Overview:  Association Management Company (AMC) professionals are routinely asked to guide client associations through launching, or non-dues revenue program, and to do it across every discipline at once: strategy, instructional design, technology selection, marketing, pricing, and board communication. This session introduces the LAUNCH Framework, a practical six-stage roadmap AMC professionals can apply immediately with their own clients. Anchored in current association-sector research on the real cost of inaction, the session walks through each stage of the framework, illustrated with anonymized examples from real client engagements. Attendees leave with a repeatable playbook and a one-page checklist they can bring directly into their next client conversation.

4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Reception

5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Dinner - Hosted by Growthzone - RSVP Here

Grab & Go Breakfast/IHG Design Center Tour

9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

General Session: Minute to Meaning: The Leadership Power of Intentional Curiosity

Presenter: Andy Christiansen, PCC, SHEM-CP

Overview: You know their title, responsibilities, and performance numbers-but how well do you really know the people you lead and influence? In a workplace shaped by busyness, competing priorities, deadlines, and constant demands, leaders can become so focused on results that they lose sight of the people behind the work. Minute to Meaning challenges participants to move beyond transactional management and discover how intentional curiosity can reveal motivation, build trust, and strengthen relationships. Through stories, practical tools, and real-time practice, participants will learn how one powerful question, and one intentional minute can transform a routine interaction into a meaningful conversation.

Moments into moments that matter. Because great leadership isn't simply about getting more from people. It's about understanding more about people.

10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Becoming Invaluable

Presenters: Megan Kyte, Program Manager, AMR Management Services, Ashleigh Roche, MBA, Senior Association Manager, Association & Conference Group and Jennifer Walls, Account Manager, Association Services Group

Overview: It takes a unique combination of skills, knowledge and abilities to be successful and build a career in an AMC, and it may feel impossible to juggle the workload and build new skills or capacities to help grow in your career. Well, we've got the secret to becoming invaluable to your AMC and charting your growth path. This session will reveal some of the most important characteristics that AMC owners and leaders need from their teams to keep their businesses thriving and tips and ideas for embodying those characteristics no matter what role you currently have. Join the session and become invaluable to your AMC today!

Key Topics:

• Top ten (ish) characteristics that owners need/want to see from their AMC team members.
• Ways to demonstrate leadership and aptitude in these areas from a variety of seats within an AMC (Director, Account Exec, specialist seat – marketing, events, membership – Program/Project Coordinator, etc.)
• Tips and suggestions from those that have grown in AMC roles.

10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Modernizing Client Events

Presenter: Molly Marsh, CMP, Director of Consultative Services, Account Executive, AMR Management Services

Overview: The data is clear, Millennials and Gen Z are dominating the workforce, but many association events still follow agendas and formats set before these younger professionals were born. The future of associations and the essential communities they support relies on engaging all facets of the workforce, so it is imperative for AMCs to help guide their client volunteers toward more innovative and modern in-person events that meet the needs of all audiences. This session offers not only an update on event trends and participant insights, but strategies for how to encourage creativity and innovation from volunteer leaders across your clients who may be hesitant to change long-standing traditions.

Key Topics:

• Event trends and data on participant preferences
• Identifying the mismatch between what association conferences offer and what participants are looking for
• Tactics for presenting new ideas and innovations to volunteer leaders or other association leaders who may not see the need for change
• Strategies for modernizing event infrastructure across an AMC that don't break the bank

11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

Which Hat am I Wearing? Managing the Multiple Roles, Multiple Clients, and Multiple Expectations of AMC work 

Presenter: Jim Thompson, CAE, IOM, Founder/CEO, Tying It Together Consulting

Overview: AMC professionals are constantly shifting between roles: board liaison, staff leader, client manager, entrepreneur, problem solver, and trusted partner. With multiple clients, cultures, personalities, and expectations in play, that role-switching can create confusion, friction, and competing priorities.

This session will explore practical ways to clarify roles, manage expectations, communicate boundaries, and build trust across client relationships. Participants will leave with strategies for navigating the “hat switching” of AMC work while maintaining credibility, focus, and capacity.

Scope Creep Survival Guide: Spot It, Stop It, Prevent It

Presenter: Lily Davidson, MSW, SVP Association Management, Etherio and Beth Knight, CAE, Vice President-Membership, Association Solutions

Overview: "Just one more report." "This will only take a minute." "You make it look so easy!" Sound familiar? Scope creep doesn't announce itself. It accumulates through small requests that compound over time, straining your team and eroding profitability.

In this interactive session, you'll learn to identify the early warning signs of scope creep, develop practical strategies to address it, and build prevention systems into your contracts and client relationships. Through real-world scenarios and actionable frameworks, you'll gain the confidence to say "yes, and..." instead of just "yes," protect your team's capacity, and demonstrate value without giving it away. Whether you're managing volunteers, boards, or client expectations, you'll leave with tools to maintain healthy boundaries while strengthening partnerships.

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. 

Accelerating AI Thinking & Readiness at AMCs

Presenter: Rich Vallaster, CEM, QAS, AAiP, Senior Director of Industry Strategy, Momentive Software

Overview: This session explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can revolutionize every aspect of association management companies (AMCs), from daily operations to strategic decision-making. Designed as a welcoming, jargon-free space for all experience levels, it offers practical insights into AI readiness and showcases how AMCs can use AI to boost efficiency, uncover deeper insights, and make smarter decisions that impress clients and outpace competitors. Attendees can expect actionable tips, live demos, and engaging moments that highlight how every role within an AMC can benefit from embracing AI.

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Creating a Trust Surplus: Strengthening Confidence Across Teams and Clients

Presenter: Linda Caradine-Poinsett, PhD, MJ, MBA, Association Management Center

Trust develops through everyday experiences. A timely update, a completed commitment, or an early conversation about a potential problem can strengthen confidence. In contrast, missed deadlines, incomplete follow-through, and gaps in communication can accumulate like small “paper cuts,” creating uncertainty and inviting greater oversight from clients, volunteers, and colleagues.

In the complex AMC environment, where professionals balance multiple clients and competing priorities, maintaining trust requires more than good intentions. This interactive session will explore how trust surpluses and deficits develop, why uncertainty can lead to micromanagement, and how consistent work practices can strengthen confidence. Participants will examine realistic AMC scenarios and identify practical ways to improve communication, manage expectations, repair strained relationships, and create greater autonomy across their teams and client portfolios.

2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Closing Session: Managing Associations in an Ever-Changing World

Presenter: Bennett Napier, M.S., CAE, President/CEO, Partners in Association Management

Panelists: Carolyn Lagermasini, CAE, President & Founder, Association and Conference Group, Katie Oxford, CAE, CEO, Association Services Group and Jim Thompson, CAE, IOM, Founder/CEO, Tying It Together Consulting

Overview: In this interactive panel, AMC leaders will share real world strategies for managing associations amid constant change. The session begins with brief introductions, giving attendees insight into each panelist's background, including years in the profession, AMC size, and the scope of clients they serve.

The conversation will explore practical tools and approaches AMC teams use to stay agile and effective, with moderated questions guiding the discussion across several core areas:

• Volunteer Management, Communication, and Transparency: Platforms like Basecamp, Asana, and other tools that support clarity and collaboration.
• Financial Strength and Stability: Key KPIs, dashboards, ratios, reserve targets, cash flow management, and forecasting practices that help ensure organizational health.
• Workflow and Capacity Management: How AMCs balance scope, team bandwidth, and operational efficiency using modern workflow tools.

If time allows, the panel will close with forward looking insights, including "crystal ball" perspectives on the AMC landscape or one strategic tip each panelist would offer to AMC client/account executives.

Designed for professionals seeking practical, immediately applicable guidance, this session offers a candid look at how AMC leaders navigate complexity, support their teams, and deliver consistent value to the associations they manage.