CHICAGO, IL March 12, 2025 –Bostrom, an agile management driven association management company, is pleased to announce that Executive Leadership Team member Bryan White, CAE has been elected to the 2025-2028 Association Forum Board of Directors.

White serves as Chief Growth Officer and Chief Consultant for Bostrom and as Executive Director of the Racquet Industry Research Group (RIRG). White began his association career nearly 20 years ago managing two trade associations, and as Vice President of Membership and Operations for three other associations. He has been an active member of the Forum for many years, taught Association 101, and delivered several educational sessions at Forum meetings.

The Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) and the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) have today announced a new Strategic Partnership that will bring mutual benefits to members of both organisations. This collaboration will strengthen the global meetings and events industry through enhanced knowledge-sharing, increased visibility, and collaborative opportunities.

Sissi Lignou, President of IAPCO said the on-going success and growth of the global meetings and events industry relies on collaboration between like-minded organisations and different stakeholders more than ever before. 

"Volunteers are the heart of our organization!" This phrase might sound cliché, but it couldn't be more true. Just ask Tina Wehmeir, AMCI President and CEO: "Our members are smart, innovative, and committed individuals who generously dedicate so much of their time to ensuring the growth of the Association Management Company (AMC) industry. With their guidance, support, and thought leadership, we are well on our way to reaching our strategic goal of AMCs managing 50% of associations by 2050."

Without volunteers donating their time and passion to the causes they care about, most nonprofits would struggle to survive. Volunteers make it happen—especially AMCI’s! That's why we take this month to thank our amazing volunteers. We couldn't achieve our mission of educating our AMC members and the world about this incredible industry without you. The AMCI team is privileged to serve this dynamic community. Thank you, thank you!

Remember when we talked about the new normal and being cautiously optimistic? The truth is, staying ahead of workforce shifts, economic trends, evolving technology, and legal complexities is more challenging than ever – especially on your own.

Join us on Thursday, March 27 at 1:00 PM ET for an in-depth session on AMCI’s Benchmarking Tool—a revolutionary resource designed to help you validate fees, compare costs, and optimize client investments. Building on insights from our Annual Meeting, this session will dive deeper into the tool’s capabilities, revisiting key takeaways and exploring real-world applications.

We invite you to shape the future of the AMC industry by submitting a proposal for a concurrent or HIIT session by March 24, 2025. Based on recent surveys, we are particularly interested in the following topics:

IMEX America is the largest trade show in the US for the global meetings, events, and incentive travel industry.  As IMEX puts it, this trade show “brings the meetings industry together to do a year’s worth of business under one roof”. AMCI is pleased to represent the AMC industry at events like IMEX America, marketing the model to associations and vendors alike.

In addition to marketing the AMC industry, AMCI also brings together a group of hosted buyers to showcase the power behind the AMCI community. For our buyers, this is a great way to network with one another as they search for the best technology and destinations for their clients. For AMCI’s industry partners, the hosted buyers group is a chance to have intimate conversations with AMC professionals, who work with multiple association clients.

AMCs Engaged: The New Normal. What Now?  was hosted June 5-7 in Oklahoma City, OK. Focused on tackling some of the most critical issues facing AMCs – workforce, technology, and client management - Engaged provided valuable education and practical strategies for AMCs to bring back to their teams and clients. In addition to education, Engaged attendees also were able to engage in meaningful networking, celebrate excellence in the industry, and even have a little bit of fun with AMCI Industry Partners. 

Below are some highlights of AMCs Engaged.

Exciting Updates from IMEX Frankfurt 2023

IMEX Frankfurt is where the global meetings, events and incentive travel industry comes together annually for the largest trade show of its kind in Europe. From May 23 - 25, thousands of meeting planners, supplies, and others converge on the Messe Frankfurt to network, meet, get educated, and potentially buy/sell meeting planning services, destinations or software.

In order to help broaden and increase awareness of the AMC Model on an international level, AMCI has been active with IMEX for years. Part of this effort includes bringing a group of AMCI members as hosted buyers to participate. In 2023, AMCI expanded its participation at IMEX in several exciting ways.

AMCI Accreditation: It’s good for business. It’s good for management.

Author: Mike Reitelbach, CAE, RCE, IOM President, Organization Management Group

Frankly, I cannot point to a single client association and claim that we earned their business strictly through accreditation.  But then I never really thought that we would.  I can say that OMG did get some opportunities because of being accredited that we might not have otherwise received.

In late 2022, AMCI began asking members to submit posts with reasons about why AMCs are a great place to work. With workforce shortages, staff transitions, and retirements continuing to loom over the industry, it is critical that AMCs are able to implement best practices, and showcase why prospective employees should bring their talents to their firms.

Maddy Madeley, Vice-President at Redstone Agency in Toronto, Canada shares what Redstone has done to retain and recruit new staff, and answer the question “Why is an AMC a great place to work?” Her response is below: 

Since founding in 2015, Redstone has gone from three to 60 staff, impressed over 200 clients, and aimed to hire the most innovative professionals. We believe that an AMC is a great place to work, and we build up our people to be the best they can be – here are just a few reasons why.

The AMCI Reading Corner is a crowdsourced resource share aimed to serve as a platform for the AMCI community to share book recommendations and reflect with personal takeaways. Starting with monthly postings, more ways to engage will be shared as the idea grows.

This month, Jill Miller of Impact Association Management, shares her review of Think Again by Adam Grant

Launched in October 2022 as a new benefit exclusive to AMCI members, the Accreditation Working Group has been created by AMCI members, for AMCI members, as they journey down the path of accreditation. Leading the charge of the Accreditation Working Group is Beth Quick-Andrews of Q&A Business Solutions, and Gregory Brooks of AMC Source. Below you will find their experience in creating the first Accreditation Working Group and goals for current and future working group.

If you are interested in learning more about the Accreditation process, join us for an interactive accreditation panel on November 30!

This article has been provided by Beth Quick-Andrews of Q&A Business Solutions, and Gregory Brooks of AMC Source.

The AMCI Annual Meeting: Our ‘Go-To Source’ for Ideas and Advice

By Amy Lotz, CAE
MCI USA

We have a saying at MCI: “When people come together, magic happens.” That’s why we’re strong supporters of the AMC Institute and especially AMCI’s Annual Meeting, which will be held January 25-27 at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.

How to Build an AMC Culture That Retains and Sustains

This guest post is provided by Impact AMC.

Impact Association Management was a recent recipient of the 2022 Dane County Small Business Awards. This award recognizes small businesses that make a real difference in their communities and for their employees. As an association management company (AMC) that saw growth through the pandemic, we’re continuously reevaluating our work model and centering it around three main components – maintaining schedule flexibility, building and maintaining real connections, and providing professional development opportunities. We encourage other associations, AMCs, and businesses to implement these strategies to see higher retention rates, better productivity, and overall staff happiness – as we have!

The AMCI Reading Corner is a crowdsourced resource share aimed to serve as a platform for the AMCI community to share book recommendations and reflect with personal takeaways. Starting with monthly postings, more ways to engage will be shared as the idea grows.

This month, Richie O’Neill of Association Management Strategies, Inc. shares his review of How Full is Your Bucket by Tom Rath and Donald Clifton

Personify and the AMC Institute Launch the Business Exchange

Personify and the AMC Institute co-curate a virtual marketplace that delivers non-dues revenue and competitive  advantage for members.

July 29, 2022– Austin, Texas – Personify, Inc. (“Personify”), the leader in technology solutions for associations, nonprofits and event organizers, and the AMC Institute (AMCI), the premier trade association for the association management company (AMC) industry, announced the launch of a next generation revenue platform called the Business Exchange. Now available exclusively to AMCI members, the collaboration represents a shared commitment to advancing the AMC industry through innovative technology tailored to meet the needs of AMC firms and their association clients.

The AMCI Reading Corner is a crowdsourced resource share aimed to serve as a platform for the AMCI community to share book recommendations and reflect with personal takeaways. Starting with monthly postings, more ways to engage will be shared as the idea grows.

This month, Ande Leslie of Smithbucklin shares her review of Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono.

Raybourn Group International (RGI) was recently named to the 2022 Best Places to Work list by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce for the second consecutive year. Being named to this exclusive list affirms the dynamic changes we have made for our company, clients and staff. At RGI, we believe in the power of bringing like-minded individuals together to strengthen leaders and associations, and the professions or industries we serve. This success starts with company culture and staffing.

Importance of Work Environment
RGI selected new office space three years ago. The environment in which employees work matters. Even in a great culture, the physical environment of work is a large factor in employee morale and satisfaction. The new space has natural lighting, private offices, an eat-in/meet-in kitchen, multiple collaboration spaces and security.

The AMCI Reading Corner is a crowdsourced resource share aimed to serve as a platform for the AMCI community to share book recommendations and reflect with personal takeaways. Starting with monthly postings, more ways to engage will be shared as the idea grows.

This month, Joe Sapp, CAE, of Talley Management Group, Inc. shares his review of One Second Ahead: Enhance your Performance at Work with Mindfulness by Rasmus Hougaard, Jacqueline Carter and Gillian Coutts.