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.

AMCI Awards of Excellence

For the first time in AMCI history, AMCs gathered together to celebrate examples of excellence in the AMC industry. Hosted by Visit Oklahoma City and sponsored by Visit Detroit, the awards gala took place in the Petroleum Club in downtown Oklahoma City. Attendees were treated to a surprise as Visit OKC provided classic cars to shuttle attendees from the Omni Hotel to the awards gala.

The ceremony was emceed by Erin Fuller, CAE, chief strategy officer of MCI USA, and chair of the AMCI Awards Taskforce. 

Honorees for the evening were as follows:

• Excellence in AMC Client Advancement Award - MCI USA, represented by Erin Fuller
• Outstanding AMC Culture Award - Parthenon Management Group, represented by Sarah Timm
• Rising Leader Award - Kirsten Reader, Impact Association Management
• Excellence in Leadership Award - Constance Wrigley-Thomas, CAE, DES, Essentient Association Management & Events
• Glenn W. Bostrom Lifetime Achievement Award - Robert (Bob) Waller, CAE, Association Headquarters

One of the highlights of the evening came when the Glenn W. Bostrom Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Bob Waller, of Association Headquarters. Bob received several minutes of standing ovation as his colleagues and peers in the industry recognized and celebrated  his achievements.

In addition to recognizing the five honorees, one AMC was recognized for becoming newly accredited, and over 20 AMCs were recognized for achieving re-accreditation.

AMC Focused Education

At the core of any AMCI event is the AMC-focused educational sessions. 

Kicking off the meeting was keynote speaker, Tonya Muse, FASAE, CAE of Heidrick & Struggles Association Practice. Tonya shared with attendees the current trends in talent management, including guidance for organizations to stay competitive and attract and retain the quality talent.

In addition to Tonya, Engaged attendees were given the opportunity to hear a second keynote message from Amy Downs, survivor of the Oklahoma City Bombing and author of Hope is a Verb. Amy provided an emotional and inspirational message of hope, sharing ways for organizations to thrive in the midst of crisis.

In addition to the two keynote addresses, Engaged attendees also had an array of educational sessions, ranging from rebranding to risk management to recruiting the next generation of staff.

Closing out AMCs Engaged was the AMC Hackathon on employee retention and recruitment. Attendees were split into groups to brainstorm and share best practices and ideas.

Meaningful Networking

No AMCI meeting would be complete without peers coming together to network, sharing ideas and smiles with one another. 

One of the key ways that Engaged attendees networked was at the popular AMCs by Size sessions. In these sessions, AMCs were grouped with similarly sized firms, while addressing hot topics in the industry. New in 2023: the AMCs by Size session conversations are now being continued on AMCI's community platform, AMCI Intersect, extending in-person connections.

Connecting with Industry Partners

AMCI's Industry Partners are a very important component of AMCI's meetings. Our partners provide sponsorship for the events, meals, and fun activities that happen at events like AMCs Engaged. However, their importance extends beyond that. As seen at the AMCs Engaged meeting, AMCs are always looking for the best opportunities for their clients and their own firms. Our partners step in to provide those critical services, so that AMCs can continue providing quality management for their clients. 

One of the most talked about aspects of AMCs Engaged was the new networking activation, Two Truths and a Lie sponsored by ScanTrivia. Attendees scanned QR codes of other attendees and partners and were then asked to identify the lie. Correctly selecting the lie allowed each attendee to receive points. These points were tallied throughout the meeting, and at the closing reception, attendees with the most points won amazing prizes donated by the Industry Partners such as trips, gift cards, gift baskets, and hotel stays. Emma Roberts, of Base Consulting and Management, Inc. won the grand prize, which was a five-day Alaskan Adventure donated by Visit Anchorage.

Thank you, once again, to all our wonderful partners who made this event an overwhelming success, and a fun time together!

AMCs Engaged was a fantastic meeting all around. AMCI is thankful to the AMCs Engaged planning committee, chaired by Ruth Abrahamson, our Engaged meeting sponsors, Industry Partners, and all attendees for making this event truly successful and engaging.

Do you want to be part of the next AMCI Meeting? 

Join us for the AMCI Annual Meeting at MGM Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, February 14 - 16, 2024, and at the next AMCs Engaged in Montréal, Québec Canada, July  29 - 31, 2024.