In the AMC world, we spend a great deal of time helping our association clients communicate their value to members, sponsors, and stakeholders. Yet many of us miss an opportunity to tell our own story to the vendor partners who help make our client meetings, conferences, and programs successful. 

At Parthenon Management Group (PMG), we have found that one of the most effective ways to strengthen vendor relationships is to quantify and share our impact. Each year, we create an annual impact infographic that highlights the economic value generated through our meetings portfolio. In 2025 alone, PMG meetings generated more than $18.6 million in economic impact, including guest room revenue, food and beverage spend, audiovisual services, and negotiated rebates, across 46 conferences in 8 countries serving more than 26,000 attendees. The infographic itself is simple. The work behind it is not. However, if you develop a simple Excel spreadsheet to house your data and do this after each event, the product at the end of the year is easier than you think.  

Start with the Data You Already Have 

Like many AMCs, PMG maintains a master meetings data tracker that captures key information for every event we manage. This includes: 

Throughout the year, our teams collect this information as part of their normal event management processes. At year-end, we aggregate the data into a concise visual report that demonstrates the collective value of our meetings portfolio. What began as an internal reporting exercise has become a valuable relationship-building tool. 

Showing Vendors the Bigger Picture 

Most vendor partners only see a small portion of our business. A destination or hotel may know the value of the meetings it hosts, but not the total room revenue PMG generates annually. An AV partner may see a handful of events but not the overall purchasing power of our organization. By sharing our annual impact infographic, we help partners understand not only the scale of our collective business, but the power of the AMC model and our community. We send it each year along with a simple message of appreciation and thanks for their partnership. The response is consistently positive. 

The infographic provides context for our negotiations, reinforces the value of long-term relationships, and helps suppliers view us as strategic partners rather than transactional customers. Most importantly, it demonstrates that our success is shared. When suppliers understand the volume and influence, we bring to the marketplace, they are often more motivated to invest in the relationship, identify creative solutions, and help deliver greater value to our association clients. 

This philosophy aligns closely with the work of AMCI's Trusted Advisor Task Force, which was established to help AMCs move beyond transactional vendor relationships and build strategic partnerships that deliver greater value for association clients. Under the leadership of Megan Woodburn and Lane Velayo, the task force developed a comprehensive Trusted Advisor Toolkit that provides practical resources, conversation guides, and best practices for cultivating stronger supplier partnerships. The toolkit encourages shows you how to communicate your organization's value, purchasing influence, and long-term business potential.  This is exactly the type of story an impact infographic can help tell. We are grateful to Megan and Lane for their leadership in creating a resource that helps elevate both individual AMC firms and educates partners on our value.    

The Same Opportunity Exists for AMCI 

Several years ago, AMCI developed an industry impact infographic highlighting the collective strength of AMC-managed associations. The infographic illustrated the tremendous value of the AMC model, including financial growth, industry reach, and the economic impact generated by AMC-managed organizations.  

While those statistics were compelling, our industry has evolved significantly since that data was collected. Today's AMC community manages more associations, delivers more meetings, and creates greater impact than ever before. To tell that story effectively, AMCI needs current data from its members. 

In the coming months, AMCI will be embarking on a new industry data collection initiative designed to update these impact metrics and provide fresh evidence of the value AMCs bring to associations and not-for-profit organizations. 

Why Your Participation Matters 

Every AMC benefits when we can collectively demonstrate the strength of our industry. Updated industry-wide metrics help AMCI: 

Simply put, better data helps AMCI tell a stronger story. But there is an additional benefit for your firm. The process of gathering information for AMCI's survey can also help your company identify and communicate its own impact. Whether through an infographic, annual report, supplier update, or client-facing presentation, these metrics provide powerful evidence of the value your organization creates. 

A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats 

The AMC industry has an incredible story to tell. Collectively, we manage associations that drive education, research, professional development, advocacy, and community impact around the world. We create economic activity, build professional communities, and help organizations thrive. The more effectively we measure and communicate that value, the stronger our industry becomes and the more credibility we gain with both our clients and the industry at large.