CONCURRENT SESSIONS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Creating a Trust Surplus, Understanding the Trust Deficit (In Your Team and with Your Clients)
Presenter: Lane Velayo, CAE, Synergos 

Creating a trust surplus, understanding the trust deficit. This is something I talk about with our teams often, small "paper cuts" as it relates to inaction, non-communication or missed deadlines add up to create a trust deficit which then leads to micro management from our volunteers and stakeholders. Understanding how to build a trust surplus and what that means for our day to day work in AMCs is really important in balancing client portfolios and ensuring our clients are happy with our work.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

10:00 PM - 11:00 PM

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

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.

Learning Objectives

  • Identify the different roles AMC professionals are expected to play and recognize where role confusion can create friction with clients, boards, and internal teams.
  • Apply practical strategies for clarifying expectations, managing competing priorities, and communicating boundaries across multiple client relationships.
  • Explore ways to maintain professionalism, trust, and strategic focus while shifting between different clients, cultures, personalities, and governance environments.

Modernizing Client Events
Presenter: Molly Marsh, CMP, AMR Management Services

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

11:30 PM - 12:30 PM

Hard Skills Get You in The Door; Mastering Soft Skills as an AMC Client Executive Ensures Success
Presenter: Bennett Napier, M.S., CAE, Partners in Association Management

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.

Accelerating AI Thinking & Readiness at AMCs
Presenter: Rich Vallaster, CEM, QAS, AAiP, Momentive Software

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

Knowing How To Communicate With Whom
Presenter: Lane Velayo, CAE, Synergos

Knowing how to communicate with whom: The Art of Communication internally and externally. I think particularly for those that deal with volunteer leaders, stakeholders and internally how we couch our conversations, whether we use AMC acronyms or Association focused ones is really important. Ensuring that stakeholders feel like they're calling their association and not just a warehoused call center and understanding that for leaders is important.

Scope Creep
Presenter: Beth Chitnis, Etherio