The AMCI Annual Meeting has become one of my favorite events to attend, and this year’s meeting was no exception. For this year’s meeting in Las Vegas, I again served on the Annual Meeting Program Committee, participated as a facilitator in the AMCs by Size roundtable discussion, and attended many informative sessions presented by my colleagues in the AMC industry. It was a great opportunity to network and learn from others about the most relevant topics and latest ideas in association management.
Here are my insights from the AMCI Annual Meeting:
Raise the Bar for What’s Possible
After serving time in federal prison, Jeff Henderson turned his life around and became a successful chef, speaker, and entrepreneur. As the keynote speaker at the AMCI meeting, Chef Jeff spoke about discovering your potential and your gifts. His inspiring presentation encouraged listeners to amplify our strengths and manage our weaknesses to evolve personally and professionally. He also shared with us his recipe for success: grind, dream, courage, and execution. Good is not enough, he emphasized. We should always go the extra mile and always strive to be different.
Hit the Networking Jackpot
In her session, “Hit the Networking Jackpot: Secrets to Establishing New Business Relationships,” presenter Katie Callahan-Giobbi shared many helpful tips for networking. She explained the importance of being intentional in preparing for networking, suggesting that preparing conversation starters and practicing an elevator pitch will help set you up for success. Knowing your unique value proposition and using that in your pitch can help distinguish you to a potential client or connection. At networking events, she said, don’t hang out with people you know. Instead, try to engage with someone new. Watch the body language of those around you to see if you can enter an existing conversation. After the fact, be sure to follow up on your conversation via email or LinkedIn. Networking is all about fostering relationships.
Thriving Within
Speakers Sue O’Sullivan and JoAnn Taie focused their session on running a business within a business as an association management company. They encouraged us to take on an ownership mentality, highlighting the importance of responsibility and accountability in everything we do. As association management professionals, we are valued strategic partners of the organizations we manage.
New Technology
The AMCI meeting also introduced me to some interesting new technology that might be useful for our operations at CAM. One presentation even explored ways to implement AI in our work as AMCs. These include note-taking software like Microsoft Copilot and Fireflies.ai, which can assist with summarizing, recording, and transcribing meeting notes. I also learned about Scribe, a plug-in that records your work as you do it to help document your processes, and several other programs for AI-generated content. Learning about different uses for AI was fascinating, but it also brought up questions about when and how AI can be used appropriately.
As always, the AMCI Annual Meeting was an opportunity for learning, networking, growth, and fun — I can’t wait for the next one!
By Anna Kosova, CAE, Principal
