AMCs provide advantages when outsourcing meetings management.

In today's economy, meetings and conferences are key member benefits that ensure an involved, growing, and financially sound association. If the conference program is lacking in content, the accommodations are below par, the food is bad, or the attendance is low, chances are professional meetings management is being overlooked. This can result in low member-renewal rates and dissatisfied association members. A qualified association management company (AMC) understands that by providing professional meetings services it can successfully meet the needs of association clients--clients that rely on meetings and conferences to generate member interest and involvement and provide a significant source of nondues revenue.

Across the past several years, the AMC industry has taken the initiative to improve the quality and professionalism of services through its accreditation program that distinguishes the professional service AMC from others. In doing so, an AMC that has been accredited must meet the industry's highest quality standards. Professional AMCs offer access to a complete range of services in order to ensure successful meetings. In addition to meeting planning, trained professionals deliver high-quality services in financial management, creative services, and technology services--all within one company. AMCs alleviate the need for numerous contracts and multiple points of contact.

* Professional team. A professional AMC meeting planning team learns from planning and executing a variety of meetings for multiple clients. These professionals know what works and what doesn't. All clients benefit from the AMC's best practices that have been perfected across time.

If your association is unable to afford a full-time meeting planner or your employees are over-committed, qualified AMCs can provide professional meeting planners and managers on a one-time basis or for a long-term relationship. These professionals are knowledgeable in all aspects of the meetings and hospitality industry and understand the needs of nonprofit organizations. From contract negotiations with hotels and vendors to managing on-site logistics, an AMC's professional meeting planner serves a very important role and makes a difference in the success of each event.

The entire AMC meetings management team understands the nuances in planning different types of events. Many AMCs coordinate air and ground transportation, housing, entertainment, marketing and promotion, and other services to ensure a successful event. Having a team of AMC professionals frees up association staff to focus on building relationships with members.

* Comprehensive software. AMCs have comprehensive software that is flexible for individual associations that require different needs for a variety of meetings including trade shows, conferences, executive meetings, retreats, and special events.

* Consistency of relationships and buying power. Because AMCs establish long-term relationships with professional vendors, they can ensure the consistent quality of events. For example, most AMCs have multiple clients with audiovisual needs and can establish a service-quality expectation with a preferred vendor based on the AMC's buying power. In addition, AMCs plan meetings and conferences for association clients and work directly with national hotel-chain representatives to provide leverage when negotiating room rates and other variables with their respective properties.

By providing a professional team, comprehensive software, industry relationships, and buying power, AMCs offer many advantages to associations outsourcing meetings management.

John A. Ruffin is president and CEO, Association Management Resources, Inc., Lexington, Kentucky.

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Association Management Resources, Inc. (AMR), provides full and a la carte services to associations and other organizations in four core service areas: executive management, conference and event management, technology services, and creative services. AMR is an IAAMC charter accredited association management company, having met the American National Standards Institute's "Standard of Good Practices for the Association Management Industry." AMR provides outsourcing services for strategic planning, conference and event management, creative services (including Web site and graphic design), financial management, and technology services. AMR customizes action plans for its full-service and a la carte clients.

Contact:

John A. Ruffin, President and CEO

Association Management

Resources, Inc.

Lexington, Kentucky

www.amrinc.net