AMC Institute


The AMC Institute is the global membership organization of the association management company, or AMC, industry. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S., AMCI counts more than 180 AMC member organizations, employs 3,500 people, and represents 2.8 million individual members throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia.
As of 2016, AMCI represents both the world's largest association management company, SmithBucklin, as well as the world's largest professional conference organiser, MCI Group.
The total budget for associations managed by AMCI members is more than $1.5 billion.
AMCI's accreditation program is based upon the American National Standards Institute-approved standard for good AMC practices. In May 2007, to provide clearer direction to associations interested in being managed by AMCs, the institute and the American Society of Association Executives agreed to support a single AMC accreditation program run by the institute.

History

AMCI was founded in 1963 as the Multiple Association Management Institute. It since has undergone several name changes, including the Institute of Association Management Companies in 1976 and the International Association of Association Management Companies in 1996. In the early 2000s, AMCs from ASAE and IAAMC joined to form the AMC Institute, a marketing arm to support the promotion of the AMC model. AMCs could purchase a partnership with the AMC Institute, regardless of their membership in IAAMC or ASAE. In 2005, IAAMC changed its name to AMC Institute, assumed the AMC marketing responsibilities and, in 2006, the organization as a whole assumed the AMC Institute name to more clearly brand the AMC concept.