Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

Data management is improvisation

By Wes Trochlil | September 16, 2026

Data management is improvisation I was listening to a podcast recently featuring TV writer Rob Long. During the podcast he said (I’m paraphrasing) that, in order to be successful, one needs to learn to improvise, because nothing in life ever goes as planned. One of my favorite sayings is, “If you want to make God […]

Who own the AMS company is like the weather…

By Wes Trochlil | September 9, 2026

Who own the AMS company is like the weather… When I work with clients to find a new AMS, one of the most common questions I get is: “Is the software company owned by private equity or is it privately owned?” While I think this is a legitimate question to ask and have answered, it […]

“As good or better than me.”

By Wes Trochlil | September 2, 2026

“As good or better than me.” I was recently speaking with a software developer working on AI and we were discussing using natural language querying in an AMS. I told him, “The biggest challenge you face is that the first time the AI is wrong, staff will never use it again.” He agreed but then added: “The […]

Documentation is insurance

By Wes Trochlil | August 26, 2026

Documentation is insurance In a conversation with a client about their data management needs, the client pointed out that if they lost one or two key staff members, so much institutional knowledge would go with them that the association would have real difficulty managing their AMS. I recommended that they should document all of their key processes so […]

It all comes down to fundamentals

By Wes Trochlil | August 12, 2026

It all comes down to fundamentals I’m preparing for a webinar that I’m presenting in a couple of weeks, on using data to improve marketing and communications. This is a presentation (in one form or another) that I’ve made for nearly 20 years, and it includes an excellent case study of one association that dramatically improved their […]

Older Posts

Lots going on in the AMS world

January 6, 2015

There have been two significant announcements in the AMS world in the past several weeks. First, Timberlake Software was acquired […]

New Article Posted – Importing Data Isn't Always as Simple as it Seems

November 24, 2014

One of the most common requests I hear from my clients is that they want to be able to easily […]

Attending iBEF

November 19, 2014

I recently had the opportunity to attend iBEF, the iMIS Business Excellence Forum. iBEF is hosted by ASI, the makers […]

How diverse is your product palette?

November 17, 2014

Over two decades ago, I worked for a small trade association whose primary product was a very large trade show […]

Plan on (and budget for) training before AND after go-live

November 14, 2014

Over the past six months I’ve helped several associations go-live with their new association management systems. One thing that has […]

Improving transparency

November 12, 2014

In my last blog post I wrote about Protech’s efforts to improve transparency into their company, an effort that I […]

Thoughts on Protech User Conference

November 10, 2014

I had the opportunity to attend Protech’s Annual Users Conference in September, and one of the overriding themes from Brian […]

"We call it the coffin."

November 7, 2014

I was meeting with a group of association CFOs recently, discussing how they use their association databases. During the course of the […]

New Article Posted – Measuring Engagement: Just a Fad, or Here to Stay?

October 29, 2014

Within the association community, there is always buzz around something. For the past several years, the buzz was “big data.” […]

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