--- title: "Social Media Roundup: Careful Building That Custom AMS" id: "25148" type: "post" slug: "social-media-roundup-careful-building-that-custom-ams" published_at: "2014-09-22T22:26:40+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T18:22:43+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/09/22/social-media-roundup-careful-building-that-custom-ams/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/09/22/social-media-roundup-careful-building-that-custom-ams.md" excerpt: "An association management system maker who designed a custom AMS before getting into the biz explains the pitfalls he dealt with. Also: Small events are a big deal." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "event planning" - "Live Events" - "Meetings" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Social Media Roundup: Careful Building That Custom AMS Your association management system (AMS) has to carry a pretty big workload, so it’s important to get the dang thing right. But “right,” according to one professional in the field, shouldn’t mean “custom.” More thoughts in today’s Social Media Roundup: ### A Custom AMS Headache > Why you shouldn’t build your own AMS (via [@westrochlil (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/westrochlil?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > ) [http://t.co/CyNHkG74iC (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/CyNHkG74iC) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Deirdre Reid, CAE (@DeirdreReid) [September 22, 2014 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/DeirdreReid/status/514127520757972992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **You may look at all of those AMS platforms** out there and wonder why it’s worth the money to go with some vendor when you could build a system yourself. That’s *not* a great idea, according to a guy who did just that. “Building your own AMS, or paying a company to build it, is a Bad Idea,” [writes Andrew Ryan, CEO of MemberSuite, Inc (opens in a new tab)](http://www.membersuite.com/blog/caveat-emptor-why-paying-someone-build-your-ams-might-cost-you-your-job) . “It will always cost you more than buying it, regardless of how inexpensive it seems.” After graduating from college, Ryan consulted with an association and spent two years helping to build its AMS. The experience taught him a lot about what can go wrong—including the fact that coding is not the same as solving a problem, that the scope or limitations of your project can change, that long-term what-ifs will linger, and that security can be a mess if you’re not taking it seriously. In the end, he writes, it’s important to “realize, regardless of whatever math you’ve done, that it will always cost you more to build than to buy. You might just be paying the piper in a different way.” Effective Database Management’s Wes Trochlil [gives Ryan’s post a vote of approval (opens in a new tab)](http://effectivedatabase.com/why-you-shouldnt-build-your-own-software-from-someone-who-knows/) , even if it seems like there’s a conflict of interest. Ryan “has an interesting perspective because prior to running his own AMS company, he was actually hired by an association to build a custom solution for them,” Trochlil notes. *(ht @[deirdrereid (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/deirdrereid/) )* ### Bigger Isn’t Always Better > Most meetings are small meetings [#eventprofs (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/eventprofs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [http://t.co/IrcNl7jkpw (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/IrcNl7jkpw) > via [@ASegar (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/ASegar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Meagan Rockett (@rockettm) [September 22, 2014 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/rockettm/status/514080188985249794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) ***“Just remember** that the beautiful large meeting facilities prominently featured in meeting magazines may be what you and your clients lust after, but, most of the time, they aren’t what your clients actually need.”* Adrian Segar, author of *Conferences That Work*, isn’t afraid to call out the sacred cows of the industry [on his blog (opens in a new tab)](http://www.conferencesthatwork.com/) , and his most recent post is no exception. [In the post, he argues (opens in a new tab)](http://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/event-design/2014/09/most-meetings-are-small-meetings/) that big events too often get all the attention, when small events may really be what your attendees need. Segar highlights [a report (opens in a new tab)](http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Article/14296/Group-business-is-back-but-changing) from *Hotel News Now*, in which officials from Omni Hotels & Resorts and MGM Resorts say that 65 percent of their meeting business is coming from events that book 100 or fewer rooms. While big events are by no means going away anytime soon, Segar says, “large meetings are the *exception* rather than the rule.” *(ht @[rockettm (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/rockettm/) )* (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#event planning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/event-planning/) [#Live Events](https://associationsnow.com/tag/live-events/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Contract: Building Stronger Destination PartnershipsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-contract-building-stronger-destination-partnerships/) - [VideoMelvin Tennant, CAE, President & CEO of Meet Minneapolis, Welcomes You to Great Ideas 2026September 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/02/melvin-tennant-cae-president-ceo-of-meet-minneapolis-welcomes-you-to-great-ideas-2026/) - [Video2017 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition Monday Recap videoSeptember 8, 2017](https://associationsnow.com/2017/09/08/2017-asae-annual-meeting-exposition-monday-recap-video/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2014%2F09%2F22%2Fsocial-media-roundup-careful-building-that-custom-ams%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !