Association Forum

What Association Forum does

Association Forum is a 110-year-old nonprofit membership organization, founded in 1916 and headquartered at 10 S. Riverside Plaza, Chicago, that serves association management professionals across the Chicagoland and Illinois region. Its core offerings include the MyForum online community (powered by Higher Logic), FORUM Magazine distributed to 2,500+ members, the BOLD Times weekly newsletter, signature annual events (Holiday Showcase, Honors Gala, Forum After Dark, Women's Executive Forum, Man In), education programs (CAE Study Group, Emerging Leaders Program, CEOnly), the Forty Under 40 recognition program, and research publications including the AF Fire Report and Compensation Survey. A premium Forum Plus membership tier bundles digital access, complimentary webinars, and member rates on signature programs.

Association Forum monetizes through four primary revenue streams: recurring membership dues, event registrations across its signature programming, sponsorships and advertising in FORUM Magazine and digital channels, and educational programs including CAE preparation courses. The organization employs 37 staff and serves a community of nearly 2,000 member associations representing more than 50,000 association professionals whose underlying organizations manage over $10 billion in combined budgets and serve 37+ million end members. Strategic partnerships with ISAE (now an independent chapter), PCMA, ISSA/GBAC, Goodwill TalentBridge, Choose Chicago, and McKinley Advisors extend Forum's value proposition across certification, employment, DEI, and event production dimensions, with no venture capital, private equity, or parent company ownership identified.

Name

Association Forum

Legal name

Association Forum of Chicagoland

Website

https://associationforum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Association Forum is a 110-year-old Chicago-based nonprofit membership organization serving Chicagoland and Illinois association executives through events, certification, publications, and the MyForum online community, representing nearly 2,000 member associations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Association Management Professional Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK), Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)

Keywords

• Association management
• Professional development
• Membership organization
• Executive networking
• Continuing education

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to professional development, networking, events, and member benefits including FORUM Magazine and MyForum community platform
2. Event Registrations: Revenue from signature events including Holiday Showcase, Honors Gala, Forum After Dark, Women's Executive Forum, and various educational programs
3. Sponsorships and Advertising: Partner organizations sponsor events and programs, with advertising available in FORUM Magazine and digital platforms targeting association professionals
4. Educational Programs: Revenue from CAE Study Group courses, online learning, professional certification programs, and member rate educational offerings

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Association Forum is a nonprofit membership organization that provides professional development, networking, certification preparation, and educational programming for association management professionals in the Chicagoland and Illinois region. It operates an online member community (MyForum), publishes FORUM Magazine, and runs signature events including the Holiday Showcase, Honors Gala, and Forum After Dark. The organization also offers CAE credential study programs, continuing education, and industry research such as the Association Forum Compensation Survey.

Product overview

Association Forum operates as a membership-based professional organization serving association management professionals in the Chicagoland area. The organization offers a unified platform combining an online community (MyForum), professional publications (FORUM Magazine, BOLD Times Newsletter), signature events (Holiday Showcase®, Honors Gala™, Forum After Dark™), leadership programs (Forty Under 40®, Emerging Leaders Program, CEOnly® Programs, CAE Study Group), career services (Career Center), and research publications (AF Fire Report, Compensation Survey). The portfolio also includes the Forum Plus premium membership tier, AI education programs (Microsoft Copilot & AI LAB), and resource centers focused on DEI (Welcoming Environment) and speaker development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FORUM Magazine: Official publication of Association Forum, published and distributed to its 2,500+ members, featuring articles on leadership, governance, meetings, and marketing
• Forum Plus
• Holiday Showcase
• Honors Gala
• Women's Executive Forum
• Man In: The Men's Leadership Experience
• Forum After Dark
• Welcoming Environment
• CEOnly
• Forty Under 40
• BOLD Times Newsletter

Products and services

• MyForum Online Community
• FORUM Magazine
• Holiday Showcase Conference
• Honors Gala
• Forum After Dark
• Women's Executive Forum
• Man In: The Men's Leadership Experience
• CAE Study Group
• Emerging Leaders Program
• Microsoft Copilot & AI LAB
• CEOnly Programs
• Online Learning
• Forty Under 40
• Career Center
• Forum Plus (Organization) Membership
• AF Fire Report
• Association Forum Compensation Survey
• BOLD Times Newsletter

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves association professionals whose efforts serve 37+ million members
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Goodwill TalentBridgeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 August 2020Partnership providing over 4,000 Forum members with access to employment resources including targeted job leads, resume reviews, and career coaching services.
• ISSA / Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2020Strategic partnership to help Forum members prepare for COVID-19 and other infectious agents. Promotes GBAC Fundamentals Online Course and GBAC STAR facility accreditation program for workplace safety.
• PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2020Education partnership promoting PCMA's Digital Event Strategist (DES) certification and Digital Events Fast Track course. Association Forum members receive PCMA member rates through a unique code.
• Illinois Society of Association Executives (ISAE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2020Strategic partnership where ISAE's 400+ members receive Forum Plus membership, combining two pre-eminent organizations representing association professionals across Illinois and Chicagoland. Provides diversified thought leadership, greater innovation and education access, and enhanced advocacy efforts.
• Northstar Meetings GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic production and marketing partner for Holiday Showcase 2020 virtual pivot, helping produce the annual conference virtually during COVID-19 pandemic.
• Choose ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner representing Chicago tourism and convention bureau, supporting Forum events in Chicago.
• McKinley AdvisorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for Welcoming Environment study on diversity, equity and inclusion in the association sector. Conducted national research with 12 co-sponsoring organizations.
• Illinois Society of Association Executives (ISAE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISAE became an independent chapter of Association Forum in November 2020, expanding Forum's reach across Illinois.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA): Adjacent incumbent focused on meetings and convention professionals (a superset that includes association meeting planners). Association Forum has an existing education partnership with PCMA for the Digital Event Strategist certification.
• American Society of Association Executives (ASAE): The national umbrella association for the association management profession. ASAE operates as a larger, broader incumbent serving the same association executive persona that Association Forum targets, but across all U.S. regions rather than a single metro market.
• SmithBucklin: Largest association management company in the U.S., providing full-service management for hundreds of associations. Serves the same end customers (associations) and their executives as Association Forum but via a managed services model.

Direct peers

• California Society of Association Executives (CalSAE): Regional peer serving association executives in California with analogous membership dues, networking events, and CAE-adjacent programming. CalSAE competes for the same membership persona in a different geography.
• Florida Society of Association Executives (FASAE): Florida-based regional peer with a comparable value proposition — membership, professional development, and events for association executives — operating in a different U.S. region.
• New York Society of Association Executives (NYSAE): Direct regional peer organization serving association executives in the New York metro area with a similar membership, events, and professional development model. NYSAE is the most structurally comparable organization to Association Forum.
• Texas Society of Association Executives (TexSAE): Texas regional peer organization for association management professionals, with a similar mix of membership, events, and educational programming targeting the same persona in a different geography.

Emerging players

• MCI Group: Global association management and event management company that competes with Forum's event/conference organizing capability while also serving associations as a managed services provider. Adjacent business model with overlapping professional audience.
• Virtual, Inc. Association management company (AMC) providing outsourced management for technology and standards-focused associations. A peer in the broader association-services ecosystem that competes for the same end-customer (associations) with a different operating model.

Regional players

• Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE): National Canadian peer to ASAE with similar mission and programming for association executives. Operates as a regional player outside Association Forum's U.S. market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/assocforum
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/AssociationForum
• Facebookfacebook.com/AssocForum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-forum-of-chicagoland
• Instagraminstagram.com/associationforum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association Forum