Original research comparing independently collected responses from 306 senior leaders across 102 US associations.
Published
Amzai Research
The CEO, COO and Head of Events can experience the same organizational pressure while reaching very different conclusions about what is causing it.
Amzai collected independent responses from all three leadership roles at 102 US associations. This matched-response approach made it possible to compare how leaders within the same organization viewed event delivery, internal capacity, data, measurement and operational priorities.
The research reveals substantial agreement about where pressure exists—but less agreement about why it exists or what should be addressed first. It also identifies the areas where leadership perspectives converge strongly enough to support action.
These findings are based on 102 matched associations. Each association contributed one qualifying response from its CEO, COO and Head of Events or equivalent senior events leader.
In 51 of the 102 associations surveyed, the CEO, COO and Head of Events all independently agreed that their best people were spending time on execution work that should not require senior involvement.
In 71 of the 102 associations, at least two of the three leaders said they were already willing to delegate event execution to an external partner.
In 59 of the 102 associations, the CEO, COO and Head of Events all identified problems demonstrating the value or return generated by events and related programs.
Download the full report for the complete findings, comparisons and analysis covering:
Three Seats, One Table is based on original research conducted by Amzai among 306 senior professionals from 102 associations across 15 association types.
The research collected three separate responses from each participating association: one from its CEO, one from its COO and one from its Head of Events or equivalent senior events leader.
This matched-response design enabled Amzai to compare how three leadership roles within the same organization described its event-delivery pressures, operational priorities and capacity constraints.
The research included:
Participants were based in the United States.
Each association contributed one qualifying response from each of the three specified leadership roles. Participants completed their responses independently and were not shown their colleagues’ responses.
Responses were collected between May 4 and July 3, 2026.
Data was collected through a structured online questionnaire administered using SurveyMonkey and structured one-to-one interviews conducted through Google Meet or Zoom.
Interviews lasted approximately 15 minutes and followed the same questions and response options as the online questionnaire.
Interview responses were recorded in the same format as online responses and included in the combined dataset.
Participants were recruited through LinkedIn and email from Amzai’s proprietary database and professional network. Participants were not offered financial incentives, vouchers or other rewards.
Responses were matched at the organizational level so that the answers provided by the CEO, COO and Head of Events at each association could be compared.
Participants qualified for inclusion if they:
An association was included in matched organizational comparisons only when qualifying responses were obtained from all three leadership roles.
The final dataset contained 306 individual responses representing 102 matched associations.
Role-level percentages use the 102 respondents holding the relevant leadership position as their base. Association-level findings use the 102 matched associations as their base. A finding described as agreement across all three roles means that the CEO, COO and Head of Events from the same association each independently selected the specified response. Agreement across at least two roles means that at least two of the three matched respondents independently selected the specified response.
For questions allowing multiple selections, respondents could choose up to three answers. Each selected answer was counted once, so percentages may total more than 100%.
No statistical weighting was applied.
Incomplete, nonqualifying and unmatched responses were excluded from analyses requiring a complete set of three leadership responses.
Potential duplicate submissions were identified using respondent email addresses, survey identifiers, organization details, leadership roles and available response metadata. Where a duplicate was confirmed, the most complete qualifying response for that leadership role was retained and the additional submission was excluded.
The applicable research base is identified alongside findings in the full report as one of the following:
Figures describing future priorities or expected changes represent respondents’ expectations at the time of the research. They should not be interpreted as independently verified forecasts.
The research was designed, conducted, funded and analysed by Amzai.
Amzai owns the underlying research and prepared the report’s analysis, interpretations and recommendations.
The research was conducted and funded by Amzai.
No external organization commissioned the study, paid for inclusion or reviewed the findings before publication. Participants were not paid or otherwise incentivized to take part.
Participants were recruited through Amzai’s proprietary database and professional network rather than through a random sample of all US associations.
The findings reflect the experiences and expectations of the participating leaders and should not be assumed to represent every association in the United States.
The matched-response design captures the views of three leadership roles within each organization. It does not include the perspectives of every employee, member, board member, sponsor or external supplier associated with the participating organizations.
Responses were self-reported and were not independently verified against association financial records, membership systems, event platforms or operating data.
Differences between association types should only be interpreted where the underlying sample is sufficiently large. The number of represented associations is displayed alongside subgroup comparisons in the full report.
Amzai. (2026). Three Seats, One Table: Why the CEO, the COO, and the Head of Events at the Same Association Almost Never Describe the Same Problem.
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