One Portal, Not Two Websites

How a 2,500-member association unified its public website and legacy AMS into one member experience.

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Overview

Key Metrics & Impact

The client is a regional professional association with roughly 2,500 members — a mix of organizations and individuals — supported by an eight-person team with no in-house developer.

For years, its public website and Association Management System operated as two separate products. They used different design patterns, different navigation, and different domains. Members could start on the association website and suddenly be redirected into an unfamiliar AMS interface to register for an event or access account information.

Plavno rebuilt the member-facing experience on Wix Studio while keeping the existing AMS as the operational system of record. The result was a single, consistent experience across public content, events, membership access, and the private member area — without forcing the association to replace the systems its finance and membership teams already relied on.

  • 2,500 members across organizations and individuals

  • +34% event registrations after launch

  • 50% fewer "where do I find…" support calls

  • 100% of website content now updated in-house

  • No in-house developer required for routine content or event updates

  • Membership status, tier, and expiration synchronized with the website

  • Automated access control for member-only content

Key Metrics & Impact
01

Problem

Members repeatedly described the public website and the member portal as two different sites. Event registration was one of the most visible points of friction: a visitor could browse an event on the association website, click to register, and suddenly land on a third-party AMS domain with a different interface and navigation structure. A meaningful share of users abandoned the process before completing registration.

The internal team also depended on an outside contractor for routine website management. Publishing a new event or making certain content changes required developer involvement because the team had no practical way to manage those updates independently.

The website also had no direct understanding of membership status. It could not automatically determine whether a visitor was currently a member, which membership tier they held, when their membership expired, or whether access to protected content should remain active. These decisions were handled manually, creating inconsistent access rules and additional support work.

Individually, these issues were relatively small, but together they created daily friction for thousands of members.

Problem
02

Challenge

The goal was to connect the website and existing AMS into one seamless experience without replacing the legacy system. Key requirements included:


  • Two-way REST API synchronization with the AMS

  • Syncing membership status, tier, and expiration

  • Automated access to member-only content

  • Keeping the AMS as the system of record

  • Simplifying event registration and reducing data re-entry

  • Creating an easy-to-manage events system

  • Maintaining a consistent experience across public and private areas


The events calendar also required list and calendar views, filters by type and region, and featured events.

Challenge

Solution

Connected Member Experience

Plavno created a unified journey from the public website to the private member dashboard, connecting Wix Members with the existing AMS through a two-way REST API. Membership data, gated access, events, registration flows, personalized content, and renewal reminders are now synchronized and automated, reducing manual work for staff and creating a smoother experience for members.

Product Highlights

    • Unified public website and member experience

    • Two-way AMS integration through REST API

    • Live membership status synchronization

    • Membership tier and expiration tracking

    • Automated gated-content access

    • Custom events calendar

    • Calendar/list toggle

    • Event type and region filters

    • CMS-controlled featured event

    • Pre-filled AMS registration links

    • Personalized member homepage

    • Upcoming-events module

    • Automatic membership renewal reminder

    • Fully staff-managed website content

User Flows

    • Member Login & Access: Members authenticate through the website, while synchronized AMS data determines current membership status and access level.

    • Member-Only Content: Access to gated content is automatically opened or closed based on membership status and tier.

    • Event Discovery: Members browse events using calendar or list view and filter by event type or region.

    • Event Registration: Registration remains inside the AMS, but the member enters the process with existing information pre-filled.

    • Membership Renewal: A renewal reminder appears automatically 30 days before expiration.

    • Staff Event Publishing: Association staff create and update event information directly in the CMS and can promote a featured event without developer involvement.

Experience & Scalability

    • Lean association team with no in-house developer

    • Approximately 2,500 organizational and individual members

    • Low-maintenance content workflows

    • Automatic membership synchronization

    • Minimal manual access administration

    • Staff-managed event publishing

    • Reduced reliance on external contractors

    • Continuity with the existing AMS

    • AMS retained as the operational backbone

    • Website positioned as the unified member-facing layer

Architecture Overview

Deep Dive: Project Architecture

  • Experience Layer: Wix Studio provides the primary website and member-facing interface under one consistent design system.

  • Member Layer: Wix Members supports the authenticated website experience and private member areas.

  • Integration Layer: Velo and REST API connections synchronize membership information between Wix and the legacy AMS.

  • Data Layer: Wix Data stores and manages website-side event information and content required for the member experience.

  • Events Layer: The custom event interface supports calendar/list views, event-type filters, regional filters, and CMS-managed featured events.

  • AMS Layer: The existing Association Management System remains the system of record for membership operations and event registrations.

Deep Dive: Project Architecture

Value

Quality & Fidelity

Making separate systems feel like one consistent member product.

Unified Experience

Unified Experience

The public website and private member experience follow one visual and navigational system.

Wix Studio
Member Experience
UX Consistency
MVP
Reliable Membership Logic

Reliable Membership Logic

Access decisions are based on synchronized AMS membership data rather than manual administration.

AMS Integration
Membership Status
Gated Content
MVP
Lower Registration Friction

Lower Registration Friction

Existing member information is carried into registration instead of being entered again.

Events
Pre-Filled Registration
Conversion
MVP
Staff Independence

Staff Independence

Routine content and event publishing can be handled directly by the association team.

CMS
Content Management
No-Code Operations
MVP

Benchmarks

Scale & Reliability

Supporting a 2,500-member association without adding an internal development team.

2,500 Members

2,500 Members

The experience supports both individual and organizational memberships.

Two-Way AMS Sync

Two-Way AMS Sync

Membership information remains connected to the website while the AMS stays the system of record.

Automated Access Management

Automated Access Management

Membership expiration automatically changes access to protected content.

In-House Content Operations

In-House Content Operations

100% of website content can now be maintained by association staff.

Data Protection

Security & Compliance

Membership-aware access without duplicating the AMS operational model

Membership-Based Access

Membership-Based Access

Protected website content is controlled using synchronized membership status and tier information.

Automated Expiration Rules

Automated Expiration Rules

When membership expires, associated gated-content access closes automatically.

Existing System of Record

Existing System of Record

The AMS continues to hold the association’s core membership and registration operations instead of introducing a second competing record system.

Innovative Experience

Industries & Use Cases

Unified member portals for organizations running a legacy AMS alongside a public website.

Professional Associations

Professional Associations

Public website, member portal, events, and membership access combined into one experience.

Trade Associations

Trade Associations

Membership data and member-only resources connected to existing association systems.

Chambers of Commerce

Chambers of Commerce

Unified digital experience across public information, events, and member accounts.

Alumni Networks & Unions

Alumni Networks & Unions

Member-facing portals connected to established back-office membership systems.

Accreditation & Licensing Bodies

Accreditation & Licensing Bodies

Access rules linked to membership or status information held in an existing platform.

Delivery Crew

Project Team

High-performing developers for growing companies

Eugene Katovich

Eugene Katovich

Sales Manager

Running a website and member portal that still feel like two separate products?

Plavno connects public websites, member experiences, events, and existing AMS platforms without forcing associations to replace the systems their operations already depend on.

Talk to an Expert

Competitive Ability

Key Performance Flow

From AMS membership data to a unified association website and member portal

01

Sync Membership Data

Membership status, tier, and expiration date are synchronized from the AMS.

02

Personalize Access

The website uses membership data to determine gated-content access and personalized member information.

03

Discover & Register

Members find events through the new calendar and continue into pre-filled AMS registration.

04

Manage In-House

Association staff update events and website content directly without developer involvement.

Results

Less member friction and significantly less operational dependency on external developers

34% More Event Registrations

34% More Event Registrations

Event registrations increased by 34% in the first two quarters after launch.

50% Fewer Navigation-Related Calls

50% Fewer Navigation-Related Calls

“Where do I find…” calls to the association office dropped by half.

Full Content Ownership

Full Content Ownership

100% of website content is now maintained directly by association staff.

One Member Experience

One Member Experience

The public website and membership portal now operate as one connected experience rather than two separate products.

Automated Membership Access

Automated Membership Access

Member-only content access now updates automatically based on synchronized membership status and expiration data, eliminating manual access management for association staff.

Tools We Used

Technology stack

Website

Website

Wix Studio
Integration

Integration

REST API
AMS Integration
Development

Development

Velo
Membership

Membership

Wix Members
Data & Events

Data & Events

Wix Data

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Answers

Find answers to your common concerns

Did the association replace its AMS?

No. The existing AMS remained the system of record for membership and registration operations.

How was membership data connected to the website?

A two-way REST API integration synchronized membership status, tier, and expiration information.

What changed after launch?

Event registrations increased by 34%, navigation-related support calls fell by 50%, and the association team took full control of website content updates.

Can staff publish events without a developer?

Yes. The custom event experience is managed through the CMS by the association team.

Can access change automatically when membership expires?

Yes. Gated-content access is tied to synchronized membership status.

Did event registration remain inside the AMS?

Yes. Registration remained in the AMS, but member information was pre-filled to reduce unnecessary data entry.

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