Online Purchasing

Amilia is the new online e-commerce site that ACE and AYCO use for all event and membership purchases. The below guide will help you navigate the new system.

About Amilia:

Amilia is an e-commerce company based in Montreal and we are one of the first organizations in the US using the system. We like the system because it re-imagines the user experience for purchasing things like memberships and event passes so that it feels like an online store.  It is important to note that because Amilia is based in Montreal, the primary language previous to the US launch was French. Hence, some of the words and phrases used in Amilia are a bit different than we are used to in the US. We feel confident that once you experience the system everything will be easy to navigate. If you have trouble with any part of this system please contact Amy directly at amy@americanyouthcircus.org.

YOUR AMILIA ACCOUNT

Each current member and person on our contact list will be sent an email that will activate their Amilia account. Once you click through that email to activate your account, you will be able to log in and make purchases. If you do not receive an activation email for some reason, you can still retrieve a password by typing your email address into the log in box and then selecting to retrieve your password.  Every email address in the AYCO/ACE database has been transferred over to Amilia, so the system should recognize any email address we have on file for you.

As a result of the method we had to use to import our contacts, some current members may notice that their membership type is something strange for example: zorganizationQ2. For the time being this is how we had to label the incoming members in order to import our contacts with the correct expiration dates (some people even got an extra month or two). Once it is time to renew you will do so at the normal level names (ie professional, youth, etc).

HOW IT WORKS:

Amilia functions like an online store. Once you are logged in, you can select everything you need to purchase, put it in your cart, fill out the appropriate forms, type in any promo codes you may have, and check out. The system knows if there are any pre-requesits for certain purchases – for instance, if you sign up for a member rate event pass but do not have a membership, it will prompt you to purchase one.

BUGS:

If you encounter any issues with the system, please let us know right away. Amilia is a new system for the US market and their developers are working hard to keep the system flawless, however sometimes there are bugs. Please let us know if you experience any issues.

FAQ:

Q. Why did you switch systems?

A. We noticed that with our previous system it was very difficult for people to purchase more than one thing at a time (ie a membership and an event registration).    Amilia works like an online store- so you can select multiple things at once and put them in the shopping cart, then pay. The previous system was also linked into our website- and with two new websites in the works we wanted a membership and event management system that would stand on its own so we could make the websites exactly as we wanted them to look and function. Finally, we had been using google checkout to process credit cards and checkout was terminated by google, leaving us with no credit card processing ability. Basically, Amilia has many features that we think will make online purchasing and registrations easier for our members and participants.

Q. Can you purchase more than one thing at a time?

A. Yes. That is the primary benefit of this system.

Q. What type of payment does the system accept?

A. Credit cards are processed directly through Amilia, so no additional sign in is needed. You can also pay via check by selecting to pay $0 via card and mailing a check made out to AYCO to

AYCO, PO Box 482, Ithaca NY 14851

Q. What are linked accounts?

A. Linked accounts are accounts where one person is in charge of two or more additional accounts. This means that only the account holder can make changes, payments, etc for the accounts that are linked. You’ll see in the system that you can “add a child” or “add an adult” when you create an account. Any child or adult that is “added” will not have a log in to access the account but will still be registered for whatever is purchased for them – ie a membership or event registration. This comes in handy for big groups wishing to register multiple people who do not need individual access to their accounts, or a family registering for a multiple memberships. Note that each linked account still requires payment – this is not a bundle system as we had in previous years.

Q. Has the membership structure changed?

A. The membership structure has been modified due to the addition of the American Circus Educators Association branch of AYCO. For full details visit our membership page and for further information see our ACE FAQ.

Q. How do I get a promo code?

A. Institutional memberships come with promotion codes for affiliates of their organizations.  If you have an institutional membership and have not received the corresponding promotional code please email info@americancircuseducators.org.  There are also various promo codes involved with event registration for workshop leaders etc – these codes will be requested at checkout and you will see a deduction on your bill.

Have other questions? Email info@americancircuseducators.org