The Professional Convention Management Association welcomes Bruce MacMillan (pictured above left), an experienced leader in the global business events industry, as chief marketing officer, effective September 2. The Chicago-based organization also announced Michelle Crowley (pictured above right) as its first chief growth & innovation officer, effective immediately. The additions strengthen the PCMA executive leadership team as it continues with its vision of driving global economic and social transformation through business events.
MacMillan, currently CEO of Visit DFW, a consumer content marketing venture for tourism stakeholders in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, will be responsible for PCMA’s global brand development and marketing strategies. He will lead PCMA’s marketing, events and print and digital teams, which include Convene magazine. Crowley, formerly vice president of global growth and business transformation at PCMA, will add education and product development to her current responsibilities of regional and revenue development.
“This additional talent to an already high-performing leadership team perfectly positions PCMA to continue its global growth and elevate the value we bring to our members and audience,” says Sherrif Karamat, PCMA’s president and CEO. “Bruce’s accomplishments and leadership skills, along with Michelle’s knowledge and successful track record, will enhance our capability to use business events as the platform for global economic and social transformation.”
MacMillan and Crowley join an executive leadership team that includes Mona Cotton as chief business officer responsible for business development, Robert Haas as chief administrative officer and Meredith Rollins, recently named chief community officer for community engagement, member growth. Rollins remains executive director of the PCMA Foundation.
MacMillan has more than 30 years of experience in the global business events and tourism industry. His past leadership roles include CEO of Meeting Professionals International and of Tourism Toronto. He developed and led Vancouver, B.C.’s successful national bid for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. MacMillan also runs BANDWIDTH consultancy, advising destinations on event sales and marketing strategies and served as consortium consulting partner in the Destinations International DestinationNEXT global initiative.
“The business events industry is at an exciting inflection point right now and the vision Sherrif has crafted is an innovative strategy that I completely agree with,” MacMillan says. “Helping PCMA achieve the goal of ensuring business events drive global economic and social growth is something that aligns with my own values.”
Crowley began her business events career at PCMA and has held various positions including senior director of global strategy and manager of global development. She oversees regional brand development, content outreach, acquisitions and operations in PCMA’s Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions.
“I am excited to have this opportunity to build new value for our audience,” says Crowley. “As we look at PCMA’s global reach, it is critical that we continue to focus on providing leading education that drives the industry forward. Adding education and new product development aligns well with my existing role of innovation and global growth.”
PCMA educates, inspires and listens, creating meaningful experiences where passion, purpose and commerce come together. They are the world’s largest community for business events strategists, providing senior-level education, networking and market intelligence for the global business events industry. Their mission is to drive social and economic progress through business events. Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 17 chapters throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico with members in more than 40 countries. For more info, visit pcma.org.
