The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) enhanced its popular Leadership Conference, adding a day to the program and adjusting the format to emphasize facilitated peer-to-peer sessions. The 2010 PCMA Education Conference: Industry Issues and Ideas Exchange will be held June 13-16 in Montreal, Canada. All meeting professionals are invited to attend.
“The new PCMA Education Conference expands on the value of our former Leadership Conference,” said Deborah Sexton, PCMA president and CEO. “Attendees will find more opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and relationship-building than ever before. It’s an even better format for focusing on the hottest issues and challenges of the day, as sourced from the attendees themselves.”
The topics for peer-to-peer sessions were crowd sourced in order to give potential attendees direct input. Designed to be unlike typical breakouts, these sessions will give participants time to network, share ideas, interact and learn from others in a facilitated way.
Session topics will include Event Engineer Strategies, The Green Recovery, Collaborate to Achieve Greater Success, Create an Event Engagement Plan by Leveraging Social Media, Drive Attendance to Your Event, Strategic Meeting Management, Keeping the ME in TiME ManageMEnt, Innovative Techniques in Conference Formats, Social Media Tools, and Attract and Retain the Best Talent.
Other interactive conference elements include the 60-Minute Idea Share, which will kick off the conference on June 13, and The Big Exchange, when top tips, tools and trends from all of the facilitated sessions will be shared at the end of the conference.
Similar to leadership conferences of the past, the Education Conference will feature general session speakers selected for their unique ability to educate, inspire and challenge traditional ways of thinking: Libby Gill, former head of communications for Sony, Universal and Turner Broadcasting; Scott Klososky, former CEO of numerous successful startup organizations; Jeff Corwin, Animal Planet host and leading conservationist; and Jamie Clarke, extreme adventurer and motivational speaker to the Fortune 500 Elite.
An industry panel discussing The New Normal of Business will round out the conference’s education program.
“The level of education at this event is truly unmatched,” said Sexton. “Yet we actually limit the number of registrants in order to keep the environment more intimate and more interactive. It’s a great place to build and retain strong relationships with colleagues and key decision-makers.”
Our goal is to really focus on the issues and challenges we’re all facing right now, today, in the industry,” said Kelly Peacy, vice president of meetings and events for PCMA. “Attendees will leave with ideas they’ll be able to share with their organizations to immediately help them work more effectively and drive revenues.”
The Education Conference is designed to be affordable for all who wish to attend. Registration includes five general sessions, 14 facilitated peer-to-peer sessions, continental breakfast, lunch and two evening events for $255 for professional members and $345 for supplier partner members. Nonmembers can receive significant discounts when they join PCMA.
Meeting planner participants can receive complimentary conference registration for meeting with five PCMA partners during the event. These 15-minute appointments will take place during refreshment breaks throughout the three-day program. All participants can also use their Starwood Award Points toward PCMA membership or Education Conference registration. Scholarships are also available to planners, which include registration, three hotel nights and a 15 percent Air Canada discount.
Complete program details on the 2010 PCMA Education Conference are available at pcma.org/EduCon. For more information, contact PCMA at (877) 827-7262 or (312) 423-7262.
