(Pictured above: Billie Jean King & Seth Godin)
Billie Jean King, equal rights champion and tennis legend, and best-selling author and Marketing Hall of Fame honoree Seth Godin, will present keynote sessions at 2019 Convening Leaders, PCMA’s flagship conference taking place Jan. 6-9, 2019, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. More than 4,000 industry professionals will gather for four days of topical educational sessions, innovative industry insight and networking opportunities under the theme of “Disrupt & Deliver.”
King’s appearance, arranged by SF Travel, has her joining the growing list of female industry experts speaking at 2019 Convening Leaders. She was already a World No. 1 ranked tennis champion when she won the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” match against top men’s player Bobby Riggs, which cemented her legendary status for equal rights and social change. She is the co-founder of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative and the co-founder of World TeamTennis. In 2014, King and her partner, Ilana Kloss, launched the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative to address inclusion and diversity issues in the workplace. Life magazine named her among the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” and President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 for her work in the social justice arena and sports accomplishments. “Disrupt & Deliver,” the theme for
Godin will deliver the first keynote address: “You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See” as he explains that “creating tension should be a key factor in developing compelling business events.” Godin has a world-renowned blog and 18 bestselling books, including Purple Cow, which have been translated into more than 35 languages. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, leadership and most of all, changing everything. He has also founded several companies, including Yoyodyne and Squidoo, and transformative online workshops alt MBA and The Marketing Seminar.
“We’re so excited to announce Seth Godin and one of my all-time idols, Billie Jean King, as main stage speakers at Convening Leaders 2019,” says Sherrif Karamat, PCMA president and CEO. “Having such inspirational and world-renowned speakers for ‘Disrupt and Deliver’ is testament to the hard work our team has put in to develop creative, compelling and relevant education sessions for the business events industry,” adding, “Seth will inspire attendees to think outside the box when promoting their events and Billie Jean will offer insights into her outstanding career and advocacy for diversity and inclusion, a topic so close to my heart.”
King and Godin are joining a growing list of industry experts and speakers at 2019 Convening Leaders speakers, including:
- Karamo Brown, activist and television personality, whose role as culture expert on Netflix’s Queer Eye series helps individuals boost their self-esteem and self-awareness
- Lindsey Pollak, a New York Times best-selling author and advisor to young professionals, on how to navigate multi-generational workplaces
- Anka Wittenberg, an economist and global diversity and inclusion thought leader
- Peter Sheahan, founder of Karrikins Group, a global behavior change company
- Molly Breazeale, founder of AlignED, which helps business leaders create safe, open workplaces
- Rohit Bhargava, author and founder of Non-Obvious Co., which helps businesses identify new opportunities and implement smart ideas
Content at Convening Leaders 2019 comes under nine theme tracks to educate and inspire attendees on the most debated industry topics such as diversity and inclusion; event strategy and design; innovation; leadership; audience engagement and acquisition. “Disrupt & Deliver” also offers many networking opportunities including hack-a-thons for participants to build lasting professional and personal relationships.
ETS to Provide Buses from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh for PCMA’s 2019 Annual Conference
Event Transportation Systems (ETS) has announced that it will be offering a shuttle service to and from Pittsburgh for PCMA’s 2019 Convening Leaders Annual Conference. This service will be available at no cost to meeting planners and for a small fee to suppliers, although space is limited.
“We have supported PCMA for many years, and we always look for ways to give back to the industry,” explains Eric Hotard, CEO of ETS. “That’s why we’ve decided to offer a free shuttle for the PCMA Capital and Chesapeake chapter planners attending PCMA Convening Leaders this year.”
According to Expedia, the average non-stop, round-trip flight to Pittsburgh during PCMACL 2019 costs $200+ and takes about an hour. The free shuttle cuts this cost for planners and helps vendors save an additional $50+ while offering a great networking opportunity.
“Plus, riders will save on hefty parking and airport transfer fees,” says Hotard. “And considering TSA lines, flight time and airport transfers, travel to and from Pittsburgh ends up being about the same when traveling by shuttle.”
For more info and to register for PCMA Convening Leaders 2019, visit conveningleaders.org.
PCMA Convening Leaders attendees can view the shuttle schedule and additional details at www.eventtrans.com/pcma-2018. Tickets can be reserved on the ETS Eventbrite page.
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 education and networking for the business events sector. PCMA crafts and shares knowledge and market intelligence, enabling organizations to make informed business decisions while providing a platform for peer-to-peer exchange. Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 17 chapters throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico with members in more than 40 countries. For more info, visit pcma.org.
