PCMA announces annual meeting speaker line-up

The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) recently announced the 55th PCMA annual meeting; Convening Leaders general session, plenary and masters series speakers. PCMA is excited to be presenting a stellar line up of engaging, timely speakers well suited to keeping meetings industry leaders on top of their game, ahead of trends and in a position to shape a successful 2011. PCMA Convening Leaders will take place January 9-12, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Speakers


Tony Hsieh, New York Times best-selling author of Delivering Happiness and CEO of Zappos.com, will share the story behind this successful online service leader and how Zappos.com grew its gross merchandise sales from $1.6 million in 2000 to over $1 billion in 2008 by focusing relentlessly on customer service. The presentation will focus on the Zappos.com customer experience, how they retain repeat customers, what they do internally to deliver happiness, and the Zappos.com culture and core values.

Renee West is president and COO of the Luxor and Excalibur, and is responsible for overseeing 8,000 rooms. Prior to her current role, West served as president of Mandalay Bay and was responsible for 1.8 million square feet of convention space, the fifth largest convention center in the country. She is known for her ability to strategically align operations, instill vision and improve profitability. West has enjoyed an extensive career in the hospitality industry.

Ben Sherwood has traveled worldwide to gain insight from survivors of every imaginable adversity ranging from bankruptcy to mountain lion attacks to the holocaust. In January 2009, Sherwood founded TheSurvivorsClub.org, an online resource center and support network for people surviving and thriving in the face of adversity. An instant New York Times bestseller, Sherwood’s latest book, The Survivors Club, is a non-fiction exploration of the science and secrets of who bounces back from everyday adversity and who doesn’t.

Top Industry Leaders Luncheon
Join PCMA’s President and CEO Deborah Sexton as she moderates a discussion with meetings industry leaders about the major issues confronting top organizations. The panel of CEOs includes Brenda J. Anderson, The Society of Incentive and Travel Executives; Roger J. Dow, U.S Travel Association; Michael D. Gehrisch, Destination Marketing Association International; John H. Graham, CAE, ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership; Bruce MacMillan, C.A., Meeting Professionals International; and Martin Sirk, International Congress and Convention Association.

Discover strategies that leading professionals are employing to move the industry forward and gain insights as to what lies ahead in the next 12 months for meetings professionals.

Education session topics for 2011 include
Attendee engagement, experience design, attendance building, revenue streams and sponsorships, virtual and hybrid meetings, global meetings, tradeshows and exhibitions, legal issues, and many more.

More than 3000 meeting professionals attend Convening Leaders each year.

For complete program details on Convening Leaders including additional sessions visit www.pcma2011.org.