Professional Convention Management Association has declared its recent ‘Convening Leaders’ event its most successful yet with 4175 delegates attending the event which was held in Austin, Tex., at the start of January 2017.
Nearly 1500 further delegates attended Convening Leaders LIVE on-line, and an additional 180 Asian meetings professionals participated in a delayed rebroadcast of specific content for Asian audiences.
Proof of the event’s growing international outlook is the remarkable figure that delegates came from 45 countries to attend the event this year, up from 36 countries in 2016.
The program’s creative construct, Designing ColLABoration was evidenced throughout the 3 day program. From hands on multiple Learning Labs to featured speakers, each demonstrating how collaboration can enhance the quality and return for business events.
Deborah Sexton, president and CEO, PCMA said, “Austin was the perfect destination to turn our lens towards the value of collaboration. The contributions of Tom Noonan and Mark Tester’s teams at the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau and Austin Convention Center, as well as many of Austin’s noted citizens, demonstrated the power of real-time collaboration to conference participants.
Leaving a Legacy
Convening Leaders was kicked off with 130 attendees participating in PCMA’s Hospitality Helping Hands, benefitting Sammy’s House, an Austin not-for-profit agency that provides services for children who are medically fragile and/or developmentally delayed in inclusive learning environments with typically developing peers. The group worked on a variety of indoor and outdoor projects including playground repair, yard maintenance, toy sorting, sanitizing classrooms and other general repairs and maintenance throughout the facility.
The PCMA Education Foundation sold out this year’s Party With A Purpose, with over 1600 donating participants. In its 24th year, PWAP has raised more than $2.4 million USD for a range of notable causes as PCMA leads the business events industry’s efforts to make a difference in communities around the globe. The Austin event raised more than $200,000 USD that will be returned back to the industry for scholarships, grants and research. Post-party, Found and Sustaining Sponsor, GES presented a check for $25,000 USD to the local Health Alliance for Austin Musicians.
The next Convening Leaders will take place in Nashville, TN on January 7-10, 2018.
PCMA is the multi-channel professional resource and premier educator for leaders in the meetings, conventions, events and trade show industries. PCMA provides their 6,300 members with a community of likeminded colleagues, innovative education and creative global solutions to enhance both their professional development and their organization’s face-to-face and virtual connections. Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 17 chapters throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico with members in more than 35 countries. For additional information, please visit the PCMA Web site at pcma.org.
