“Keep your phones out” is not a common thing to hear at the beginning of a presentation. Especially in a world where we are constantly being told to turn off our phones, put away our computers, sit quietly, and pay … Continue reading →

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By: Kelly Peacy, Senior Vice President, Education & Meetings
Professional Convention Management Association
PCMA’s Global Corporate Summit, held July 22-26 in Scotland, was developed to provide an invitation-only forum for high-level corporate meeting professionals, who plan events internationally. The program kicked off with a series of interactive exercises, led by The Medici Effect author Frans Johansson, which focused the attendees on the importance of culture and diversity and achieving innovation from unexpected sources. Johansson set up the framework for the days that followed; ones filled with the perfect balance of peer-to-peer sharing and educational …

By: Mona Simon, Director, Partner Relations and Advertising
Professional Convention Management Association
Destination & Travel Foundation Golf Tournament and Summer Live Auction Luncheon
(Monday, July 16th) – The Plateau Club, Sammamish WA
On a cool Seattle morning, over 100 golf participants gathered to play at this year’s Destination & Travel Foundation Golf Tournament at The Plateau Club in Sammamish, Washington.  As the temperature increased throughout the day, so did the stakes!

PCMA Convene sponsored a gold team, made up of (from left to right) Albert Pereira, PCMA Convene, John Solis, GreaterHouston CVB, Mike Gunn, …

As I watch the Olympic Games (along with every other third person on the planet), I have the privilege of feeling like something of an insider. Two weeks ago, I got a backstage visit at ExCeL London for look at … Continue reading →

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One of the first interviews I conducted when I began working as an editor for Convene four years ago was with Fred Kent, founder of the Project for Public Spaces in New York City, and one of the liveliest minds … Continue reading →

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By: Michelle Stoddard, Manager, Global Development
Professional Convention Management Association

PCMA’s first-ever Global Corporate Summit kicked off on Sunday, July 22nd in Scotland with a welcome reception at the Blythswood Hotel in Glasgow. Over the weekend, 25 senior corporate planners from seven countries arrived in Scotland, to come together to discuss the challenges they are facing and to develop solutions together.
The education program kicked off on Monday morning with The Medici Effect author Frans Johansson’s dynamic and interactive keynote on innovation.  The Medici Effect is about finding inspiration from fields and cultures …

 
So, here we are, just past the halfway point of my year as Chair of this great organization! As I get ready to head to Scotland for the inaugural  PCMA Global Corporate Summit, the good news is that Johnnie White is saddling up to take over the reins, the bad news is that I have sorta gotten used to this and think I will miss (some of) it. I have met so many great people in the last six months and look forward to meeting many more, as the chapter …

I spent part of this past week in Seattle for DMAI’s (Destination Marketing Association International) annual conference. One thing struck me right away: many of the people I spoke with fell into destination marketing by accident. A good percentage came … Continue reading →

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By: Mona Simon, Director, Partner Relations and Advertising
Professional Convention Management Association
Record numbers came out to DMAI’s annual convention in Seattle this year which kicked off with Jason Ryan Dorsey’s PCMA Convene’s sponsored Opening General Session about generational divides and what the new millennial generation has to offer the workforce.

Millennials seem to be one of the industry’s most popular topics. Whether it’s figuring out how to get them to your meeting, how to keep them engaged at your meeting or learning what they bring to your organization, everyone wants to talk about Millennials.
Very …

By Lisa L. Dyson, CMP, Director, Conference Services, TESOL International Association
and Jim Kelley, Director, Global Accounts, Production Resource Group, LLC
 

In this industry, negotiation skills are critical.
A good negotiator realizes that their behavior during a negotiation will follow (or haunt) them long after this one is complete. Let’s face it. We work in a pretty small industry. You will cross paths again in the future.
During the recent PCMA Education Conference in San Antonio, two sessions reminded us to focus on what is important. Check out our key takeaways from Matt Neuberger’s “Risk Free Negotiations …