DON’T TOUCH THAT DIAL: Whether you’re at home or on site during Convening Leaders 2012 in San Diego on Jan. 8–11, you can follow the conversation by tracking the Twitter hashtag #PCMA12, or by following @PCMAHQ at http://twitter.com/pcmahq.
AUTUMN GIVING
PCMA’s Service in Sync program encouragesmembers to come together and give back to their local communities on behalf of the meetings industry. Over nine days this past November, PCMA chapters across North America did just that. Service highlights included the Canada East chapter (pictured below), which had 70 members volunteer nearly 200 hours working at four food banks, and the Capi- tal chapter, which had 80 of its members make USO care packages for U.S. armed forces serving overseas—and also raised $2,875 to further support the effort. PCMA HQ even got in on the act, holding a staff bowling event and raffle that raised more than $1,100 for the Greater Chicago Food Bank. For a full list of how each chapter pitched in, visit www.pcma.org/Membership/Community-Service /Service-In-Sync.htm.
Mark Your Calendar
PCMA Education Foundation 2012 Partnership Summit Location TBA April — specific date TBA
PCMA Education Foundation Dinner Celebrating Professional Achievement Washington, D.C. May 2
PCMA Education Conference San Antonio June 10–13
See You at These Industry Events
Alliance for Continuing Medical Education Annual Conference Orlando Jan. 21–24
THE REST OF YOUR LIFE STARTS NOW: Made a New Year’s resolution to land a new or better job? Start your search today at http://pcma.org/careers.htm— and be sure to sign up for the helpful monthly CareerCenter@PCMA newsletter.
EVERYWEEK@PCMA
Last month,PCMA launched a re-imagined version of its informative weekly e-newsletter, ThisWeek@PCMA, which is now free to anyone who wishes to subscribe—just visitwww.pcma.org. The refreshed e-newsletter includes the latest industry news and tips or tools that can make a meeting professional’s job easier. ThisWeek@PCMA also is a great way to see what’s going on at PCMA—from up- coming events to videos from staff members outlining “our take” on industry news or PCMA-conducted surveys.
AUTUMN GIVING/Service In Sync CHAPTER CORNER
On Nov. 2, just prior to PCMA’s North American Advisory Summit, PCMA’s Mexico chapter held an education- al program at the Fiesta Americana Guadalajara hotel in Guadalajara, Mexico. More than 110 attendees from across Mexico took part in the interactive panel discussion on how the current economic and technological environment is changing the way of doing business in the meetings industry. The panel (pic- tured at right) was moderated by Experient’s Gary Schirmacher, CMP, and pan- elists included PCMA 2010 Chairman Kati Quigley, CMP, and 2012 Chairman Kent Allaway, CEM, CMP. “It was a very interactive session between the panelists and the audience, which addressed the importance of destinations being prepared to accommodate groups with increasing technology and Internet-connectivity demands,” said Mexico chapter president Jesus Aparicio, CMP, CMM, CASE. “It was very productive to have Kati’s sense as a cor- porate planner and Kent’s as an association planner.”