PCMA Planner’s Notebook By Kelly Peacy, CAE, CMP

It’s InYour Hands

We’ll be helping you get the most out of your 2012 Convening Leaders experience— but a lot of it is up to you.

R

ecently, I met one of PCMA’s newest supplier partner mem- bers at an event. He told me

how excited he was to be a part of our organization and how much he was looking forward to attending the 2012 Convening Leaders program in San Diego, which will be his first PCMA annual meeting.

As we talked, it became clear to me that he understood that the experience he would have in San Diego would be largely up to him. What I mean by that is that he knew that in order to make the most of his time in San Diego, he would need to really think through his sched- ule in terms of what he wanted to get out of the program. He asked me very specific questions about what types of education sessions he should attend, how he should go about meeting new people, and what the “can’t-miss” activities would be.

It’s time to take a different approach to PCMA’s Convening Leaders, and every other conference that we attend. Let’s think about why we register in the first place.

cation and events that focus on building your professional network, it can be said that atten- dees play just as much a role in their experience. I have to admit that I don’t always follow

this rationale when it comes to conferences that I attend. I become busy inmy day-to-day work, and the next thing you know, an industry conference is upon me and I’m barely prepared. I know this happens to you and I know who you are—you read the programon the plane, respond to a few dinner invitations and meeting appointments via email the day before you leave, and then hit the ground running at the event itself, with no real plan of action. I know who you are and how you behave because I’ve been there—I’myou. So, I would submit that it’s time to take a

different approach to PCMA’s Convening Lead- ers, and every other conference that we attend. Let’s think about why we register in the first place. Let’s take some time to review the sched- ule beforehand and target some key sessions that will help us do our jobs better. Let’s partici- pate in online communities and social networks prior to arriving on site to meet new people ahead of the conference. When we are on site, let’s engage and be active participants, and afterward let’s provide feedback and continue the conversations we started at the event. I can guarantee what you put into your experience, you will get back tenfold. Registration for 2012 Convening Leaders is

now open. I hope to see you there, participating in and loving every second of your very own experience.

This brief conversation got me thinking.

For both first-time attendees and long-time vet- erans,PCMA’s Convening Leaders is an invest- ment in time and money—and shouldn’t all of our attendees be thinking in terms of their return on this investment? While ourPCMA team strives to provide top-level, relevant edu-

14 pcma convene October 2011

Kelly Peacy, CAE, CMP Senior Vice President of Meetings and Events kpeacy@pcma.org

MAKE THE MOST OF IT: Here are my tips for maximizing your PCMA Convening Leaders experience: Review the official conference website— www.Convening Leaders.org—for all the latest information. Use the conference personal scheduler, which will be live this month, to effectively plan your time in San Diego. If you are a first- time attendee, plan to participate in one of the orientation webi- nars we’ll be holding in December.You’ll gain some inside information to help you navigate the Convening Leaders program—including customized tips to help you make the most of your first meeting. Once on site, be sure to schedule your- self for the Speed Networking session, which will be held from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 8. This will be a great way to meet fellow participants right at the start of the conference.

www.pcma.org