PCMA is the leading resource and premier educator for professionals in the meetings and conventions industry.
Leaders 2013 With a redesigned exhibit experience and a new approach to business education, PCMA’s 2013 annual meeting is shaping up to be its most innovative yet.
A
s PCMA gears up for its Conven- ing Leaders annual meeting, which will be held at the Orange
County Convention Center in Orlando on Jan. 13–16, 2013, speaker confirma- tions and sessions are being finalized. Convening Leaders 2013 is all about
design, innovation, and engagement. From space configuration to gamifica- tion, PCMA seeks to provide high-level education and the tools necessary to create an innovative, informative, and exciting conference experience. “We are pushing the envelope on delivery; not just the format but the learning environment,” said Annual Meeting Program Committee Chair Claire Smith, CMP, vice president of sales and marketing for the Vancouver Conven- tion Centre. One of Convening Leaders 2013’s
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Masters Series presenters is Oren Klaff (read his Convening Leaders Preview interview on p. 93), author of Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal — who will discuss ways to pitch ideas and strategies to ensure a positive outcome. PCMA will take a unique, immersive approach to trade-show floor space
— incorporating both education and demonstration areas. Throughout the space, which will be called The Show Re-Imagined, attendees will be able to take part in several concurrent sessions on exhibit management during the program. What better way to learn than right in your own environment? Convening Leaders will also fea-
ture PCMA Business School, a new business-acumen education track
made up of a series of pre-registered, ticketed sessions focused on various aspects of business and the economy, including sales, marketing, and finance practices. Sound business strategy and a keen understanding of economics don’t just count on Wall Street. Rather, good business principles are applicable to the scope of a meeting and can help in achieving overall conference — and company — objectives. “We are looking at building the
personal effectiveness of our mem- bers,” Smith said, “not just in their excellence in managing meetings and events, but in areas like entrepreneur- ship and leadership.” Registration for PCMA Convening
Leaders 2013 opens this month. For more information, visit pcma.org/ conveningleaders.