CONTENTS January 2013 Volume 32, Issue 1 Departments 17

PLENARY Dallas’ new chief diversity and inclusion officer. Pre Con: The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society. Post Con: Ohio School Board Association. Plus: flowers on parade; rabbit breeders; Irving’s Maura Gast on her new convention center; Convene On Site.

34 URBAN PLANNER Philadelphia Sarah Beauchamp

36 INNOVATIVE MEETINGS Words to Remember Katie Kervin

38 WORKING SMARTER Banding Together Sarah Beauchamp

40 GIVING BACK A Greater Good Michelle Russell

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FORWARD THINKING Who Is Your Conference Really Attracting? Dave Lutz, CMP

45 MEETING MANAGEMENT: MEDICAL Physicians, Heal Thyselves Elise Oberliesen

49 ONLINE Virtual Pioneers Donna Sanford

Special Section

83 LEADERSHIP PROFILES Moving the meetings industry forward

84 Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre VisitAberdeen

86 ABTS Convention Services 88 Cobo Center 90 Grand Traverse Resort and Spa 92 Myrtle Beach Convention Center 94 Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center 96 San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau 98 Visit Virginia Beach Sarah Beauchamp and Katie Kervin

PCMA Convene (USPS 25438) is published 12 times per year. © Copyright 2013 by the Professional Convention Management Association. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PCMA Convene, 35 East Wacker Drive, Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60601. PCMA Convene is the oficial magazine of the Professional Convention Management Association, an international nonprofit organization of meeting professionals. Members receive PCMA Convene as a membership benefit, paid by membership dues. Nonmembers may subscribe to PCMA Convene for $50 annually; international nonmembers for $99 annually. Periodicals postage paid in Chicago, IL, and at additional mailing ofices.

Contacting Convene and PCMA (pcma.org) SUBSCRIPTION CHANGES: online at pcma.org or call PCMA Convene subscriptions at (312) 423- 7246; email: convene@publicationpartners.com. FILE CHANGE OF ADDRESS with the US Postal Service online: moversguide.com. PCMA CONVENE ONLINE LIBRARY: pcma.org/resources/Convene. REPRINT AND BACK ISSUE REQUESTS: Michelle Russell, mrussell@pcma.org, (312) 423-7275.

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104 OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED Transatlantic Toast Carol Galle, CMP

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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Comments

10 Behind the Scenes 12 To the Point 14 PCMA Today 102 Advertiser Index

Flowerful meeting, p. 34

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