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PCMA Events PCMA May Member Orientation pcma.org
May 8
PCMA 2013 Education Conference Denver
June 24–27
PCMA Global Medical Summit London
July 16–19 CHAPTER CORNER
PCMA Heartland Chapter Sweetens the Deal
The PCMA Heartland Chapter held its annual Board Installation, Silent Auction, and Awards Ceremony at the Sheraton Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 7. Each year, the chapter donates proceeds from the auction to its chosen charity, Operation Breakthrough, a Kansas City–based organi- zation that helps children living in poverty. Heartland Chapter member Belinda
“B” Waldo again helped make a special contribution to the live-auction portion of the night — in the form of her husband Bob Waldo’s now-famous apple pie. Bob’s pies have been auctioned off for up to $500; this year’s pie was auctioned first for $100, then for another $90 when it was donated back to the program. In all, the Heartland Chapter’s auction raised $8,500 from more than 60 donated items. “It was an incredible evening of fun,
networking, education, and fundraising,” said Vicki Comegys, vice president of sales and services at the Des Moines Conven- tion & Visitors Bureau and president of the Heartland Chapter. “It is going to be an amazing year!”
AIBTM Moves to Chicago
PCMA will be there when Chicago hosts AIBTM on June 11–13, beginning the show’s new rotation between McCormick Place and, in 2014, Orlando’s Orange County Con- vention Center. The theme for this year’s exhibition — “Defining the Future of Meet- ings … Together” — fits well with AIBTM’s strategic partnership with PCMA, which again will provide education and content for the global exhibition for the North Ameri- can meetings and events industry. AIBTM will also continue its premier
hosted-buyer program, which includes: › A personal itinerary of appointments
with a choice of more than 1,000 exhibiting companies › Admittance to exclusive AIBTM net-
working functions, including exhibitor and dedicated hosted-buyer events › Dedicated educational sessions for
hosted buyers that will expand skills and knowledge and offer CEU credits › Complimentary air or rail travel › Hotel accommodations. For more information and to pre-
register as a hosted buyer, visit convn.org/ aibtm-chicago.
› Student Chapter of the Year award, to help deliver high-level education at the local student-chapter level
› The Student Union, designed to provide education and industry information that students don’t get in the classroom
› A revision and update to the forthcoming sixth edition of Professional Meeting Management, which is the No. 1 text for educating students on the meetings industry.
And scholarships aren’t just limited to students
— the Foundation also awarded six full-ride faculty scholarships to Convening Leaders 2013, because what better way could there be to educate students than to help educators make connections and interact with practitioners in the field?
For more information on the PCMA Education Foundation, visit pcma .org/foundation.
MARCH 2013 PCMA CONVENE 13
Mark Your Calendar Industry Events
HelmsBriscoe Annual Business Conference Orlando
April 17–19
HSMAI’s MEET Mid-America Chicago
April 23–24
IMEX Frankfurt, Germany
May 21–23
Convening Leaders 2013, Virtually
At Convening Leaders 2013, a record-break- ing 843 attendees joined the PCMA hybrid community — close to 70 percent of them not yet PCMA members. Sonic Foundry brought the livestreaming of many sessions to life, INXPO provided the platform, Free- man handled AV, and bXb Online was on site in Orlando to handle production. Convening Leaders 2011 and 2012 also
included a hybrid option, but this year’s meeting offered online-chat capabilities. Over the course of three days, more than 7,000 live chats were exchanged between hybrid attendees. Learn about producing hybrid events at convn.org/hybrid-mtg.
Foundation It’s no secret that the PCMA Education Foundation is dedicated to helping students study, enter, and succeed in the field of meetings
— awarding 21 student scholarships in 2012, both tuition- and event- based. Some examples of Foundation-funded scholarships and projects include:
Providing an Educational