Real Talk At DMAI 2013, Visit Seattle CEO Tom Norwalk said CVBs need to

‘stop complaining about funding.’

and the country’s first African-Amer- ican labor secretary, gave the closing general-session address. Herman fit the WEC framework for inspiring change: She worked to amend Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit sex discrimination on the basis of preg- nancy, and resolved a Teamsters strike against UPS in 1997. Speaking about her work and the power of meeting face-to-face, Herman said: “You have to constantly educate people and commu- nicate to them your point of view. The world changes, and so communication is critical if you wish to embed an idea.” — Katie Kervin

ballroom to a hush as she told the audience: “It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget what really matters to you.” Chang is a TED senior fellow as well as an urban-space artist and designer. Her project “Before I Die” started in 2011 on an abandoned house in her New Orleans neighborhood. She painted one side with chalkboard paint and stenciled the repeating phrase “Before I die I want to …,” with a blank line for people to write in their own words. The board soon filled with her neighbors’ aspirations in life — from

“Swim without holding my nose” to “Own a house” to “See equality.” After an overwhelming response,

Chang created a kit for people who want to put up their own neighborhood walls. To date, more than 250 walls have gone up in 50-plus countries. WEC attendees got a chance to fill in their own version of a “Before I Die” wall set up in the Knowledge Hub — where participants could join small “campfire sessions” and find resources to strengthen their careers — and ended up scrawling more than 200 phrases, such as “Be happy with myself” and “Mentor thousands.” Education sessions at WEC were

likewise designed to inspire change in the way participants approach their work. A large portion of the program was billed as interactive to encourage attendees to be more than just passive

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listeners. Participants split into small groups during management consultant Jeffer London’s session, “Mega Conver- sation Experience: Understanding How Dialogue-Based Events Boost Engage- ment,” helping each other through a series of exercises to get to an “essential question” — the heart of each group member’s own meeting and attendees’ needs. Meeting U technology expert James Spellos led a conversation among a packed room of conference-goers on the apps they use every day that make their professional lives easier — gener- ating a list of more than 65. WEC also provided attendees with

two different CSR opportunities. On Saturday, participants worked with a local chapter of Clean the World, assembling hygiene kits for members of the local Las Vegas community. And on the last day of WEC, all attendees were invited to take part in Helping Hands: Connecting Heads, Hands, and Hearts, for which they were divided into teams to assemble prosthetic hands for ampu- tees or victims of landmines in one of 65 countries. In all, more than 250 hands were built and placed in bags decorated by the teams — each person working one-handed, both to ensure teamwork and to give participants the experience of having only one hand to work with. Alexis M. Herman, former director of the United States Women’s Bureau

RDC 2013: ‘WE’LL BE A BETTER INDUSTRY OVERALL’ McCormick Place, Chicago, July 30–Aug. 1 If David Audrain, president and CEO of Clarion Events North America, had his way, one industry term and practice would be scrubbed from the exhibit world. “If we could eliminate ‘drayage’ from our conversations and encourage colleagues to do the same,” Audrain told an audience of 200 corporate show organizers, contractors, marketers, and exhibitors during a session at E2MA’s second annual Red Diamond Congress (RDC), “we’ll be a better industry overall.” E2MA was formed last year when the Trade Show Exhibitors Association merged with the Exhibitor Appointed Contractors Association (EACA), and this year’s RDC offered an expanded program from 2012’s inaugural event. More than 50 educational sessions, panel discussions, case studies, and key- notes helped participants understand how to harness emerging possibilities in today’s technology-driven world. From using social media to capitalize on attendee evangelism to leveraging big data to attract new sponsorships, the three-day program showcased how some shows are leading the charge toward a more successful exhibit hall. At Audrain’s featured presentation on Tuesday, participants dove headfirst

SEPTEMBER 2013 PCMA CONVENE 17