STICKING TO THE ISSUES: The International Summit Program
Committee createda form with specific issues for each country representative to address in the Cultural Learning Lounge.
Around theWorld in Two Days
The PCMA International Summit capped off the inaugural IMEX America trade show—and gave hosted buyers and suppliers from around the world an intimate forum to learn from each other.
By Michelle Stoddard
When the nearly 100 PCMA International Summit attendees picked up their badges at the Sands Convention Center at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas on Thursday, Oct. 13, almost all of them had been walking the halls of IMEX Amer- ica’s mammoth show floor and had participated in hundreds of one-on-one appointments for three days. The networking component of the International Summit
has been key since its inception in 2009, because it helps build relationships that are vital to planners who are currently—or planning on—bringing their groups to international destina- tions. So, when they layered on the fact that many of this year’s participants would already have spent an exhausting— albeit productive—few days at IMEX America, PCMA’s Inter-
did not deliver on the promised learner outcomes. At last year’s program, participants were assigned to round tables allocated to regions of the world that they had expressed an interest in learning more about. The expectation was that they would discuss the region with their colleagues and pose ques- tions and exchange tips and best practices; however, there were not enough people seated at each regional table who had actually executed a meeting there. This year, the cultural session was overhauled into a Cultural Learning Lounge to bet- ter help planners identify resources in the destinations that they are considering. Here’s how the session was designed: Regions were narrowed down to countries. It is
too difficult to have an insightful discussion of cultural norms when you are generalizing across regions. The top 13 countries planners identified as being of interest when they registered (see sidebar) were represented by destination representatives and planners or PCOs who had executed meetings in each country. The format was interactive andfast-
paced. There were five rounds of 15-minute ses- sions, with nine pods, each allocated to a specific country; eight pods stayed the same each round, while the ninth pod rotated after each 15-minute ses- sion. Attendees could attend any pod they wanted and could leave them at any time. This design allowed for specific cultural information to be shared by an expert, and provided the opportunity for people to ask questions. It also enabled planners to help each other by giving advice when appropriate.
national Summit Program Committee members knew that they would have to create a highly interactive and enriching pro- gram in order to keep their energy from flagging. That meant making some changes to last year’s program.
The 2010 International Summit session on culture hadn’t turned out to be as informative as had been anticipated and
Baker’s Dozen
The top 13 countries that 2011 International Summit participants identified as destinations under consideration for their meetings were: Argentina,Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, India, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, the UnitedKingdom, andthe UnitedStates.
The lounge turned out to be such a hit that it will make a
return appearance at the 2012 International Summit on Oct. 11–12, which will once again be co-located with IMEX America in Las Vegas.
Michelle Stoddard is PCMA’s specialist for global initiatives.