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Making Strides
behind the
scenes
Michelle Russell Editor in Chief mrussell@pcma.org
When it comes to the benefits that meeting attendees can bring to a community, we need to walk the talk. And no, this isn’t another column about our economic impact.
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Star Power This is our second annual Best in Show issue, showcasing 50 bright spots in our industry, from CSR efforts to technology tools to places and spaces — 10 catego- ries in all. We had a number of stellar nominations this year (our thanks to all of you who took the time to send us your favorites), and it was tough to pick the stars. Read what makes this industry special on p. 42.
And don’t miss our new back-page series, There’s a Meeting for That (p. 104). We’ve given what used to be a recurring feature in the Plenary section a new spin, focusing less on “out-there” meetings and more on standout events.
play a counting game when I walk my dog, Cocoa, in my small New Jersey town. When we step into a certain crosswalk on a busy street — marked with a can’t-miss “state law: stop
for pedestrians within cross- walk” sign — I mentally tick off how many cars pass us by without slowing down. The average is 10. I usually end up waiting until the coast is clear, because it’s rare for drivers in both directions to stop so we can cross. The thing is, I really don’t blame
them. In towns like mine, cars rule. The suburbs sprang up because of the automobile, and were laid out to accommodate wheels, not walkers. And the law changed in my state only three years ago. It used to be that driv- ers were required only to “yield” to pedestrians at the crosswalk, which left things more open to interpreta- tion (and more dependent on a sense of courtesy). Cities were built for walkers. But
most convention centers, even in cities, seem to have been built with a cars- first suburban mentality. Attendees’ desire to walk to and from the cen- ter — to feel like they’re experiencing the city itself — has not, until recent years, been taken much into account. When Senior Editor Barbara Palmer interviewed Walkable City author Jeff Speck for this month’s Bookings series (p. 91), he expressed amazement at “how many cities are essentially leaving money on the table by the way that they fail to integrate [convention centers] into their community.” Speck has been in high demand on the speaking circuit since Walkable City
8 PCMA CONVENE AUGUST 2013
was published last year, so he’s visited his share of convention centers. His unique perspective on how these build- ings can better weave themselves into the fabric of the community is informed by his expertise in urban planning — a field with which the meetings industry needs to establish stronger ties — as well as by his experiences stepping into our world. In other words, he’s an outsider look-
ing in, offering the kind of enlightening viewpoints we seek out in Convene. This month’s CMP Series (p. 61) also features two industry outsiders, who, in their case, bring their research and knowl- edge about charities to bear on the volunteer community-service activities included in many conference programs. What they have to say is sobering, but
can help point the way to more mean- ingful giving-back efforts. In order for that to be the case, meeting profession- als will need to invest time in research- ing and choosing CSR initiatives that will have the greatest impact on a cause
— not necessarily on the volunteers. Think of it as looking both ways before you cross.
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PHOTOGRAPH BY JACOB SLATON