Action Items

planner’s notebook

Kelly Peacy CAE, CMP Senior Vice President Education & Meetings kpeacy@pcma.org

From the Learning Lounge to networking, we’re proceeding from brainstorming to implementation for Convening Leaders 2014.

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A Focus on Technology

Johnnie White, PCMA’s 2013 board chair, has challenged us with how we use technology at Convening Leaders. He believes our obli- gation to attendees is to show how this field is constantly evolving, and he’s absolutely right. We are taking Johnnie up on his challenge by not only including more education ses- sions on technology, but also creating a Technology Hub, with hands-on demonstrations and real-life application throughout Conven- ing Leaders. As with everything we do at our annual meeting, we will conduct some experiments — and together we’ll learn what works and what doesn’t.

Convening Leaders 2014 will be held in Boston on Jan. 12–15. Check here for updates and infor- mation: convn .org/cl-2014.

t’s summer at PCMA, and that can only mean one thing: We are knee-deep in planning for Convening Leaders 2014. Before we know it, our program will be online, our speakers will be announced, and our registration and housing will be open.

Like many of you at this stage of the planning process, my head is swimming with possibilities and decisions to make. Fortunately, we’ve had many collabora- tive discussions and great brainstorm- ing, which is helping us frame our Convening Leaders experience. In my June column, I gave you some insight into the big brainstorming program we conducted earlier this year in Boston. Since then, we’ve been working on many of those initiatives. Here’s a sneak peek at two of them.

The next-generation Learning Lounge At Convening Leaders 2011 in Las Vegas, we debuted our Learning Lounge, and ever since it’s been a major component of our overall educational programming and experience. The concept was simple: a vast and varied schedule of 15-minute sessions on topics ranging from technology to social media to global meetings and more. But now it’s time for something new in this space. We still believe this engaging, lounge-

type environment is important, but the content needs to be something more

— more collaborative, more hands on, with more takeaways. The environment should supplement and enhance your overall learning experience, excite you about the possibilities, and entice you to “lean in” and engage in good con- versations instead of “sit back” and be talked to. With the help of our strategic partners at Freeman, we are looking to

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make the next generation of this impor- tant space more valuable and relevant than ever before.

A new conversation about networking When you kick off your new year with a program like Convening Leaders, noth- ing energizes you like the opportunity to talk with your peers, share goals for the coming year, and discuss plans on how to reach those goals. Our own goal is for you to leave the event with a list of peo- ple who can be your resources, advisers, and mentors. We want you to expand your professional community, because it’s just as important as the quality of the educational programming we strive to deliver at Convening Leaders. To do that, we need to create oppor- tunities for you to simply talk to each other. We will need to create some “white space” in our event that allows you to connect, discuss the content, or just enjoy each other’s company. So we’re taking a close look at the way we network — at receptions, luncheons, and just in the hallways. Tell me what you want to see at

Convening Leaders 2014! I love hear- ing from you, and now is the time to let me know what’s on your mind: kpeacy@pcma.org.

. PCMA.ORG

PHOTOGRAPH BY JACOB SLATON