PCMA 2010 Annual – Monday Recap

Jan 12

maureen-pickellTrade Shows , , , No Comments

Your ConventionPlanit.com blogger has had a busy day at the PCMA “Convening Leaders” Annual Meeting!

The day began with the opening general session which could be titled – “A Tale of Two Sisters” presented by Ambassador Nancy Brinker. As a result of her sister’s battle with and loss of her life to breast cancer, the Susan G. Komen Foundation was launched by Nancy to provide grants for research and development to combat this global disease. As the largest grass roots movement of its kind, this collective effort began 30 years ago and depends on “the power of one” to help change the global culture as it relates to breast cancer and the apathy that has grown up around it. As a recent winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Nancy Brinker has fulfilled her promise to her sister, Susan, by diligently empowering activists of all ages and backgrounds to participate in this international health movement.

Next up was The PCMA Masters Series – Airlines and Meetings: A CEO Conversation where the audience was privy to a discussion between Gerard J. Arpey, Chairman, President and CEO, AMR Corp. and American Airlines, and Gary Kelly, Chairman, President and CEO, Southwest Airlines, moderated by Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert.

If you think that you have issues with the business model represented by most of the major airlines today, take a look at the unprecedented level of volatility that these CEO’s have dealt with during the past decade and most particularly in the last two years:

  • Surge in the price of oil resulting in an ongoing fuel crisis
  • 2009 economic downturn
  • Growth opportunities restricted by operating costs and security concerns
  • Future issues include:
    • The need to modernize the Air Traffic Control System
    • The necessity to develop commercially viable sustainable fuels
    • The development and deployment of new aircraft technology

The good news is that group business is important to both American and Southwest who both have programs targeting the meeting and convention market. During the economic recovery, people will need to do business in places that they’ve never been before – and that will result in increased demand for air travel.

Airlines will continue to be our partners in combating the misguided perceptions regarding meeting and incentive travel.

Leave a Reply