Jan 17
maureen-pickellTrade Shows meeting education, pcma
Last Tuesday’s sessions at PCMA Convening Leaders “The Good (yes there is some!), the Bad, and the Ugly of Global Economies” and “Cracking the Life Code”, had the over 3,000 attendees assimilating some radical new life concepts as they continued to kick-start their year by taking in the broad spectrum of education.
Later in the day, your ConventionPlanit.com roving Ambassador attended the annual Global Reception sponsored by the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Center. Suppliers in Kilts mingled with international planners involved with meeting and catching up with colleagues from Switzerland, Holland, Scotland, Ireland, England and Asia – among others.
The networking part of the conference ended Tuesday evening with attendees uniting for an Urban Convergence on the historic Gaslamp Quarter. Creative elements of dining, music, art and entertainment merged to create a private urban block party highlighted by Kool & the Gang’s unique sound.
Gerry Kingston, Mgr. Meeting, Association & Incentive Sales for CP.com member Delta air Lines, checks her schedule on PCMA’s Convening Leaders final day.
Wednesday morning saw quite a few attendees still interested in participating in the last few sessions before the closing luncheon – featuring Life is Good Founder Bert Jacobs sharing the power of optimism with the audience. The PCMA Convening Leaders event couldn’t help but end on a high note as Bert illustrated how good vibes are contagious!
Wishing you all “”good vibes” for 2012 from your ConventionPlanit.com blogger!!
Jan 12
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners meeting ideas, onsite registration, pcma
A quick tip of the day for you regarding onsite conference registration:
Consider allowing attendees the option to register in their hotel! Instead of sending attendees on a wild goose chase through a large convention center to track down a badge or program, set up a small registration stand in all partnering hotels. The attendees (and their feet!) will be most grateful for the convenience.
Our very own Maureen Pickell, who has just returned from PCMA’s Convening Leaders in San Diego, shared this very smart tip with us. Registering at the hotel saved her an extra trip to the convention center! (Stay tuned for more great information from PCMA later this month).
Do you have a conference tip you’d like to share? Consider entering your tip in the ConventionPlanit.com Stellar Tips Contest!
Each month, planners can submit and vote for their favorite advice. The winner receives a $100 American Express Gift Card!
Jan 11
maureen-pickellTrade Shows meeting education, pcma
Ready to put on your thinking caps? Here are some quick quotes from yesterday’s PCMA Conventing Leaders education sessions. Match them to the corresponding session topics:
Don’t scroll down until you have made your choices…
| Session Quotes |
Session Titles |
| A.”Introductions happen in 9 seconds – people now have the same attention span as that of a goldfish.” |
1. Advocating the Value of the Meetings Industry |
| B. “40 million Chinese live in caves.” |
2. The Seven Triggers of Fascination |
| C. “Historical Data is key information that enables a CVB to determine the social and economic impact of your meeting.” |
3. Brain Rules for Meetings |
| D. “People don’t pay attention to boring things.” |
4. Why Games Make us Better and How They Can Change the World |
| E. “The total North American (U.S., Canada & Mexico) economic output for meetings amounts to 1.012 TRILLION dollars.” |
5. Do You Know the Value of Your Meeting? |
| F. “500,000 people play Angry Birds daily.” |
6. State of the Economy |
Did you make your guesses?
This is a fast way to show you the range of discussions covered in sessions attended by your CP.com blogger. The sessions were all excellent and it was hard to narrow down my choices!
The answers are: A-2; B-6; C-5; D-3; E-1; F-4
How did you do? I certainly learned a lot. Stay tuned for future issues of our e-Alert Newsletter for more information on these topics!
Jan 10
maureen-pickellTips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows meeting education, pcma, San Diego
With this year’s theme of “Capturing Innovation” guiding the program, the PCMA Convening Leaders eduction organizers more than managed to compete with the lure of the San Diego “great outdoors” by presenting a new kind of Opening General Session.
“Rules for Epic Wins that Fascinate” was a tri- part program featuring a developmental molecular biologist, a game designer and a brand innovation consultant – three top thinkers who explain what naps, games and nine-second attention spans have to do with meetings.
In the process, they managed to keep the large audience riveted in a way that the customary solitary “talking heads” of previous conferences could never do. This was followed by a large list of choices providing world class education to the audience of knowledgeable and experienced meeting professionals. From tips on developing your authenticity and charisma to how to prepare hospitality students for the realities of the meetings industry, the most difficult job was choosing the best option from a myriad of relevant topics.
Also back was last year’s successful innovation, the Learning Lounge – where attendees can partake in “bite-sized” sessions of 15 to 30 minutes that include virtual demonstrations based on their particular interest areas.
All this contributes to PCMA’s idea of mixing things up in order to present a different style of conference – demanding an increased level of commitment by the attendees as participants rather than observers.
The popular evening foundation event “Party with a Purpose” was held aboard the USS Midway Museum, an aircraft carrier docked in the San Diego Bay. Anchors Aweigh and more tomorrow….
Jan 09
maureen-pickellTrade Shows hotels in San Diego, meeting experiences, pcma, San Diego
I am off again…this time to cover the 2012 Convening Leaders event in San Diego this week. 
As luck would have it, my plane touched down early enough on one of those glorious mornings where the fog has just lifted and the sun is still muted enough to present the downtown skyline as an impressionist painting.
Palm trees and Bird of Paradise lining the avenue from the airport to the harbor set the stage for what should be an energetic and progressive meeting at the San Diego Convention Center.
ConventionPlanit.com supplier partner, the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, is opening its arms and welcoming everyone as attendees reconnect with PCMA BFF’s or find new ones.
The Welcome Reception at the Manchester Grand Hyatt was truly an “Emergence of the Senses.” From the sumptuous cuisine to the sights and sounds of the innovative Mass Ensemble’s exotic blend of art, sculpture and music – everyone’s senses had no choice but to emerge energized for the days ahead.
More tomorrow….
Feb 14
maureen-pickellNews generation y, meeting industry, pcma, technology
One of the most enlightening breakout sessions during the PCMA Convening Leaders 2011 Conference in January was presented by a panel of global hospitality and events students.
Developed and presented by this year’s PCMA Education Foundation Student Planner of the Year, Jascha Bergmann (a second year events management student at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh), the program introduced the professional planners and suppliers of tomorrow as they discussed where our industry is headed and how they plan to contribute to its future success.
The students shared some of the beliefs and values that will inevitably shape our industry as they enter the profession:
- Due to a distrust of marketers, Gen Y will not respond to traditional advertising methods, but will go online when they want to conduct business.
- Face-to-face meetings are more memorable. Gen Y will interact with attendees; they believe out of sight, out of mind.
- Technology will enhance the face-to-face experience by supporting pre and post-event collaboration.
- Online education will be used to extend the life of the meeting – not replace it.
- Gen Y will be “totally” tuned in to corporate responsibility and sustainability when it comes to planning/attending an event. This is non-negotiable!
The panel was also queried on what kind of event would attract their attention and what factors would impact their decision to attend. Issues discussed were:
- What’s in it for me? Who am I going to meet?
- Relevance of social activities connected to the event
- With regard to my profession, which meeting will give me the best ROI in terms of education and networking opportunities?
- Will it be fun and affordable?
For current meeting professionals looking to hire the Gen Y graduates, here is what will motivate and inspire them as they take their first job:
- Appreciation of a workplace where they will be part of a family
- Ability to obtain a high level of job satisfaction
- Opportunity to work their way up through the organization to reach career goals
- Prospect of acquiring work experience by doing different jobs
Oh, and be careful if you are sitting next to a Gen Y attendee during a presentation and are tempted to check your e-mails or text messages.
According to the student panel, personal communication devices should not be used during a meeting as they are considered to be a distraction…unless you are taking notes on the program!
Do you agree or disagree with these views, and how so? Share your comments below!
Jan 14
maureen-pickellTrade Shows hybrid meetings, meeting industry, pcma, social media
Well, another PCMA Convening Leaders comes to a close, and your “always ready to learn” ConventionPlanit.com blogger has departed with a whole new vocabulary.
Now augmenting the standard vernacular such as City-wide meetings, Conference Education, Face-to-face, Tradeshow Trends, Talking Heads and Moderating Panels are terms such as 365 Community Sites, Collaborative Learning, Co-Location, Deconstructed Meetings, Virtual Environments, 3D Immersive Platforms and Hybrid Events.
Thank you PCMA for following through on your commitment to continually provide educational opportunities in a variety of interactive and innovative ways!
As any good blogger does, I’ve been reading some of the other Online Conversation around Convening Leaders. I thought that a posting by Jeff Hurt summed up the spirit of this year’s meeting – which added its first Virtual Environment to the standard face-to-face format:
“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, except when…It is live-streamed, tweeted, flipped, tagged or posted as a status update.”
See you all next year in San Diego!
Jan 14
maureen-pickellTrade Shows memphis, pcma
Me and long-time ConventionPlanit.com member John Oros, Executive Vice President/COO of the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau taken at the chilly reception at the Venetian Palazzo.
Jan 13
maureen-pickellTrade Shows hybrid meetings, meeting education, pcma, social media, technology, virtual meetings
Greetings from Las Vegas where the PCMA co-location with Virtual Edge Summit began yesterday.
The Joint Plenary was moderated by Michael Doyle of Virtual Edge Institute and discussed how “Virtual and Hybrid Meetings Deliver More Value.”
Rather than jeopardize the integrity of face to face events, it’s been proven that these new concepts enhance them.
Panelist Kara Wilson, VP of Marketing for Unified Communications, Cisco, shared a story about being pulled over while connected to a video conference call (via the laptop in her passenger seat). These new technological concepts really are changing our lives!
This tract will continue today and will cover topics such as virtual technologies, digital events, social media and 3D immersive worlds.
Speaking of new initiatives, one of the most popular ways attendees have been starting their morning has been by visiting the “Learning Lounge”.
This concept is an industry first and provides a unique method of experiencing face-to-face and online education with networking.
Along with the Continental Breakfast stations, there was a “big buffet” of 20 to 30 learning options including peer-to-peer discussions, 6 theaters offering continuous 15-minute TED style presentations, the Social Media Expert Bar, the Supplier Showdown and the PCMA365 Livestreaming Studio. This combination of Bagels and “bite-sized” educational content gets the metabolism started while nourishing the mind!
The PCMA 2012 Kick Off Luncheon was sponsored by ConventionPlanit.com member, the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau along with the San Diego Convention Center Corporation.
This marked the official end of PCMA 2011 Convening Leaders while the Virtual Edge Summit continues through today.
Tomorrow’s Blog…Leaving Las Vegas!
Jan 12
maureen-pickellTrade Shows meeting experiences, meeting industry, pcma
Well gang, how did we do with yesterday’s quiz? Here are the answers:
| The event industry is the 2nd highest generator of waste today. |
Using Technology for Green Events |
| Women now outnumber men in the workplace for the first time in history. |
Opening General Session: Tightrope to the Top; Learning the Language of Success |
| Over 40 countries are in attendance at the PCMA “Convening Leaders” Conference. |
Opening Session: Configuration of PCMA Meeting Attendees |
| Six factors that a local partner can help contribute to a successful global conference: political, reach, scientific, legacy, emotional, and financial. |
Global Meetings: The Benefits of Working with a PCO |
—
Your intrepid Blogger is getting a big dizzy dodging the slot machines set up in all the Vegas hotel lobbies…yesterday’s events had me running the “gambling gauntlet” between the MGM Grand, the Bellagio and the Venetian Palazzo (all CP.com members).
It began with a General Session that awakened the audience by introducing Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Tony’s riveting presentation focused on the customer experience that has made his company a successful distributor of shoes, clothing and happiness. Zappo’s is so customer focused that one service call (that’s right…the customer actually got a live person on the phone!) lasted 8 hours and 23 minutes.
The next session showcased a panel of hotel, airline and meeting planner experts giving examples of how to overcome market constraints for meeting success in a still weakened economy.
Some great ideas were shared with the audience – with Christie Hicks from Starwood Hotels Worldwide mimiking the airlines as she joked about unbundling the hotel experience by providing the bed at a low price, but charging extra for the sheets!
A delicious lunch was sponsored by ConventionPanit.com member – the Mexico Tourism Board – and dessert was
accompanied by a panel discussion by top industry leaders on 2011 Srategies and Vision. While these experts from PCMA, MPI, ASAE, USTA and Maritz gave us insights into where the future of meetings is heading over the course of next year…they were almost upstaged by a group of 6 students in the fields of hospitality, events and tourism who spoke in the next session – Generation Y Looks to the Future.
This panel of bright, articulate and enthusiastic aspiring professionals will be using technology to plan and extend the life of their events – but will insist on face to face meetings as a more beneficial way to learn and network.
Here is a note to our supplier members…Gen Y will not be responding to standard advertising, but instead will go online to do their business when the time is right. So you are using the best vehicle available (online advertising) to approach this market!
Then it was off to The Bellagio for the International Reception sponsored by Tourism Ireland. If it’s one thing the Irish know how to do it’s combine the elements of business and enjoyment that gave planners more than a hint of what staging an event in Ireland would be like!
Finally, the day ended with a Networking reception at the Venetian Palazzo Resort Hotel & Casino. Held outside on the pool deck, attendees braved chilly weather (no dry heat in Vegas in January!) to sample culinary delights and unique entertainment.
The pool deck!
Today “PCMA Convening Leaders” merges with the “Virtual Edge Summit”…more to come then!
Older Entries
Current Discussions