Going Outside the Industry

Three PCMA Masters Series speakers will offer annual meeting attendees in New Orleans fresh perspectives from beyond the business of meetings and conventions ... and inspire them to make a difference in their own roles.

"The PCMA Masters Series by Soundview: Influencer: The Power to Change Anything" - On Monday, New York Times bestselling author Joseph Grenny provides real-life examples of people who have created rapid and sustainable change under seemingly impossible circumstances. From a high-powered Fortune 500 executive, to a tribal leader in sub-Saharan Africa, to the founder of a San Francisco-based conglomerate run exclusively by ex-cons, even the most unlikely of leaders have inspired change.

"The Next Generation" - Bestselling author and Gen Y expert Peter Sheahan is on tap Tuesday to break down stereotypes and assess the "next generation's" impact on the workforce. Attendees will discover how to attract, engage, and retain talent - and attendees - of all ages.

"Crazy, Busy, Nuts: Getting off the Conveyor Belt of Life" - Motivational speaker Victoria Labalme engages participants on Wednesday in an interactive session, packed with applicable tools for managing everyday chaos. Alternately hilarious and moving, Labalme will have participants laughing at themselves while learning how to better handle the work/life-balance challenge.

Making a difference

Annual meeting attendees are encouraged to network with friends and colleagues at the House of Blues for the 16th annual Party With a Purpose, a "can't-miss" event that has raised more than $1.6 million in charitable donations. Proceeds will benefit Payton's Play It Forward Foundation, a New Orleans-based nonprofit started by Saints Head Coach Sean Payton and his wife, Beth, to improve the lives of families and children in the areas of health, education, and social welfare. The event also supports the PCMA Education Foundation and PCMA's Network for the Needy®.

The PCMA Education Foundation's 2009 Individual Giving Campaign also launches during the annual meeting. Donations to the foundation not only make a difference through education and research, but also directly benefit the Gulf Coast Wetlands Restoration Project in its efforts to reduce shoreline erosion along the Gulf Coast states. Every $20 donated will result in a planting that will help restore the Gulf Coast.

Getting Guidance

When FedEx went looking for information about how best to connect meeting planners with FedEx Office convention services offered at 39 top meeting facilities and hotel sites nationwide, they turned to their strategic partnership with PCMA for guidance.

Last April in Washington, D.C., PCMA assembled a focus group of 12 meeting planners, who talked about how FedEx Office services could better serve the meetings industry. "They told us, 'You've made a good start: You joined PCMA,'" said Angela Benitez, FedEx marketing and planning strategist for hospitality and conventions.

The planners were very clear about what they wanted: "National account executives who got [the convention market]," Benitez said. In response, FedEx recently introduced a pilot program dedicating two national account executives to the industry: Barbara Monk in Washington, D.C., and Anthony Perez in Chicago, who will call on PCMA members in those markets, and attend PCMA's annual meeting as well.

Hearing the message that green initiatives are very important to planners, FedEx will unveil a new environmentally friendly product at the annual meeting in New Orleans. For more information on FedEx Office convention services, visit www.fedex.com/us/officeprint/conventions/.

Chapter Corner

Joe Goldblatt, CSEP, Ed.D, a former PCMA Educator of the Year Achievement Award winner, who serves as director of the recently opened International Centre for the Study of Planned Events at Queen Margaret University, in Edinburgh, Scotland, recently launched the first PCMA student chapter located in Europe. The student chapter has already held two official meetings. Fund-raising events were held to enable students to travel to New Orleans for the PCMA 2009 Annual Meeting.