As I write this, we have just wrapped up PCMA's 50th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, and I have much to reflect on. What sticks out most in my mind is the sense of energy and excitement that filled the Pennsylvania Convention Center and the city while we were in town - and not just because attendees liked this year's program, but because they love the organization that is PCMA. As I'm sure you realize, there's a lot of pressure involved in putting on a meeting for meeting professionals, so it was particularly gratifying for our staff team to experience this positive energy firsthand.

Did everything we tried at the annual meeting score a home run? Of course not. There were times we hit the ball out of the park, and other times we struck out. That's OK, because the meeting this year was about taking risks, experimenting, stepping outside the "tried and true" to see what works and what doesn't.

Starting in this issue (on page 66) of Convene, we are going to be showcasing these "Meeting Xperiments" from the annual meeting. I promise that we won't be highlighting only the success stories, but also offering a frank assessment of those "xperiments" that were not … because I believe they provide great learning opportunities. As Colin Powell said, "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure."

Speaking of preparation and hard work, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge Philadelphia's contribution to our annual meeting's success. The Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority, led by Dittie Guise, executive vice president and chief operating officer; the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, led by Tom Muldoon, president; Jack Ferguson, vice president of convention sales & marketing; and Philomena Petro, CMP, vice president of convention services; as well as the entire Philadelphia hotel community, demonstrated a true partnership between an organization and the destination hosting its meeting.

And boy, can they throw a party! The final night event was spectacular. It's a good thing that the convention center is expanding, because based on our meeting's success, Philadelphia should capture a great deal of new business.

Thank you to each and every person who had a part in making this a meeting we can all be proud of.

I was particularly pleased with this year's general sessions, which hit an appropriate note for our times, offering inspiration as well as tackling the critical issues facing the meetings industry.

The Toronto Kick-off Luncheon gave us just a taste of what's in store for us at PCMA's first annual meeting to be held "over the border" in 2007. The luncheon helped us all leave the meeting on a real high, ready to continue to take PCMA to the next level.

I hope you will help us do that by sending me your thoughts throughout the year. Let me know what you think we are doing right - and those areas we could better focus on.