PCMA partnered with the prestigious University of Chicago Graduate School of Business to offer a rare learning opportunity for professionals in the hospitality industry. About 100 senior-level meetings executives attended the one-day only Executive Edge education program at the Gleacher Center in Chicago on Aug. 2. The program was funded by a grant from the PCMA Education Foundation as well as Platinum Sponsors Canadian Tourism Commission and PSAV-AVHQ, and Official Airline Sponsor Delta Air Lines.

"PCMA strives to elevate the meetings profession by providing outstanding education for industry leaders. Through Executive Edge, PCMA co-develops programming with the nation's top business schools, offering a unique and valuable learning opportunity to senior-level executives in the meetings industry," explained PCMA President and CEO Deborah Sexton.

Executives chose between programs on leadership and marketing, led by University of Chicago Graduate School of Business professors Susan Lucia Annunzio and Ann McGill, Ph.D.

Leadership Lessons

Professor Annunzio's session, "High-Performance Leadership," began with an explanation of the current economic climate, which she called "The Perfect Storm." She said today's leaders face unprecedented economic challenges, workforce dynamics, and financial pressures. To survive and thrive in these uncertain times, Annunzio said companies and their leaders must sustain profitable growth.

Annunzio described the results of a global study of more than 3,100 "knowledge workers" at some of the world's biggest companies representing 30 percent of the Global Fortune 500. The study found high-performing workgroups were derailed by short-term thinking that included micromanagement, leadership self-interest, and information hoarding. The study also found the key to Contagious Success, the title of Annunzio's book, is a work environment that values people, seizes opportunities, and optimizes thinking.

Annunzio said it is the responsibility of the leader to create a healthy work environment because even good employees perform poorly in a bad work environment. Leaders must understand the strengths and weaknesses of their employees and try to put them in jobs that maximize their strengths. According to Annunzio, respectful communication is one of the most important aspects of a successful work environment.

Avoiding Marketing Missteps

Dr. McGill held her audience in rapt attention as she discussed how the common misunderstandings and misapplication of marketing strategy negatively affect a company's bottom line. McGill's interactive program used case studies to illustrate that effective marketing means targeting fewer but appropriate customers and retaining them. She pointed out that this may seem counterintuitive because in the past people believed effective marketing meant gaining more customers, instead of trying to sell more products to the customers they already had.

"By focusing on the customer and creating unique value, the organization achieves competitive advantage, and through it, growth and profits," she said.

McGill also spoke of the importance of segmenting your customers correctly and warned against falling into the trap of using demographics to create a strategy. She finished the program by discussing how positioning your product or service is one of the most important things a business can do. According to McGill, a positioning statement guides tactical decisions, can eliminate in-fighting, and establishes a clear identity with the right customers in the right way.

This is the second time PCMA has partnered with a top-tier business school for an Executive Edge program. The January 2006 Executive Edge program was held at the Wharton School of Business during PCMA's Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. The upcoming Executive Edge program will be held in January 2007 during PCMA's Annual Meeting in Toronto at the Rotman School of Management. This is an invitation-only program designed for senior-level industry professionals. If you would like to attend the January 2007 program in Toronto, contact scorradino@pcma.org to be qualified for the program.

Angie Myers is PCMA's communications manager.

Leadership and Marketing Sessions: What Attendees Had to Say

Leadership Session Feedback

"There were directors, managers, and owners of companies there. We all had the same problems and needed answers. Susan presented down-to-earth examples from her consulting work and some theory. It was practical knowledge that we could use."
- MaryAnn Browning, meetings manager, Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International

"I would definitely recommend it. Executive Edge provides a good forum to jump start your thinking. It gave me the tools to present change to my board. It was nice to get some validation that you're not alone. The challenges are not only in associations, but also in businesses. There was a cross-section of people there from associations, hotels, convention centers, bureaus … you name it."
- Janice Wachtler, executive director, American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians

"I want to thank you and the organization personally for continuing to expand the Executive Edge offering to members. As a 30-plus-year industry veteran, I find it difficult to find programs that meet my needs for ongoing adult education. Only PCMA offers this level of programming. It fills a critical gap and uniquely serves experienced industry professionals who often feel underserved."
- Bruce Small, director of sales information systems, Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Marketing Session Feedback

"It was energizing and a great networking opportunity. It reinforced ideas I already had and helped me organize them better. Ann McGill distilled complex ideas into punchy, meaningful dialogue."
- Greg Kirrish, senior director of marketing and communications, National Restaurant Association

"It inspired me to come back and try to see if there's any way the marketing group can participate at a higher level. It reinforced how important it is to focus on your customer."
- Suellen Eckstein, project manager, Allstate

"I would highly recommend it. It was a thought-provoking approach to strategic marketing."
- Stephanie Rennie-Sanchez, CMP, conferences & meetings manager, American Society of Safety Engineers