Contact Us & FAQs

View the Convene® Media Kit. To have a media kit mailed to you, please contact Mona Simon at msimon@pcma.org or 312.423.7244.

Advertising rates are listed in the Convene® Media Kit. Or, if you have a current copy of Convene^®, turn to the masthead page and contact the Convene^® sales representative in your area, or contact our sales team at sales@pcma.org.

All PCMA Supplier Partner members are mailed information on how to purchase a listing each year. If you have not received the information and would like to request it, please contact Mona Simon at msimon@pcma.org or 312.423.7244.

Please contact Mona Simon for further information at 312.423.7244 or sales@pcma.org.

Associate Professional and Associate Supplier Partner members of PCMA have limited member benefits. Members in these categories can only attend one Annual Meeting at the member registration rate. Associate members who have attended a previous Annual Meeting must upgrade their membership or pay the non-member rate. All Associate members who have attended one Annual Meeting are reminded of this policy in April each year

Please visit the Chapter section of the PCMA Web site. Each Chapter maintains a calendar of its events. If you wish to speak to someone about a Chapter event, contact the Chapter Administrator or Chapter President. Contact information can be found on the Leadership page of the Chapter site.

Yes! PCMA Chapter events are administered at the local level, and non-member or visitor pricing is established by the individual chapters. Please visit within this site the page on the Chapter in which you are interested and contact the Chapter Administrator or Chapter President to learn more about attending their events.

Please refer to your Chapter's Web site to obtain the name of the volunteer leader of the committee you are most interested in. Some Chapters have included a Call for Participation form on their site, as well. Or simply let your Chapter President know that you wish to get involved!

One chapter membership is included in your PCMA membership dues. Additional Chapter memberships can be purchased for $30 each. To purchase an additional Chapter membership, contact PCMA Headquarters at membership@pcma.org or 312.423.7251.

No. PCMA does not offer Chapter-only memberships.

To purchase an additional Chapter membership, contact PCMA Headquarters at membership@pcma.org or 312.423.7251.

Please contact PCMA Headquarters at membership@pcma.org or 312.423.7251 to request the change. The Chapters will be notified once the records have been updated.

PCMA members automatically receive a complimentary subscription to Convene^®. Non-member association meeting planners may request a complimentary subscription. Industry suppliers may subscribe to Convene^® for $50 annually by visting the Subscribe section, or by contacting Keisha Reed at kreed@pcma.org or 312.423.7246. International subscriptions are $99 annually.

Go to the Convene^® section of this site and click on Issue Archives in order to search articles since 2006.

Every March, Convene^® presents the findings from its annual Meetings Market Survey, covering attendance and budget averages among PCMA meetings manager respondents. Then in June, Convene^® presents the results of its companion compensation survey. You'll find the latest survey (plus the past three surveys) on this site in the Convene® Archives by selecting those issues mentioned above, or go to the PCMA Resources section.

A limited number of back issues are available. Please contact Peggy Swisher at pswisher@pcma.org to request a back issue.

Convene^® already has a full contingent of freelance writers, but if you are interested in writing a meeting management-focused article, you may submit a one-paragraph synopsis to Michelle Russell, editor, at mrussell@pcma.org. The writer must be familiar with Convene^® subject matter and style. Submitting a summary does not guarantee inclusion in the magazine.

Please send your comments to Michelle Russell, editor, at mrussell@pcma.org.

Printed press releases can be mailed to Peggy Swisher, Managing Editor, Convene^®, 64 Livingston St., Apt. 3, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201. Alternatively, press releases may be e-mailed to mrussell@pcma.org, but please do not include materials in JPEG format or large files, unless requested.

No. Occasionally, Convene^® reviews a technological program or high-tech application relating to the meeting management profession, but we do not endorse products. For more information, contact Michelle Russell, editor, at mrussell@pcma.org. 

No. In order to receive the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP^®) designation, you must apply for the exam through the Convention Industry Council. To find out more about the exam requirements, go to www.conventionindustry.org. You will receive 4 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for taking the online course.

You will receive a certificate indicating that you have completed the course and have received 4 Continuing Education Units.

For a listing of upcoming educational programs, please visit the Education section of the site or please contact education@pcma.org.

The Certified Association Sales Executive (CASE) is a certificate program that focuses on how to become "meeting consultants" for the association community. The nine-week course blends online technology with traditional instructor-training methods. To learn more about CASE or to register for the next course, please contact education@pcma.org.

PCMA is always looking for qualified individuals to conduct relevant educational programs either at its Learning Center in Chicago or at one of its regional programs. If you would like to submit a proposal for a program, please contact Kristin Crane, manager, education, at 312.423.7234 or kcrane@pcma.org.

Yes. Please have your credit card and invoice number handy, and call 312.423.7243. A member of the PCMA Finance staff will be happy to assist you in taking the payment information. Alternatively, you may fax this information to the attention of the PCMA Finance Dept. at 312.423.7222.

The CMP^® designation is administered by the Convention Industry Council (CIC). PCMA is an organizational member of the CIC and offers the most widely used preparatory materials for the exam. To learn more about the application requirements, please visit the CIC Web site at www.conventionindustry.org. Learn more about PCMA's CMP Self-Study course.

Please send press releases to PCMA Communications at Communications@pcma.org. 

PCMA maintains records of CEUs for its members since the 1993 Annual Meeting in Dallas, Tex. In order for the CEU to have been recorded, members must have swiped their PCMA membership card in the session room or entered the credit into the CEU kiosks. Many PCMA Chapters have also forwarded attendance records for members to Headquarters for record-keeping. For more information contact our education department at 312.423.7234 or education@pcma.org. 

PCMA members can contact the TMA Association Insurance Agency at 1.800.347.1109 to get information on rates for convention cancellation or other insurance needs.

Please contact MBNA directly at 1.800.545.7899.

PCMA memberships are for the period of one year. Annual dues renewal begins 60 days prior to a member's anniversary date, and a 60-day grace period is allowed for late renewals. For further information, please contact the Membership Department at 312.423.7251 or E-mail to membership@pcma.org.

Simply send an e-mail to vcanteberry@pcma.org or update your member record online and your records will be updated right away. This change will become effective immediately for all PCMA mailings except for Convene^®. Due to print amd mailing deadlines, it will take approximately 60 days for the change to take effect with this mailing. Most of the PCMA Chapters receive their database information from Headquarters, so it is not necessary to notify your Chapter of these changes.

PCMA memberships are individual memberships and not held in the name of your organization. Simply update your information with Headquarters by sending an e-mail to membership@pcma.org or call 312.423.7262 in order to begin receiving information at your new address.

PCMA memberships belong to the individual. The only instance in which a membership can be transferred is if the current member makes the request in writing to Headquarters. For more information on how to complete a membership transfer, please contact Headquarters at membership@pcma.org or 312.423.7251.

PCMA does not have a dues waiver policy, but a dues reduction is available for members who are experiencing temporary financial hardship. Please contact the PCMA Member Relations Department at membership@pcma.org or 312.423.7251.

PCMA has nearly 6,000 members representing all facets of the meetings industry.

PCMA's Network for the Needy is a program that educates meeting professionals on how to incorporate volunteerism into meetings, conventions, and trade shows. Network for the Needy acts as a clearinghouse for information regarding excess food donation from meetings and community service activities, and donation of excess exhibitor product.

The Network for the Needy page lists many suggestions and ideas for incorporating everything from a group outing of your attendees at a Habitat for Humanity site to simply donating the excess food from your events to local shelters and food rescue programs. The Network for the Needy site also features contact information for food programs throughout North America, as well as hotels, meeting facilities, and CVBs that are ready to assist you in this endeavor. Step-by-step instructions are also listed. Through a partnership with GES Exposition Services, PCMA assists all meeting professionals with excess trade show donations. For more information, please contact PCMA at 312.423.7254 or nftn@pcma.org.

Access to PCMA's Network for the Needy and all personal assistance with convention volunteerism is absolutely free to PCMA members and non-members.

No, GES Exposition Services DOES NOT need to be your general service contractor. A list of GES representatives is listed on the Network for the Needy portion of this site--assistance is as easy as contacting a representative at your next meeting's destination.

Volunteer representatives from GES can help determine which organization, school, shelter, etc., might benefit from your exhibitors' excess product, as well as assist you in communicating to your exhibitors the opportunity to donate excess products. GES representatives can also arrange for product pickup at your show site and distribution to the designated beneficiary.

No. Thanks in part to the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act of 1996, individuals and organizations in the United States that donate food, products or services in good faith cannot be held liable. This law pertains to hotels and convention facilities as well.

No, the same laws DO NOT apply in Canada. 

Party With A Purpose puts the "fun" back in "fundraiser"! Each year during PCMA's Annual Meeting, Party With A Purpose draws hundreds of attendees with fantastic networking, music, food, and drinks. Proceeds from the annual Party are distributed three ways: to PCMA's Network for the Needy, PCMA's Education Foundation, and a local charitable organization in the host city of PCMA's Annual Meeting.

Advance tickets to Party With A Purpose are $75, $100 at the door. Tickets can be purchased through the registration form for the Annual Meeting or onsite at the door.

Yes, $60 of each ticket sold is tax-deductible.

Yes! A wide range of Party With A Purpose tax-deductible sponsorships are available starting at only $150! Benefits include complimentary Party tickets, recognition in Convene^® magazine, on PCMA's Web site, onsite at the Party, and more. Contact PCMA staff at 312.423.7254 for more information.

Yes. The PCMA Education Foundation provides funding to support education and research in the meetings and conventions industry. Guidelines and criteria have been developed and grant applications are considered at regular intervals throughout the year. Individuals interested in applying for a grant from the PCMA Education Foundation should Education Foundation Staff at (312) 423-7212 or foundation@pcma.org to obtain an application form and information.

Individuals currently enrolled in a post-secondary academic program directly related to meetings management for at least six quarter or semester hours are eligible for a student membership. Students are required to provide the name of a faculty member to verify enrollment. Students with less than six months before graduation are not eligible.

If you qualify for student membership as detailed above, the easiest way to apply for student membership is online. Access our secure student membership application.

There are many benefits to becoming an official PCMA student chapter. Learn more about our student chapters, and how to start one at your college or university. Access our Student Chapter President's Manual, which outlines the student chapter application procedures.

Student members receive our monthly magazine Convene^®, are eligible for our 12 scholarships each year, and also have exclusive opportunities to meet and network with local and national industry leaders. However, there are many additional benefits. Learn about all of our student member benefits!

Applications are usually processed within three weeks. Once an application has reached PCMA Headquarters, an email containing a membership number is sent to acknowledge receipt.

Student memberships are valid for one year, from October 1^st to September 30^th.

PCMA offers fantastic opportunities to its Student members through a wide variety of scholarships. There are 12 different scholarships offered each year ONLY to PCMA Student Members. Visit the Scholarships page for more information and applications for these exceptional opportunities!

A student can renew his or her membership by submitting a new student application online. Because of their reduced rates, Student members must verify school enrollment each year.

Update your membership information online. You may also contact PCMA at 312.423.7262.

Because of the nature of student membership, all students must be listed by their school. If you would like to be listed with your company, you may apply for professional membership.

To convert your current Student status to Professional status, click here to join at the discounted rate.

Yes! The PCMA Annual Meeting is a great opportunity for you to network with future employers, as well as meet other students. We also offer programs at the Annual Meeting that are designed specifically for students. There are scholarships available, reduced Student registration rates, and reduced hotel rates. Don't miss this chance to enhance your knowledge and make valuable contacts in the meetings industry

It is important that you become involved in PCMA to get the most return on your dues investment. If you do not have a PCMA Student Chapter at your university, contact the closest PCMA Chapter or PCMA Student Relations at Students@pcma.org or via phone at 312.423.7255.

Please contact PCMA Student Relations at 312.423.7255 or students@pcma.org.

In order to be considered for committee or working group service, PCMA members can complete a Call for Participation form to indicate their areas of interest. Every effort is made to make assignments that fit the need of the group and the member.