For more information, please contact Sandy Eitel at 312.423.7271 or seitel@pcma.org.

PCMA's First Student Career Fair Draws Ten Top Meetings Industry Organizations
12/17/2007

CHICAGO, December 17, 2007  -- The first-ever Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Education Foundation Student Career Fair piloting at the PCMA Annual Meeting in Seattle, Jan. 13-16, 2008, has drawn ten national meetings industry employers.

Employers include Association of Analytical Communities International (AOAC International), CRG Events, Experient, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Gaylord Hotels, GES Exposition Services, Hilton Hotels Corporation, Hyatt Hotels, Starwood Hotels and Resorts and Walt Disney World Resort. The Student Career Fair will allow PCMA student members to meet, apply and interview for entry-level and internship positions with these organizations. The fair is taking place on Tuesday, January 15 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

"We are thrilled that PCMA is now going to provide a great venue to find our future leaders in the meetings industry. We look forward to the opportunity to educate students about our organization, learn about their talents and interests and hopefully pave the way for career opportunities in hospitality," said Jeff Jones, Director of Sales Recruitment for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, "This career fair is a win-win situation for all involved and a great best practice on top of an already successful conference!"

Students are an important part of PCMA membership and represent the future of the hospitality industry. Because of this, the PCMA Annual Meeting offers a schedule of programming tailored specifically for students. Programming includes educational sessions led by top industry professionals and networking opportunities with professional PCMA members. Educational sessions lead up to the Student Career Fair, allowing students to fully prepare for the experience. Students are also invited to participate in all general sessions taking place during the Annual Meeting.

The Student Career Fair and the additional student programming taking place at Annual Meeting are both first-time opportunities. PCMA is trialing these programs at Annual Meeting in order to test and evaluate them for future use and development of other programs.

Since more than 200 students will be in attendance, PCMA is hosting two programs to leverage the opinions of these future leaders. The first is a Student Shared Interest Group where students will have an opportunity to share and explore issues affecting the future of the hospitality industry. Select student attendees also have been invited to participate in a marketing focus group to assist in developing meaningful messages to this segment of PCMA membership.

"Holding a student career fair is an important way for PCMA to engage students in our organization and develop new professionals for our industry. Students are hungry for opportunities and we want to facilitate their future," said PCMA President and CEO Deborah Sexton, "We want to engage the passion of these emerging leaders right from the start."

The Student Career Fair is sponsored by the PCMA Education Foundation. Established in 1985, the Foundation provides educational programs and grants for the forward momentum of the meetings industry. It also conducts ongoing research on industry issues and concerns. The Foundation continually designs and creates new programs like the Student Career Fair to advance the highest levels of professionalism in the meetings industry.

"This Student Career Fair is a way to bring future leaders together with employers to promote the meetings and events industry as a profession through a variety of opportunities," said Gerhard Seibert, Foundation Chair, "The PCMA Education Foundation believes that investing in students is one of our most important initiatives. We are extremely excited about this first time program."

The 2008 PCMA Annual Meeting is expected to draw more than 3,000 attendees. More than fifty percent of PCMA members attend each year. The event includes educational sessions and networking opportunities for leaders at all levels - seasoned to emerging - in the meetings and convention industry. For more information on the PCMA 2008 Annual Meeting, please visit www.pcma2008.org.

The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) is the professional resource center and premier educator for the meetings and convention industry. Founded in 1957, PCMA represents the interests of meeting management executives from associations, non-profit organizations, corporations, independent meeting planning companies, and multi-management firms who recognize the importance of meetings to their organization. PCMA empowers members with the tools they need to succeed as meeting professionals and to promote the value of the industry to their organizations and the general public. Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 16 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. For additional information, please visit the PCMA Web site at www.pcma.org.

The role of the PCMA Education Foundation is to support the mission of PCMA through fundraising and grant giving focused on education and research that will benefit the meetings and conventions industry. Established in 1985, the Foundation supports educational programs to improve professionalism in the meetings industry and to provide a university-level meeting management curriculum. The Foundation provides educational programs for meeting managers, hotels, convention and visitors bureaus, and other members of the meetings industry. It also conducts ongoing research of industry issues and concerns. The Foundation continually designs and creates new programs to encourage the highest levels of professionalism in the meetings industry.