Chicago, IL, May 9, 2008-The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) will hold its second stand-alone Masters Series program of 2008 on Thursday, May 15th from 8:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. At "Word-of-Mouth Marketing," John Moore, the marketing mastermind behind Starbucks and Whole Foods, will lead a dynamic presentation on word-of-mouth marketing strategies that meetings executives can use to grow their events.

"Our members consistently rank attendance-building as a key challenge and goal," said PCMA President and CEO Deborah Sexton. "This new Masters Series program led by John Moore, an expert in the field, will provide attendees with some unique and proven viral marketing tactics that they'll be able to put to use immediately."

At the morning program, participants will learn why word-of-mouth marketing is the most influential marketing medium and how they can make it work for their own organizations. Attendees will join Moore to:

• Find out how to create more compelling and memorable experiences for their meeting attendees.
• Learn Moore's ten marketing ideals which will spur them to generate their own marketing ideas.
• Discover how to garner customer intention, and not just customer attention.

The author of TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE: Business Wisdom Brewed from the Grounds of Starbucks Corporate Culture, John Moore is a marketing thought-leader. Intimately involved with Starbucks' epic growth from a single coffee shop to a global icon, Moore has helped transform the way businesses look at marketing and branding. He continued his out-of-the-box marketing mastery as the Director of National Marketing for Whole Foods Market. Today, Moore consults with businesses aspiring to become the next Starbucks or Whole Foods. A believer that passion and sense of purpose fuel successful marketing messages, he brings an excitement and sense of innovation to audiences, creating new ideas and spurring on business and brand advancement.

The PCMA Masters Series, which was officially launched at the PCMA 2007 Annual Meeting in Toronto, is a forum for acknowledged thought-leaders to provide high-level education on applied business topics. The objective is to introduce PCMA members to new ideas and best practices which will influence innovation in the business of meetings and conventions.

Members of the media who are interested in attending the program free of charge should contact PCMA Communications Manager Julie Fawcett at jfawcett@pcma.org. For more information, visit www.pcma.org/MastersSeries.

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The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) is the professional resource 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.