Diversity and inclusion is a smart move for the business-events industry — and can only be helped along by our combined resolve.

There’s one thing that great brands don’t do, according to brand strategy expert and PCMA Education Conference speaker Denise Lee Yohn.

IACC’s just-released 2018 Meeting Room of the Future Report spotlights how event venues are helping organizers create memorable attendee experiences.

“Why She Buys” author and CEO of a consulting and sales training firm focused on women consumers, Bridget Brennan says successful organizations are adept at powering human connections with the convenience technology provides — and that goes for live events.

Here’s a sampling of the range of speakers who will be sharing their knowledge and experiences with the Education Conference audience next month.

I’ve passed my first milestone as PCMA CEO, and see our work to move the business-events industry forward around the world taking shape.

Does design thinking sound like a warm and fuzzy approach to meeting planning? Warm, yes, because it’s human-centered. But considering our handful of clear strategies, there’s nothing fuzzy about it.

Julia Spangler, sustainable events consultant, on creating zero-waste events and the path to sustainable events.

Business-development expert Peter Sheahan knows what we’re up against: We’re expected to manage increasingly complex business challenges with fewer resources while propelling growth. He has some ideas about that, which he’ll be sharing at PCMA’s Education Conference.

For starters, it creates nearly 6 million jobs and offers a 160-percent return on investment.

Spaces in hotels and meeting venues are now being reimagined as communal areas that can accommodate a variety of people’s needs, preferences, and behaviors.

The Connection Lounge at PCMA Convening Leaders 2018 gave participants a chance to connect and disconnect in whichever way they chose — and provided a hands-on experience to consider for their own events.