Many Hospitality Helping Hands volunteers plan events, but their efforts Jan. 6 at Convening Leaders 2019 led to a celebration of a whole different kind: an epic baby shower for 20 local families in need.

However rapidly things have been changing — get ready, consultant Peter Sheahan, CEO of Karrikins Group, told industry leaders Jan. 6 at PCMA’s Convening Leaders 2019. “The last five years have seen the slowest rate of change that you can expect to experience in your lifetimes.”

Seven teams went head to head in Sunday’s hackathon at PCMA Convening Leaders 2019, where they worked to solve a business events industry challenge — how to help attendees retain what they learn at events — and then pitch their solution to a panel of judges.

PCMA and the board of directors approved a new strategic vision and plan for the organization, and this was the year for the PCMA staff to begin to put it into operation, according to 2018 PCMA Board of Directors Chair Claire Smith, CMP.

My goal as chair of the Foundation is certainly to ensure that the Foundation provides the resources to support the global growth goals for PCMA in general. Part of what we do — and really the main tenet of our focus — is to make sure that there is the right kind of funding for key scholarships and research and that we’re bringing opportunities for industry-leading education to the marketplace and to the community.

We have a bold new strategic plan for PCMA, and we have a very aggressive business plan, said Gregory O’Dell, 2019 Chair, PCMA Board of Directors. That strategic framework makes my job a bit simpler: It is to support the organization and focus on the implementation of that vision.

As Chair of the 2018 PCMA Foundation, David Peckinpaugh, CMP, worked to grow and accelerate fundraising through PCMA’s existing programs and additional programs.

What PCMA Education Conference attendees can expect when they land in the City of Angels in June.

Trailblazing marketing and advertising executive “Boz” Saint John is CMO for Endeavor, with previous stints at Pepsi, Uber, Apple, and iTunes. St. John, whom Buzzfeed called the “coolest person to ever go on stage at an Apple event,” spent part of her childhood in Ghana and Kenya before returning to the States where, to fit in, she “studied pop culture like it was a PhD.”

Teased about her hearing aids and speech as a child, self-described “shy kid” Catchings went on to WNBA and Olympic glory and is now sharing her inspirational story as a keynote speaker. She’s currently the VP of basketball operations for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever and is the founder of the Catch the Stars Foundation.

Conley, the hospitality industry entrepreneur who is currently an adviser to Airbnb, heads the Modern Elder Academy, described as the world’s first “midlife wisdom school.” In his book Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, Conley created four stages — Evolve, Learn, Collaborate, and Counsel — through which individuals can learn to become modern elders on their own.

Chi is the founder and CEO of The Chi Group, a global agency that aims to humanize brands. She also hosts “The Brand Academy Podcast” and is an author whose books include Branding Without A Brand: Taking Your Brand From Zero to Hero.