PCMA NCC L.E.A.P. 2026

L.E.A.P. is a day of advanced-level learning comprised of high-impact sessions that provide attendees the opportunity to Learn, Engage, Act and Participate through creative outlets under the guidance of thought leaders.

Our theme this year is Advocacy in Action: Empowering Yourself and the Meetings Industry. Attendees will learn practical tools and strategies to advocate effectively and foster empowerment within themselves, their teams and the industry.

Attention Suppliers!

Interested in showcasing your products or services to attendees throughout the event? Email us to learn all of the benefits of becoming a Table Sponsor.

Why Sponsor – Click Here

Attention Planners!

Apply to become a L.E.A.P. Hosted Buyer. Spaces are limited; deadline to apply extended to April 24th.

Hosted Buyer program covers registration fees and hotel room night(s).

Apply to become a Hosted Buyer here: L.E.A.P – Hosted Buyer

Venue/Hotel Information

Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe
Highway 80 at Stateline Ave
Lake Tahoe, NV 89449
775-588-6611

Room Block Details – PCMA NCC LEAP 2026

Keynote

Princess Castleberry

AI-Ready Leadership©: Leading with Discipline in the Age of Intelligent Systems

The meetings and events industry is being reshaped by AI — and the professionals who thrive will be the ones who can walk into a room with their CTO, their legal team, or their procurement director and advocate for how AI gets deployed, governed, and used at scale.

This isn’t a session about whether AI belongs in your workflow. It’s already there. This keynote helps event professionals build the strategic literacy to lead that conversation—inside their organizations and across their industry.

Generative, predictive, and agentic systems each operate differently, produce different outcomes, and carry different risks. Knowing the distinction is no longer optional for leaders who design experiences, manage vendors, drive ROI, and protect organizational trust at enterprise scale. When deployed with discipline, AI doesn’t just accelerate execution — it absorbs the operational load that depletes your team’s capacity and fuels burnout.

The differentiator is no longer access to AI. It is leadership discipline — knowing which system to deploy, when human judgment must take the lead, and how to build workflows your teams can execute with confidence.

Actionable Takeaways

• Distinguish between Generative, Predictive, and Agentic AI — including major models, platforms, and high-impact use cases most relevant to event professionals
• Identify where each AI type creates the greatest leverage in event design, stakeholder communication, vendor management, and post-event analytics
• Walk away with the language and framework to advocate for AI-integrated workflows with internal stakeholders — including IT, Legal, Risk, and Finance
• Leave with a decision lens for evaluating which AI tools belong in your team’s workflow and which ones introduce risk you aren’t ready to govern

Agenda

Fees

Extended to April 24
PCMA/CEMA Planner Member: $100
PCMA/CEMA Planner Non-Member: $150
PCMA/CEMA Partner Member: $125
PCMA/CEMA Partner Non-Member: $200
PCMA/CEMA Student: $50

After April 24
PCMA/CEMA Planner Member: $125
PCMA/CEMA Planner Non-Member: $175
PCMA/CEMA Partner Member: $150
PCMA/CEMA Partner Non-Member: $225
PCMA/CEMA Student: $75

Register HERE