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Philadelphia was the site of the first meeting of health-care executives at a conference in 1956, laying the foundation for Convening Leaders.
It’s been nearly 70 years since a group of pioneering health-care executives gathered in Philadelphia to exchange ideas, creating the very first version of the event we now call Convening Leaders and laying the groundwork for the global association you know as PCMA.
We’ll be celebrating that anniversary when we meet in Philadelphia, Jan. 11-14, for Convening Leaders 2026, remembering our history and the contributions of those who paved the way for where we are today — including those who did so at a time when the understanding of business events as a uniquely powerful industry and professional calling was still taking shape. Then, as now, PCMA represents more than an association. We are a conduit and catalyst for change.
Sherrif Karamat, CAE, President CEO, PCMA and CEMA
But even as we acknowledge the past, we will be looking ahead. Our collective ability to lead the transformation of the business events industry has never been more crucial or consequential as it is today. Amy Webb, the founder and CEO of the Future Today Strategy Group and a professor of strategic foresight at NYU Stern School of Business, has described the current moment as a “supercycle” — a time when advances in technology are creating seismic shifts and disruptions in industries, markets, and how we interact and communicate with one another. As the global economy evolves, it will shape how we create value in business events. And as the channels through which we learn and connect with one another continue to change, we must find new ways to connect event participants and fresh approaches to telling stories that resonate with our audiences.
In recent years, our community has expanded to include business event and event marketing professionals from 72 countries and communities, exponentially increasing our networks and our shared base of knowledge and experience. As we gather at Convening Leaders — or at Convening EMEA, Convene 4 Climate, Convening LATAM, Asia Pacific’s The Business of Events, or CEMA Summit — our aim is not just to discuss change, but to create it.
“Trends tell you what you can know in the present,” Webb, the futurist, said in a presentation about technology trends at SXSW 2025, “but trends on their own aren’t super useful.” The ability to forecast and respond successfully to change lies at the center of three questions, she said: “Where is the world going? Where will value be created? And how will we participate?”
PCMA stands at the center of these conversations, uniting perspectives, fostering collaboration, and providing the platform for ideas to take shape. We are the bridge between vision and action. Together, we will define the next era of business events. Let’s make history, together.
Where the Grass is Greenest
Despite the fact that more than one-third of the respondents to the Convene Salary Survey believe that they are underpaid compared to their industry peers, only 16 percent are actively searching for another job — and that could be a smart move. For the first time in 15 years, wage growth for those who have stuck with their employer is higher than for those who have switched jobs, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Read the results and analysis by Editor in Chief Michelle Russell and Digital Media Editor Magdalina Atanassova.