July/August 2024
We asked event professionals to open up to us about the deeply ingrained ways in which the industry does business that need rethinking — and to consider: If we eliminate those sacred cows, what should we do instead?
Cover illustration by Dale Crosby Close
view digital edition special edition subscribeHow a Medical Conference is Driving Health-Care Innovation
The World Hospital at Home Congress is helping advance the growing and critical service of bringing healthcare to people’s homes around the world.
In Search of Better Event Structure and Programming
Name badges, long conference days, session lengths and formats, networking — event professionals offer more than 15 ideas to revitalize long-standing event practices.
‘People Don’t Like to Be Sold to’
Huddles are an alternative to exhibit halls, repositioning supplier partners as solution providers offering consultations in a non-hard-sell environment.
4 Ideas to Improve Conference Exhibits
Here’s how a handful of event professionals think the events industry can create better experience for exhibitors and event participants.
How to Make Your Event F&B Appetizing to Everyone
Four event professionals and a social scientist share their insights into improving the food and beverage experience at conferences.
Responding to the Climate Crisis Together
We can’t escape from the realities of climate change — but we can choose to create a new path forward.
What Needs to Change for a Better Events Industry
Some radical and ripe ideas to reinvigorate the events industry — and why it is slow to evolve.
How to Make AI Tools Your Silent Partner
For events company owner Valerie Sumner, using PCMA’s Spark and other AI tools to augment company operations is “almost like having another person in the office.”
5 Ways to Make Event New-Timers Feel Like They Belong
New attendees have often had years of remote or hybrid work and the option of virtual events — in-person interactions may bring on anxiety. Here’s how to help put them at ease and provide them with such a positive experience that they’ll return for your next event.
How The Plastics Show Delivered Record Growth
More than 51,000 people attended The Plastics Show, which set new benchmarks for international and exhibitor participation while addressing sustainability.
Measuring an Event’s Carbon Footprint — It’s All in the Details
Two sustainability experts have created a tool to accurately measure an event’s true carbon footprint. Here’s the level of detail required.
How Extreme Weather Is Impacting Events
As Earth’s average global temperature rises, the number of extreme weather events — including drenching rain, severe floods, and heat waves — is climbing, too. A new research report documents the effect of extreme weather on a full year of events of all kinds in Canada.
Māori Values Shine at Media Conference in New Zealand
How the hosts of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) conference in Christchurch rooted Māori values and scholarship into the conference experience.
Is Booking Event Guest Rooms Now a Family Affair?
A member of the PCMA Catalyst Community asked for suggestions for what to do when an event attendee wants to book multiple guest rooms in the event’s hotel block for extended family.
It’s Time to Harness AI for Event Success
Event professionals must embrace AI now to stay ahead of competition, according to speakers at an AI-focused ECEF session in May. Here’s how.
The Power of the Perfect Conference Closing
Behavioral science expert Dominic Thurbon on why the last hour of your event is so important to its success — and how he thinks you should use it.
Rethinking Award Presentations
It’s important to recognize those who make significant contributions to our communities — and engage our audiences while doing so.
Sky’s the Limit at Pyrotechnics Convention
Fireworks — and industry issues, government regulations, new technologies, and more — light up the American Pyrotechnics Association Annual Meeting & Convention.
The End of Third-Party Cookies: What Event Marketers Need to Know
While there have always been discrepancies between real and reported conversions in analytics platforms, that gap has widened considerably and likely for good. Where do you go from here?