July/August 2024

Cover illustration by Dale Crosby Close

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How 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.

BY Jennifer N. Dienst August 20, 2024

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.

BY Convene Editors August 20, 2024

‘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.

BY Michelle Russell August 20, 2024

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.

BY Convene Editors August 20, 2024

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.

BY Convene Editors August 20, 2024

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.

BY Sherrif Karamat August 2, 2024

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.

BY Michelle Russell August 2, 2024

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.”

BY Barbara Palmer July 31, 2024

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.

BY Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes July 29, 2024

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.

BY Jack Macleod July 24, 2024

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. 

BY Michelle Russell July 22, 2024

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.

BY Barbara Palmer July 22, 2024

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.

BY Barbara Palmer July 17, 2024

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.

BY Convene Editors July 15, 2024

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.

BY Vanessa Page July 15, 2024

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.

BY Barbara Palmer July 8, 2024

Rethinking Award Presentations

It’s important to recognize those who make significant contributions to our communities — and engage our audiences while doing so.

BY Dave Lutz, CMP July 8, 2024

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.

BY Casey Gale July 1, 2024

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?

BY Ben McRae June 28, 2024

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