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ADAM GRANT OPENS CONVENING LEADERS 2026 AS MAIN STAGE KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Philadelphia Native to Share How to Unleash Hidden Potential Within Teams and Organizations
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — Sherrif Karamat, CAE, PCMA and CEMA President & CEO, today announced Adam Grant, Wharton’s organizational psychologist, bestselling author of Hidden Potential, and host of WorkLife and Re:Thinking podcasts will participate in the Convening Leaders 2026 (CL26) opening Main Stage Keynote entitled: Hidden Potential: Unlocking Excellence in Yourself and Others on Sunday, January 11, 2026.
Building on his #1 New York Times bestseller, Hidden Potential, Grant will share with participants how to build the character skills, structures, and systems that accelerate learning and elevate excellence. Rooted in the CL26 theme Making History, Together, he will show how unlocking hidden strengths can drive transformation and lasting impact across the global business events community and beyond.
“As a Philadelphia native and one of the world’s foremost thinkers on human potential, Adam will no doubt challenge us to see potential not just as talent, but as growth in motion,” said Karamat. “When we open Convening Leaders 2026 kicking off 70 years of making history together, Adam’s message will inspire our community to unlock excellence within themselves and their organizations — fueling transformation across the global business events industry and beyond.”
This opening main stage, supported by New Orleans & Company and New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, will set up a multi-day experience for global business events professionals seeking an environment to connect and collaborate with leaders from diverse sectors and backgrounds.
CL26 will be held January 11–14 in Philadelphia, marking PCMA’s 70th anniversary. Register for CL26 here. The CL26 program continues to evolve. View the Education Program Overview here and the Agenda at a Glance here.
For media inquiries from the Americas, APAC, EMEA and LATAM, please contact: Meghan Risch, PCMA Chief of Staff, Vice President, Corporate Communications PCMA, PCMA Foundation and CEMA educate, inspire, and listen, creating meaningful experiences where passion, purpose and commerce come together. We are the world’s largest community for Business Events Strategists, providing senior-level education, networking, and market intelligence for the global business events industry. Our mission is to drive social and economic progress through business events. Headquartered in Chicago, IL PCMA has 17 North American Chapters, regional communities in APAC, EMEA and LATAM, and members in 72 countries and communities. The Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA), a PCMA subsidiary, advances strategic event marketing and marketing communications for senior-level event marketers and industry professionals. Visit us at pcma.org. The role of the Foundation of PCMA is to support the mission of PCMA through fundraising and grant-giving focused on scholarships, education and research that will advance the business events industry. Annually the Foundation funds over $900K in impact, and since 1985 has funded over 2,500 scholarships, 100 research studies and education programs, and $2.7M in charitable giving.About PCMA
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