CEMA SUMMIT 2026 CLOSES IN TORONTO WITH RECORD-BREAKING ATTENDANCE AND RENEWED MOMENTUM FOR GLOBAL GROWTH

Largest Summit in CEMA’s 27-Year History Welcomed More Than 850 Participants from 19 Countries; Denver to Host 2027 Summit July 25-27

CHICAGO, IL — CEMA wrapped its 2026 CEMA Summit in Toronto, Ontario this week, marking the largest gathering in the organization’s 27-year history and reinforcing the growth trajectory that is driving CEMA’s next chapter of global expansion. This year marked only the second time in the organization’s history that the Summit has been held outside the United States, and the first time it has been hosted in Toronto — a fitting home for a Summit built around global connection.

More than 850 corporate event marketers, strategists, and industry partners gathered at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel August 9–11 for three days of practitioner-led education, global case studies, and candid, future-focused conversation under this year’s theme, “Where the World Comes Together.” The Summit welcomed 383 first-time participants and 145 participants from Canada, with 19 countries represented overall — a reflection of how far CEMA’s community now reaches.

“The strength of the CEMA community has never been measured by attendance alone — it’s measured by the willingness of events strategists to share their successes, challenges, and lessons learned with one another,” said Sherrif Karamat, CAE, President & CEO, PCMA and CEMA. “As events leaders face increasingly complex challenges around leadership, AI, audience engagement, and business impact, that spirit of collaboration only grows more valuable. And as this community keeps expanding globally, it’s what will keep helping events leaders advance their organizations, develop their teams, and create meaningful impact for years to come.”

Event programming across the three-day Summit focused on three pillars — impact, influence, and intention. More than 40 practitioner-led education sessions complemented Main Stage conversations exploring leadership, artificial intelligence, audience engagement, measurement, and the evolving role of event strategists.

Main Stage highlights included a keynote from Ebony Beckwith, Executive Coach, Founder of Framework, Innovation Nation pitches, a CMO fireside chat with Contentful’s Elizabeth Maxson, Carolyn Pund celebrated as a PCMA Visionary Awards Lifetime Achievement Honoree, and a closing keynote from Omar Johnson, CEO and Founder, Øpus United and Øpus Intelligence.

Town Hall Highlights New and Expanded Benefits for a Growing Community

The CEMA Town Hall, featuring Sherrif Karamat, Gary Murakami, CMP-Fellow, CMM, DES – Chair, CEMA Advisory Board, Kara Wooten, CEMA Advisory Board member, and moderated by Melissa Meloro, VP, Sparks, wrapped the Tuesday main stage session where PCMA and CEMA leaders detailed how direct member feedback is reshaping the roadmap.

“You told us you want and need dedicated programming built for where you are within an organization — and it’s not more general sessions,” said Karamat.

CEMA’s year-round experiences are increasing the member value. The enhanced executive event portfolio now includes Executive Forum, Exhale and Executive Mystery Retreats.

The Events Marketing ROI Benchmarking Model and Toolkit were previewed as the latest tool for event marketers to prove the value of what they do. The product is built by corporate event marketers, for corporate event marketers, giving this industry a shared, credible way to measure and prove exactly what events are worth. Early findings were shared during a breakout session, with the full model designed as an evergreen, annually updated benchmark.

RainFocus Wins Innovation Nation

RainFocus took top honors at this year’s Innovation Nation, the Summit platform participants share how creative technology and unexpected partnerships helped to solve real-world event challenges. Mark Williams, Vice President of Strategic Programs and Experiences at RainFocus, delivered the winning pitch on MCP, his organizations AI-powered event scheduling.

Williams grounded the concept in a scenario every event marketer recognizes: “Picture this: two weeks before your event. 300 sessions, 20 rooms, speaker conflicts, and someone just told you your biggest draw sold out last year and needs a bigger room. That’s a spreadsheet nightmare.” Williams described how RainFocus now connects that live event data directly to the AI tools organizations already use — building a schedule, letting a strategist refine it, and writing the changes back into RainFocus.

With the win, Williams joins a growing list of Innovation Nation participants and winners, and RainFocus’s MCP story becomes this year’s centerpiece example of what the segment was built to showcase: real problems, solved live, in front of the event marketers who will decide if it matters.

Heroes of Hospitality

The PCMA Foundation, in partnership with the Above and Beyond Foundation and with generous support from Resorts World Las Vegas, presented two Heroes of Hospitality Awards, honoring frontline hospitality professionals nominated by their colleagues and managers for extraordinary acts of service.

Andriene Bryan, a Cook II at the Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre, was recognized for more than 37 years of service marked by warmth, dedication, and a personal touch so memorable that guests have written letters of praise.

Marc Boileau, a Front Desk Agent at the Sheraton Centre Toronto, was honored for the authenticity and compassion he brings to every guest interaction, turning routine stays into standout experiences that keep guests coming back and asking for him by name.

Both recipients embody the spirit of hospitality that helps make host destinations shine for the global business events community.