PCMA launches Convening Asia Pacific – The Global Recovery Forum to support business events industry recovery


One-day event for practical knowledge, strategies and solutions needed for recovery

Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) will host a one-day hybrid event that will feature workshops to build the practical skills and knowledge event professionals and businesses need to be successful in the recovery phase of the industry. Convening Asia Pacific – The Global Recovery Forum, will be at ICC Sydney on Tuesday 10 November and available online.

Convening Asia Pacific: The Global Recovery Forum

Karen Bolinger, PCMA Managing Director of APAC, said this event has drawn on the insights and findings from months of research PCMA has carried out, and the many interviews PCMA has conducted with participants, members and the broader event planner community.

“The content for this event has been designed around the findings from PCMA’s major global and Asia-Pacific surveys where we asked buyers and suppliers what skills and information they needed to survive in the industry post-COVID-19.

“This event is an intensive four-hour program co-created by planners and the industry and includes, case studies, workshops, and strategic content. While the solutions are always changing and adapting, Convening Asia Pacific will cover the most up-to-date thinking and training.

“I’m particularly interested in the sharing that will occur amongst participants as we facilitate important discussions. Only together will we work to create viable solutions, and find ways to adapt and continue our journey to recovery,” said Ms Bolinger.

PCMA released its Business Events Compass globally in July, providing research-based insights on geographic and industry sector business events recovery opportunities as well as recommendations for the evolution of participant engagement, business models and expected reskilling needs. In August, PCMA released the COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard survey specific to the APAC region. Common pain points were strategic approaches to budgets, exhibitors and engagement; all key themes to be covered at Convening Asia Pacific.

Sherrif Karamat, PCMA President and CEO, said PCMA is committed to helping its members and the industry navigate the next normal.

“We invite and encourage all business events professionals to attend Convening Asia Pacific, either in person or remotely. We have a diverse and dynamic business events ecosystem in Asia Pacific and this event offers the opportunity to bring together our region’s most creative and innovative event professionals. By coming together, we can reskill, collaborate and take advantage of opportunities to forge a path forward in this new reality,” said Mr Karamat.

Convening Asia Pacific – The Global Recovery Forum will take place at ICC Sydney on Tuesday 10 November, 12pm-4pm AEDT. The live-streamed event will cover topics including digital events marketing, participation, risk management and digital sponsorship. For more visit: www.conveningasiapacific.org

We invite media to attend the Convening Asia Pacific event digitally or face-to-face. With limited spots available, please send your request for a media pass to Jessica with your name, publication, contact details and whether you would attend digitally or face-to-face.

Interviews with Karen Bolinger are available, to request please contact:

Jessica Kauffman, Senior Account Manager, ZADRO | +61 400 433 182 | [email protected]

For all US media inquiries, and request for interviews with Sherrif Karamat, please contact:

Stacey Stevens, PCMA Communications | [email protected]

About Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA)

  • PCMA’s APAC operations are led by Karen Bolinger with a team in Melbourne and Singapore.
  • PCMA APAC has a strong presence in our region and represents the event buyer across Australia, New Zealand, South-East Asia and North Asia.
  • PCMA is the world’s largest platform for business events strategists and their business partners, PCMA’s success is driven by a commitment to providing provocative executive level education, face-to-face networking and business intelligence to its global audience of 7,000 member professionals and students.
  • PCMA believes business events can economically and socially transform communities, enterprises and individuals.
  • Through its Ascent leadership initiative to promote inclusion and diversity across the business events industry and beyond, PCMA seeks to empower those challenged by gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or disabilities to find success.
  • Visit us at pcma.org or LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
  • Visit PCMA APAC on LinkedIn.


For media queries from the Americas, APAC, EMEA, and requests for interviews with Sherrif Karamat, please contact: Meghan Risch, PCMA Chief of Staff, Vice President, Corporate Communications

About PCMA

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 59 countries. 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.

About PCMA Foundation

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 $700K in impact, and since 1985 has funded over 2,500 scholarships, 100 research studies and education programs, and $2.7M in charitable giving.

About CEMA

The Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA) is the eminent community for senior event executives, association peers and industry partners and is an integral component of the Professional Convention Management Association’s (PCMA) brand collective. CEMA promotes professional networking opportunities, facilitates peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and drives industry standards. Through strong relationships with strategic partners, CEMA fosters both finding innovative solutions to business issues and continuous focus on members’ career growth. For more information, please visit http://www.cemaonline.com.

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