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Registration for Convening Leaders officially opened for PCMA members on Monday, Aug. 28, and the association is also issuing a special invitation to event organizers who are in charge of contracting destinations and services for their organizations: Apply for the opportunity to get most of costs of the conference covered. It’s part of PCMA’s Hosted-Buyer Program, which sent 40 qualified event organizers to the association’s flagship 2017 event in Austin in January. The program has been significantly expanded for Convening Leaders 2018 in Nashville.
“The members of our community come to Convening Leaders with education at the top of their minds,” said Mona Cotton, PCMA’s vice president, partner relations and business services, “but we also know that many of them are there to find their next host destination or identify the right partner for their production needs. This year, we’re expanding our hosted-buyer program to help facilitate more of those business discussions between qualified buyers and our most valued partners.”
In 2018, there will be 100 positions available and two options for the hosted-buyer experience. The first option — which includes complimentary registration and three nights of hotel accommodations — requires hosted buyers to participate in 15 appointments with PCMA partners and other industry suppliers and to attend a luncheon. For the second option, which covers registration fees only, hosted buyers must participate in 10 appointments.
The hosted-buyer model, launched by IMEX, benefits both suppliers and meeting professionals. If you are interested in applying, click here. The deadline for applications is Monday, Sept. 25.
Educate Your Employer on the Value of Attending
The number of opportunities to participate in PCMA’s hosted-buyer program has more than doubled, but it still represents a small percentage of overall attendance. If you want to make sure that your employer recognizes the value of four days of education, click here for a letter you can customize that outlines the reasons why it makes sense for your organization to cover the conference costs.