PCMA’s annual flagship conference, Convening Leaders, took place this week in Columbus, Ohio and brought together several thousand eventprofs for discussions around the state of the industry and what’s ahead.
To kick off the conference, PCMA announced several new acquisitions, alliances, and partnerships within the events industry as it strengthens its strategic plan, which includes bolstering its educational offerings for the industry, as well as its commitment to sustainability.
First off, PCMA has acquired the Event Leadership Institute (ELI), which provides important educational products to the industry, including virtual event courses during the pandemic. The acquisition will see ELI’s founder Howard Givner join PCMA as its new Senior Vice President of Knowledge and Innovation, along with the rest of the ELI team, to build “the industry’s most powerful educational resource and product development design lab,” according to PCMA.
Current PCMA members now have access to ELI’s existing content library as well as a discount on 17 certificate courses. The organization also plans to integrate ELI’s 800 existing members and business partners into the PCMA community over the coming weeks.
The association also acquired the Event Marketing Association – UK, which is made up of over 800 corporate event marketing professionals from EMEA industry segments and global brands, who will also become part of the PCMA community.
In addition, PCMA has formed a new partnership with the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and strategic alliance with the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP). Working with the AGU, PCMA hopes to solidify its sustainability goals, encourage discussions in the industry, and implement solutions for business events. Its alliance with the NCBMP demonstrates its commitment to inclusivity, and NCBMP will also be joining the 2023 Business Events Industry Week as a new co-locating partner.
“As of today, we are only moving forward – blazing a trail forward with and for the global business events community,” said Sherrif Karamat, President and CEO of PCMA and CEMA. “We will innovate. We will take risks. We will get outside our comfort zone. And we will always do it for our audiences.”