This month we feature one of our founding members, PCMA as part of an ongoing series highlighting EIC Association and Corporate Members and the important work they are doing to serve our shared industry.
PCMA
- Website: www.pcma.org
- President and CEO: Sherrif Karamat, CAE
- Founded: 1956
- Global Association Headquartered in: Chicago
PCMA is the world’s largest community for business events strategists, providing senior-level education, networking, and market intelligence for the global business events industry. PCMA is leading social and economic progress, professional and personal development, and business growth and organizational success.
Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 17 North American chapters, regional communities in APAC, EMEA and LATAM, and members in 59 countries.
“By 2025, PCMA plans to connect with more than 10,000 business event professionals at live events on four continents, with a global community exceeding 35,000 people. We are thinking bigger, we are thinking bolder and always aiming to be better, not because we can, but because we must in order to make our community’s world a better place.”
— Sheriff Karamat, CAE, President and CEO
Key Programmes and Intitiatves
Spark
- Spark, the only AI tool developed by eventprofs for eventprofs, is a joint venture with Gevme.
- Currently, Spark has more than 8,100 total users across more than 100 countries.
- Recent product enhancements include:
- Access to more than 25 languages across 100+ tasks
- Spark Chat — your “expert assistant” for all your business event management and planning needs, right within Spark.
- Three sourcing tasks added to the Labs section: Source for Speakers, Source for Venues, and Source for Influencers
CONVENE4CLIMATE
PCMA and The Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe (SANCBE) will host the global business events industry’s inaugural sustainability conference October 2-3 in Barcelona. The gathering will be open to curated participation in a workshop-based environment. This exclusive gathering aims to drive responsibility, harness the power of technology, and deliver transformative solutions to address the persistent challenges of climate change. 2024 will be the catalyst for future editions, formats, and continued engagement with the global business events community.
“Together with SANCBE, PCMA is co-creating a way forward for a regenerative future that empowers the global business events industry to continue to operate in a commonsense way while driving positive change for a new economy. Now is the time to embark on this transformative journey to reimagine the future, inspire sustainable progress, and ignite a movement towards a more resilient tomorrow.”
— Sheriff Karamat, CAE, President and CEO
New Online Course: Crisis Management & Risk Mitigation for Events
- 6-week certificate course begins September 26
- Instructor is Juliette Kayyem
- Juliette is a former Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, CNN National Security Analyst, and professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government (this course is adapted from her Harvard course “Mitigating & Managing A Crisis”)
- In addition to the weekly lesson content, Juliette will host 3 “live classes” featuring high-profile guest speakers from FEMA, the Secret Service, and other experts in the field.
- Instructor is Juliette Kayyem
- By the end of the course, participants will complete a crisis management plan for their events, with input from Juliette.
