PCMA Members at 60th Annual Convening Leaders Conference

PCMA Guelph students from left to right are You Jia Lee (Tourism Management 4^th year), Linlin Duo (HAFA Co-op 3^rd year), Christina Tennyson (Tourism Management 3^rd year) and Laijia Wan (HAFA 4^th year). Missing Agnes Liew (Tourism Management 4^th year).

PCMA University of Guelph Chapter attended 60^th Annual Convening Leaders Conference 2016 organized in Vancouver B.C. from January 10^th to January 13^th, 2016. A few PCMA Guelph students had the opportunity to take part in this three-day fulfilling and exciting learning experience. The Convening Leaders Meeting showcases the latest innovations in event technology, meeting designs, and business event strategy through interactive demonstrations and seminars.

The PCMA Annual Conference changes locations every year to accommodate to over 4,000 passionate industry leaders. Last January, a handful of PCMA Guelph members attended the PCMA’s Convening Leaders hosted in Chicago, Illinois and were blown away by the experience. Guelph Students craving to gain more knowledge and networking from the industry chose to attend the conference this January hosted in Vancouver. Each student commented on how each year they were able to take more away from the conference and were amazed by how the organizing committee strived to establish a more inspiring conference.

Keynote speakers for this years conference included Arne Sorenson, President and CEO of Marriott International who addressed the merger with Marriott and Starwood, Jonah Berger, author of best-seller, “Contagious: Why things catch on”, and Gretchen Rubin, author of New York Times bestsellers, “The Happiness Project”. During the conference, members had the opportunity to choose among different educational sessions to enhance knowledge within their own interests as well as the opportunity to network with the supportive industry professionals with different backgrounds from around the world.

Christina Tennyson, a 3^rd year Tourism Management Student and Vice President of Guelph’s PCMA Chapter, was honored to receive the PCMA Canada East Emerging Leaders Starwood Scholarship recipient for two consecutive years. This scholarship covered travel, registration, and accommodation expenses. While at the conference, PCMA Canada East arranged for mentors to provide advice and introduce to additional members. Christina commented on how this conference allowed her to step outside her comfort zone, network with friendly professionals who are eager to help and hear about accomplishments, and grow as a student. The experience was a truly remarkable experience that will never be forgotten.

Next year, Convening Leaders 2017 will be hosted in Austin, Texas. It is PCMA’s goal to organize another trip and provide more opportunities for students to gain experience in meeting and event management. On campus, PCMA’s Guelph Chapter strives to allow students the opportunity to take part in event organization and planning. This semester PCMA helps with Alumni and Awards night and organizes activities such as speaker panels, visits to event facilities and networking opportunities. For further information and to keep up to date with the PCMA University of Guelph Chapter, please visit our Facebook Page.