The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced a timely and innovative solution to keep meetings industry professionals at the top of their game: Starwood Preferred Planner and Starwood Preferred Guest award points, or Starpoints, can now be redeemed for a wide variety of PCMA offerings.
Starpoints will be redeemable for virtually all of PCMA’s high-level education offerings, industry-leading products and membership services, including: membership dues, registration fees to PCMA’s Convening Leaders Annual Meeting, PCMA’s CMP Online Prep Course, Webinars, PCMA Online Learning Center access and more.
“This is yet another way PCMA continues to deliver value to our members and industry by working creatively with partners like Starwood to support professional development,” said Deborah Sexton, PCMA President and CEO.
“More than ever, it’s important to make professional development more widely accessible within our industry. By allowing meeting planners’ Starpoints to act like cash in a tight economy, Starwood and PCMA have truly created a win-win for both PCMA members and the entire meetings industry.”
“In the wake of the current economy, it is important to be innovative with resources and best business practices,” said Christie Hicks, Senior Vice President of Global Sales at Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
“The new PCMA and Starwood redemption plan allows our Starwood Preferred Planner and Starwood Preferred Guest members to continue higher education and utilize important resources to do their part in jumpstarting business and getting their clients back in meetings. Meetings and incentives are a critical component to economic recovery and we are proud to offer our professionals added value for their Starpoints with PCMA and show our continued support of the meetings industry and our valued partners.”
Beginning in June, PCMA will accept Starpoints gift certificates for PCMA purchases.
Starwood Preferred Planner and Starwood Preferred Guest members will be allowed to redeem 2800 Starpoints for a $25 certificate and 9500 Starpoints for a $100 certificate through Starwood’s Customer Care Center by calling 888-625-4988.
Later this summer, Starwood Preferred Planner and Starwood Preferred Guest members will be able to order the certificates online at www.starwoodmeetings.com.
Starpoint certificates can then be applied to all or a portion of the PCMA product, service or event fee at the time of purchase by calling PCMA’s Membership Department at 1-877-827-7622. Any questions on the program can be directed to PCMA.
This innovative travel award redemption program furthers Starwood’s Premier Partner relationship with PCMA and offers a beneficial economic solution to today’s challenges. Starwood has always sought out ways to deliver leading edge business solutions to the meetings industry.
Currently, Starwood makes today’s best-selling business books available to PCMA members through PCMA Executive Book Summaries by SOUNDVIEW. Starwood also partnered with PCMA to make an ROI system available to the industry through the MeetingMetrics meetings measurement system.
For more information, visit PCMA or Starwood
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