Over 300 PCMA members expected to attend annual educational event focused on leadership development for meetings industry professionals CHICAGO, IL, March 26, 2009.
Whether it be economic hardship, budget constraints, or justifying the value of meetings to an organization’s stakeholders, today’s meeting professionals are being asked to overcome once unthinkable odds.
Recognizing the evolving role of meeting professionals in today’s workplace, the Professional Convention Management Association’s (PCMA’s) 2009 Leadership Conference, taking place June 7 – 9 in Austin, TX, and themed “A Leadership Approach to Challenging Times”, has been designed to provide members with the skills, education and connections they need to successfully lead their organizations and the meetings industry forward right now.
“This year’s Leadership Conference is completely focused on delivering the education that our members need to succeed in this current environment. Attendees will tap into their own leadership potential and also gain essential tools and knowledge to effectively lead their teams,” said Deborah Sexton, PCMA President and CEO.
“Open to all members, the 2009 conference will act as a springboard for the ideas and strategies that will successfully lead us through the months ahead. There’s never been a more important time to meet face to face,” Sexton added.
Kicking off Monday’s education will be USS Cole Commander Kirk Lippold. Through his motivating session on “Leadership and Accountability When It Matters,” Commander Lippold will translate At Sunday’s opening general session “Living Leadership: Discover the Leader Within,” a panel of well-known industry leaders will share their distinct philosophies on leadership.
Moderated by Richard B. Green, vice president of association sales and industry relations at Marriott International, panelists will describe the specific actions they took to grow professionally and how they successfully shifted their focus from departmental to organizational. The lessons he learned from overcoming a devastating terrorist attack into tactical steps meeting professionals can take to empower their own teams.
On Monday afternoon, CNN anchor Betty Nguyen will illustrate how attendees can use talents, passions and life lessons to build a career path full of meaning and purpose. In her talk “From Saigon to CNN,” Nguyen will show how identifying one’s passion can lead to a more successful and rewarding career.
Closing out the education will be best-selling author Jason Jennings. Through the session “The Five Secrets of the World’s Best Performing Leaders and Companies,” meetings professionals will learn to improve their management, leadership and life skills to become indispensable players within their organizations.
Other timely and career-building sessions include: “Today’s Challenge: Proving the Value of Meeting,” “How to Build a High-Performance Culture,” and “Lead Your Team to New Levels of Excellence.”
In Austin, PCMA members will receive the kind of welcome you would expect from the Live Music Capital of the World®. Members will discover firsthand the sights and sounds of Austin’s three-day music extravaganza, Austin City Limits, and be treated to “A Taste of Austin,” a reception and dinner that will bring together some of Austin’s premier R&B artists and a host of signature Texas dishes.
PCMA members who register for the 2009 PCMA Leadership Conference in Austin can also receive discounted registration to the 2010 PCMA Annual Meeting, Jan. 10 – 13 in Dallas.
For more information, visit www.pcma.org/LeadershipConference
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