PCMA’s Convening Leaders Kicks Off Jan. 11-14 in Chicago with Dynamic Schedule of Events
January 6, 2015
Several thousand convention managers and suppliers to the industry will be heading to the Windy City’s McCormick Place Jan. 11-14 to take part in the Professional Convention Management Association’s annual Convening Leaders event.
This year will have a lot to live up to, with last year’s event in Boston drawing the highest attendance in the event’s history, nearly 4,000 attendees.
Chicago is a major base for associations, so there likely will be once again a huge turnout to this year’s event.
Convening Leaders kicks off Sunday with an opening party – Hyde Away Chicago – at the Museum of Science and Industry.
The museum will be transformed into a grand display of Chicago neighborhoods, including Chinatown, Pilsen, Devon Avenue, Wicker Park/Bucktown, Bronzeville and the Magnificent Mile, among more than 35,000 artifacts and hands-on exhibits.
The next morning starts off with an opening general session – “Resilience and Transformation: Thriving in an Age of Volatility” – led by Andrew Zolli, Author of "Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back", Fellow of the National Geographic Society and Founder Z+ partners.
Throughout the day will be Thought Leader Sessions, such as “Un-Marketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging” and Personal Adaptation Sessions, such as “Attendance Marketing: Steal These Ideas.”
That evening will be the annual Party with a Purpose at the House of Blues in which all of the proceeds will support the PCMA Education Foundation, PCMA’s Network For the Needy and Future Founders, a local Chicago organization.
Tuesday begins with a special guest speaker, Diana Nyad, who at the age of 64, in her fifth and final attempt, successfully fulfilled her lifelong dream of completing the 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida on Sept. 2, 2013.
Upon completing her grueling 53 hour journey, a breathless Nyad told the world, “I have three messages. One is we should never ever give up. Two is you are never too old to chase your dreams. And three is it looks like a solitary sport but it takes a team.”
The rest of the day is once again filled with valuable learning sessions, including “Risk Management: Five Things You Can Do Right Now” and “Be Proactive Not Reactive to Global Meeting Trends in 2015”.
Tuesday night is yet another networking event – Pier Into Chicago – which will feature a dance party in Navy Pier’s Grand Ballroom.
Wednesday has a few more sessions, as well as a closing brunch sponsored by the city of Vancouver, where the event will be held in 2016, and a closing general session – “Uncharitable” – given by Dan Pallotta, founder and chief humanity officer, Advertising for Humanity.
Of course, if someone can’t make it to PCMA’s Convening Leaders, they have you covered there as well with their hybrid event. A robust schedule of sessions, including all three general sessions, will be available. Click HERE to register.
For a full schedule of onsite events and sessions click HERE.
Partner Voices
Located in beautiful North Carolina, Harrah’s Cherokee is the perfect mountain getaway with breathtaking views of the Great Smoky Mountains and new additions to its resort and conference spaces sure to elevate any meetings or event.
Completed in 2021, Harrah’s Cherokee’s latest $330 million expansion project introduced an entirely new fourth hotel tower, The Cherokee, as well as an additional 83,000 square feet of meeting space with the Cherokee Convention Center. The Cherokee tower brings with it 725 rooms and 70 luxurious suites spread out over 19 floors for a grand total of 1,800 rooms across the entire resort. The new rooms feature a sleek design with an earth-toned color palette and modern amenities. In addition to the new rooms, the expansion also brought with it a luxurious new lobby and lobby bar, a fitness center, a coffee & pastry bar, and a second pool.
Conventions, trade shows, banquets, receptions, and even the smallest, most intimate gatherings can find the perfect arrangement at Harrah’s Cherokee with its 130,000 square feet of flexible meeting space – including the Cherokee Convention Center. The resort offers a myriad of different spaces and configuration options for events, but the largest spaces include the following:
32,000-sq-ft Cherokee Convention Center ballroom with 22 meeting spaces
11,100-sq-ft Cherokee Convention Center ballroom pre-function space
33,000-sq-ft Cherokee Exhibit Hall
6,000-sq-ft Cherokee Exhibit Hall Pre-Function
13,801-sq-ft Council Fire Ballroom able to be reconfigured into as many as four ballrooms from 3,100 to 3,529-sq-ft each
16,815-sq-ft Event Center able to be configured in six different ways to accommodate 100 to 1,500 guests and offers four VIP suites, box seating, and more than 1,100 balcony seats.
In addition to the new accommodations and meeting space, Harrah’s Cherokee has also opened several new restaurants as part of the expansion including Guy Fieri’s Cherokee Kitchen + Bar which includes the chef’s award-winning burgers and barbeque on the menu. Another celebrity chef has also made their mark on the resort with the opening of Gordon Ramsay Food Market which features eight dining concepts ranging from sushi to New York-style deli sandwiches and classic fine-dining fare. Longtime Asheville favorite, Wicked Weed Brewing Pub has also debuted a new location next to Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center creating the perfect after-event center with its bright and bold design, over thirty different beers, and live music on weekends.
An easy drive from many of the largest cities in the Southeast, Harrah’s Cherokee provides the perfect blend of majestic mountainscapes, luxurious new accommodations, and authentic Native American culture.
Add new comment