Attendees mingled and partied on a mask-to-mask basis at the opening reception. Photo Credit: PCMA
In a time where major shows are delaying or rescheduling due to the Omicron variant, PCMA took a gamble and pushed on with its Convening Leaders (CL22) conference, recently wrapped up to considerable success in Las Vegas from 9-12 January.
“Right here in Las Vegas, we have in-person 2,500 people in attendance and have 600 online now. And I’m thrilled,” said Sherrif Karamat, CEO of PCMA.
This is a respectable count, since 2019's pre-Covid event welcomed 3,895 attendees. The following meet in 2020 drew 5,300 attendees.
Hosted at the Caesars Forum which opened just last year in October, PCMA enforced strict health and safety protocols — including proof of vaccination which was managed via an online portal, mandatory mask wearing, ready onsite testing option (borne by attendee), and a rejigged F&B setup to better manage social distancing rules.
Apart from protocols, PCMA was also serious about transparency.
One day into the event, the association announced on LinkedIn five positive Covid-19 cases as of 11 January, and that affected individuals have had their badges relinquished for all entry and events thereafter.
Nonetheless, PCMA CL22 rallied attendees on with a string of engaging keynote presentations and educational sessions, touching on topics ranging from 2022 predictions, the digital event experience, to managing disruption and change.
Matt Radenbaugh, Senior Sales Manager at Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park said to the PCMA team, "No contract language is going to ever replace a business conversation and negotiation. It’s what we’ve done for the last 22 months on a case-by-case basis".
Megan Martin, account executive at Juno echoed similar sentiments on her LinkedIn page. "#CL22 felt like a giant leap forward for our industry. PCMA showed the importance of bringing people together, to share ideas, to have human connections, to conduct business and to do it all as safe as possible. This week was one small step for PCMA, one giant leap for business events."
Delegates doing their part at Hospitality Helping Hands to raise US$10,000 to give back to the local community.Just like the good old days, there were also fun moments starting off with the rousing opening reception which featured live performances, 'Happy Hour Monday', a Foundation 5K Fun Run/Walk, and even HIIT workout sessions.
CSR initiatives was also part of the programme, including Hospitality Helping Hands and Party With a Purpose — where about 600 attendees joined the latter event held at MGM.
To allow for a more inclusive experience for those who couldn't join in-person, PCMA's digital platform included a behind-the-scenes segment, facilitated conversation starters, and live translations into 21 languages.
As well for the digital attendee, CL22 live sessions featured were made available on-demand within 24 hours. Thereafter, all sessions will be available to digital participants for 60-days following the event.
The event also provided further details to the inaugural Business Events Industry Week, happening 23-25 March at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
The week will consist of a number of co-located industry events that will bring together leaders to focus on community, commerce, awards and advocacy, and reinforce the power of business meetings to benefit economies and social good.