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eNewsletter 1st Quarter 2010

2010 PCMA Annual Meeting:
Dallas Welcomes Industry with Style and Substance

By Lois Miller, CAE
L.D. Miller & Associates
Every January the meetings industry comes together for the most important event of year. This year the PCMA Annual Meeting took place in Dallas Texas. From the moment I arrived at DFW, it was obvious that PCMA knew how to greet its guests. There were several volunteers in the baggage claim area with signs welcoming the PCMA attendees. I was offered a bottle of water and was escorted over to the ground transportation area. From the time of arrival PCMA certainly set the standard for meeting planners nation wide.
 
It is important when planning to attend the annual meeting that you bring your energy and come hungry! From dawn until dusk hotels and convention bureaus hold breakfast meetings, receptions and dinners around the PCMA educational programming. By the time I reached the opening reception I had already been to the Starwood party and the New York chapter receptions. A lot of hard work necessarily goes into putting on an event that can impress thousands of us who do the same work.  The opening reception was beautifully done with Southwest Texan flair. I got to sit on a live bull, enjoy some Texas Barbeque and eat a candied apple. The room was beautifully decorated, and set up in such a way that you wanted to visit each area to find different types of entertainment and food.
 
While the networking is a very important part of the meeting, it is equaled by the outstanding educational programming. The best session I have attended in several years was "Beyond Borders: Advanced Solutions for International Meetings". As a 25 year veteran of meeting planning, I have been fortunate enough to manage a top 200 trade show, high-end conferences and events as well as international meetings. Since it had been over five years since I planned a meeting overseas, I needed to "brush up" on my knowledge of the international markets.  This session was broken out into roundtable discussions such as risk management, attendance building strategies and managing cost. There was a lot of information sharing from meeting planners and international providers. Every 15-20 minutes we were given the opportunity to switch tables and move onto another discussion group. There was so much information taken away from this type of sharing. The New York Chapter has incorporated this type of learning into its programming. It's a great way for us to have a more interactive experience and share with our peers.
 
I want to thank the New York Chapter of PCMA for giving me this scholarship and the opportunity to attend the annual meeting.