PCMA Unveils Trailblazing Strategic Plan

January 12, 2023

PCMA President and CEO Sherrif Karamat announced new acquisitions, partnerships and strategic alliances at Convening Leaders 2023.

Billed as the world’s largest community for business events strategists, PCMA is growing exponentially in both numbers and breadth. On January 9 at the association’s Convening Leaders 2023 conference, PCMA President and CEO Sherrif Karamat announced elements of a new strategic plan that he described as “blazing a new trail forward, with and for the global business events community. We will innovate. We will take risks. We will get outside our comfort zone.”

The plan includes the following initiatives:

• Acquisition of the Event Leadership Institute (ELI), and ELI’s portfolio of learning solutions and content. ELI Founder Howard Givner has joined PCMA as the senior vice president of knowledge and innovation, to assist with ongoing educational innovation for the global business events industry. Current PCMA members already have access to ELI’s existing content library of 260 video modules and webinars, as well as a 20 percent discount on 17 certificate courses. ELI’s current 800 members, subscribers and business partners will shortly become fully affiliated with PCMA.

• Acquisition of the Event Marketing Association-UK (EMA-UK). EMA-UK’s more than 800 corporate event marketing professionals, representing a cross-section of industry segments and global brands, are now part of the PCMA global family.

• A partnership with American Geophysical Union (AGU), a global earth and space science association. This partnership brings the expertise of approximately 65,000 AGU members, many of whom are climate scientists, to help elevate talk of event sustainability into action. “Our partnership with PCMA is built on five tenets—designing sustainable events; convening discussions related to risk and climate change; supporting the business events community with education and tools; harmonizing data and establishing goals for meaningful progress in the reduction of carbon and recognizing innovation and thought leadership in the business events industry,” said AGU CEO Randy Fiser.

• A strategic alliance with the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP). The goal is to build value for PCMA and NCBMP communities. “Both organizations are committed to key elements to build value for their respective communities and for business event stakeholders everywhere,” said a statement.

Karamat also announced new partners for Business Events Industry Week (BEIW) 2023, including a collaboration with ASAE (American Society of Association Executives), the AMC Institute, EIC, (Events Industry Council) and NCBMP. The 2024 BEIW 2023 will again be held in the Washington, DC area, March 7-9 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. Karamat revealed that the 2024 BEIW will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, April 9–11, in partnership with Events DC and Destination DC.