Professional Convention Management Association (PCA): A Case Study

PCMA, also known as the Professional Convention Management Association opened in 1956. It was originally designed to be used as a networking association for healthcare meeting executives. PCMA’s initial focus was to provide networking and education opportunities for all different levels of meeting professionals, as well as faculty, students and various suppliers. PCMA is engaged in business networking, community participation and education for leaders in the global business industry. There are actively 6,500 members and 50,000 customers. (PCMA, 2015). Professional Convention Management Association has a developed mission and vision for their organization. Their vision statement states that they are “the leading organization for meeting and

Being a member also entitles its members to a magazine subscription known as Convene Magazine. The Convene magazine started in 1986, which is extremely beneficial to all PCMA members, as this magazine has won many awards due to its educational content and professional development. (PCMA, 2015). Professional Convention Management Association is run by a board of directors who observe and establish strategic planning and support goals and objectives of the organization. The PCMA education foundation is run by a board of trustees, who are elected each year, and their responsibility is to organize and oversee the fundraising responsibilities. They are also there to provide the overall support of the education industry. (PCMA, 2015). PCMA also offers volunteer programs for all of their members. The interested members are able to volunteer based upon their areas of expertise and skills, as well as their previous involvements in the PCMA

There are 5 predictions: 1) “Coordinating event logistics will be automated” • The first prediction talks about that automation will help get rid of hard decision both for the employees and for the customers. • Every decision will go in order and it won’t be complicated. 2) “The event business model will change” • This includes changing in meeting registration, organization and changing the price • It will include reasonable price because of the number of the people who are invited in different meetings and events. 3) “There will be fewer site visits” • Since technology is developing from year to year, people will instead of attending a visit, they can see on TVs, Internet and on other technological devices how the space of the meeting looks like and the atmosphere. 4) “Traditional event apps will no longer” • Instead of original apps in their phones, there will be a better organized app for a better experience, easy access and the information about meetings and events. 5) “Group business will be booked mostly online” • With new and better digital technology, it will be easier for recommendations to be found on the internet and this will make it easier for groups to book online as