Opportunity knocked! Highlights from PCMA and the Learning Lounge

When Dave Lutz of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting called me with an offer to join the Learning Lounge team during PCMA’s 2011 annual meeting — Convening Leaders — I immediately knew this was an opportunity that I could not turn down.

PCMA stands for Professional Convention Management Association. It falls in the family of similar industry associations such as IAEE (the International Association of Exhibitions and Events) and ASAE (the American Society of Association Executives). I’ve been to both IAEE and ASAE events in the past, but I have always had the perception that PCMA was the standout among the trio. One of my favorite (senior level) colleagues from my organization attends PCMA every year and returns with positive reviews, and while he could choose to attend whatever conference(s) he’d like — PCMA is always his first choice.  Beyond my colleague, many of my social media friends and mentors tweeted and blogged about their experience throughout last year’s meeting, further piquing my interest. After my experience at the 2011 meeting, I have to say that PCMA did live up to my expectations.

If you also factor in my recent relocation to Columbus, OH and the desire to expand my professional network, it’s pretty much needless to say that when Dave offered me the opportunity to work in the Learning Lounge, and attend the meeting in my free time, I happily accepted.

I plan to share my experience over a couple of posts, but for now here are two of my favorite highlights:

Experience: PCMA = Great people, great community

I encountered the friendliest people at PCMA. There were a lot of high level executives at this meeting, which might be intimidating in some situations, but I found that most people I encountered were quick to smile and shake your hand, and seemed very sincere. I spent a lot of my time during the meeting working with the Learning Lounge speakers and volunteers, which consisted of approximately 70+ leaders in the convention and meeting industry, all who were very kind and truly happy to be a part of the Learning Lounge by contributing their time and expertise.

Lesson: Pat yourself on the back – and then get back to work

Working closely with Dave Lutz and his business partner, Jeff Hurt, provided a valuable education of its own. The Learning Lounge was scheduled to be open for a couple of hours in the morning and again in the afternoon. Each day, after the hustle and bustle calmed down and the regular sessions began, we would reconvene in the “command post” to recap how everything turned out and share our observations. What I loved about Dave and Jeff’s working style was that while they were happy to point out things that came to fruition as they had hoped, they worked equally hard to identify areas and ways to improve, streamline and optimize every component of the Learning Lounge. They never settled – their prudent attention to detail and ability to maintain a 30,000 foot view of the big picture is exactly why they were the perfect duo to not only pull off the Learning Lounge — but execute a truly innovative and successful new addition to PCMA’s annual meeting.

Overall, I had a excellent experience at PCMA. Be sure to check back over the next couple of weeks for more highlights!