



View Saturday, January 10, 2009's Sessions
Brought to you by Experient and Marriott Convention & Resort Network
PCMA’s Hospitality Helping Hands, a Network for the Needy Program®, is an incredible opportunity for you to step out of the convention center and into a New Orleans neighborhood to participate in a hands-on, community service project. Volunteers will be helping to beautify areas of the Park with activities such as trimming, clearing, gathering and planting; all essential for the recovery of the Park and for the Park to take its place in the cultural and recreational rebirth of New Orleans. Network in a new way with other attendees and see how a few hours can make a world of difference to those in need. Transportation and a commemorative t-shirt will be provided. Your entire $75 USD participation fee will go directly to the local organizations.
Note: Participation is limited to 100 attendees. Please sign up on the registration form. All Hospitality Helping Hands registrants will be sent an email confirmation and full project details prior to arrival in New Orleans.
Location: City Park
Brought to you by Experient and Marriott Convention & Resort Network
PCMA’s Hospitality Helping Hands, a Network for the Needy Program®, is an incredible opportunity for you to step out of the convention center and into a New Orleans neighborhood to participate in a hands-on, community service project. Volunteers will be helping to beautify areas of the Park with activities such as trimming, clearing, gathering and planting; all essential for the recovery of the Park and for the Park to take its place in the cultural and recreational rebirth of New Orleans. Network in a new way with other attendees and see how a few hours can make a world of difference to those in need. Transportation and a commemorative t-shirt will be provided. Your entire $75 USD participation fee will go directly to the local organizations.
Note: Participation is limited to 100 attendees. Please sign up on the registration form. All Hospitality Helping Hands registrants will be sent an email confirmation and full project details prior to arrival in New Orleans.
Location: City Park
Brought to you by Experient and Marriott Convention & Resort Network
NEW This Year! 2009 Hospitality Helping Hands participants are invited to unwind from the day’s activities and network during this time.
Location: Marriott 2nd Floor Preservation Hall
PCMA’s Hospitality Helping Hands, a Network for the Needy Program®, is an incredible opportunity for you to step out of the convention center and into a New Orleans neighborhood to participate in a hands-on, community service project. The St. Bernard Project strives to help rebuild the lives of Hurricane Katrina victims family by family. Volunteers will assist in painting, spackling and rebuilding sections of the houses affected by the storm. Network in a new way with other attendees and see how a few hours can make a world of difference to those in need. Transportation and a commemorative t-shirt will be provided. Your entire $75 USD participation fee will go directly to the local organizations.
Note: Participation is limited to 100 attendees. Please sign up on the registration form. All Hospitality Helping Hands registrants will be sent an email confirmation and full project details prior to arrival in New Orleans.
Location: St. Bernard Project
View Sunday, January 11, 2009's Sessions
Brought to you by Experient and Marriott Convention & Resort Network
PCMA’s Hospitality Helping Hands, a Network for the Needy Program®, is an incredible opportunity for you to step out of the convention center and into a New Orleans neighborhood to participate in a hands-on, community service project. At the Save our Cemeteries sites, volunteers will help landscape the historic tomb areas that are a special and unique part of New Orleans heritage. Network in a new way with other attendees and see how a few hours can make a world of difference to those in need. Transportation and a commemorative t-shirt will be provided. Your entire $75 USD participation fee will go directly to the local organizations.
Note: Please sign up on the registration form. All Hospitality Helping Hands registrants will be sent an email confirmation and full project details prior to arrival in New Orleans.
Location: Save Our Cemeteries
Get out into New Orleans and see all that it has to offer you, your attendees, and your meetings. Choose between these three great tours: • Airboat Excursion with brunch on board the vehicle and tour of Oak Alley • New Orleans tour with visit through 9th ward • Brunch at Commander’s Palace and Garden District tour (Elms Mansion)
Additional fees apply and pre-registration is required.
Join your fellow attendees at this fun and casual event. Enjoy snacks, soft drinks and camaraderie while watching pro football’s best teams in post-season action. Not a football fan? Come anyway for great networking opportunities! The time is estimated – please check onsite Registration for up-to-date information.
Brought to you by Experient and Marriott Convention & Resort Network
PCMA’s Hospitality Helping Hands, a Network for the Needy Program®, is an incredible opportunity for you to step out of the convention center and into a New Orleans neighborhood to participate in a hands-on, community service project. At the Save our Cemeteries sites, volunteers will help landscape the historic tomb areas that are a special and unique part of New Orleans heritage. Network in a new way with other attendees and see how a few hours can make a world of difference to those in need. Transportation and a commemorative t-shirt will be provided. Your entire $75 USD participation fee will go directly to the local organizations.
Note: Please sign up on the registration form. All Hospitality Helping Hands registrants will be sent an email confirmation and full project details prior to arrival in New Orleans.
Location: Save Our Cemeteries
Location: National World War II Museum LA Memorial Pavilion and Exhibits
Like the most gracious Southern hostess, New Orleans welcomes visitors with a genuine hospitality and singular flair. At the Opening Welcome Reception, come enjoy the cultural riches, sensual indulgences and unparalleled service that define the New Orleans experience. This extraordinary event has networking opportunities not to be missed!
Location: Mardi Gras World
Be sure to attend the Chapter Receptions and have fun socializing with others from your chapter. These informal and relaxed events are supported by the PCMA chapters to allow you to maximize your networking time and build your relationships at the local level. More information on Chapter Reception locations will be available soon – so keep checking back.
View Monday, January 12, 2009's Sessions
Do you have your CMP®? Gather with fellow colleagues who have earned their CMP® and take advantage of this opportunity to network and reconnect.
Location: Marriott Third Floor - Grand Ballroom Grand Ballrooms Salons D & E
Join us for lunch as we celebrate colleagues and peers who strive to make a difference in the meetings industry and PCMA. Network with your friends and celebrate the people that make this organization great: you!
Find out why New Orleans lives to eat!
Start with one great city, add ten great restaurants, blend in a wide array of wines, stir in a bit of hometown spice, and top with Southern hospitality. This event is the perfect recipe for an incredible experience at one of New Orleans fine dining restaurants. For $75 USD, receive a glass of wine paired with a mouth watering three course dinner that includes a seafood appetizer or soup, a fish or beef entrée, and a scrumptious signature dessert. Cocktails not included. After dinner, keep the fun going at Party With a Purpose starting at 9:00 p.m. (Separate ticket purchase required).
How to Participate
The New Orleans Dine Around booth will be open during PCMA registration hours and restaurants will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. All participating restaurants are within walking distance to PCMA conference hotels and Party with a Purpose.
Please remember to bring your guests back to Party With a Purpose for more networking and fun!
Location: House of Blues
Join your friends and colleagues in New Orleans at the incredible House of Blues for the 16th Annual Party With a Purpose. Back by popular demand (or almost an all out riot), rock out to the ultimate ‘80’s band The Spazmatics, provided by Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau. Sing along to your favorite ‘80’s hits, bust out your signature dance move, and see for yourself why this is the event that everyone talks about. This “can’t miss” networking event has raised more than $1.6 million in charitable donations. Proceeds from the 2009 Party With a Purpose will benefit Payton’s Play It Forward Foundation, a New Orleans based non-profit started by New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton and his wife, Beth. The event also supports the PCMA Education Foundation and PCMA’s Network for the Needy®.
Note: An additional fee will apply. Please register for this on the registration form.
Location: House of Blues
View Tuesday, January 13, 2009's Sessions
The Mississippi River lends its riverbank for a fun run/walk! Enjoy the French Quarter in the morning and the peaceful tranquility you will not be able to find any other part of the day. The Fun Run/Walk will begin at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas (on the jogger’s path between the Aquarium and the Mississippi River). Participants will proceed downtown on the jogger’s path and end at the New Orleans Board of Trade …where New Orleans got its start. Light refreshments will be provided and T-shirts will be given out to all participants completing the run/walk. Start and end locations are within 1 – 5 city blocks from all PCMA hotels (transportation will not be provided). Course is approximately 2 miles/3.2 km.
Location: Aquarium of the Americas
Have you participated in CASE®? Gather with fellow colleagues who have earned their Certified Association Sales Executive (CASE®) certificate and take advantage of this opportunity to network and reconnect during this time that is especially set aside for you.
Location: Marriott New Orleans Convention Center Third Floor - Grand Ballroom Bissonet
You will not want to miss this networking luncheon! Enjoy lunch, network with friends and colleagues, and get an advance peek at what is in store for next year as PCMA's 54th Annual Meeting heads to Dallas in 2010.
Don't miss this reception for international meeting professionals and suppliers. Take advantage of this incredible opportunity to connect with colleagues involved in the global marketplace.
To request an invitation, please contact Meredith Rollins at mrollins@pcma.org.
Location: Hilton Riverside Conference Center Port/Starboard/River
Welcome to the Louisiana Superdome and into the heart of New Orleans soul. Like a New Orleans gumbo, this party is the mixture of the city's cultural soul. Have a taste of the best dishes of New Orleans’ top restaurants and hear the world famous sounds of the Neville Brothers; the Queen of Soul, Irma Thomas; Big Sam’s Funky Nation and many more. Dancing Shoes Recommended
Location: Louisiana Superdome
Join your fellow PCMA Annual Meeting attendees and many “celebrity meeting industry bartenders” including Tom Muldoon, president of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau for a spirited event to benefit Habitat for Humanity. Great Party! Great Cause!
Location: Royal Sonesta Hotel Bar
View Wednesday, January 14, 2009's Sessions
Everyone wants to know what to expect from the next U.S. administration and how it will impact domestic, international events and the meetings industry. As one of the most respected journalists in the U.S., David Brooks has regular access to politicians, policy makers and power brokers. Hear first-hand what David’s sources are telling him about the new plans that matter most to you: the economy; domestic and international travel, rising energy and food costs and more.
DAVID BROOKS
Author and New York Times Columnist
David Brooks's column on the Op-Ed page of The New York Times started in September 2003. He has been a senior editor at The Weekly Standard, a contributing editor at Newsweek and the Atlantic Monthly, and he is currently a commentator on "The Newshour with Jim Lehrer." He is the author of Bobos In Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There and On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense, both published by Simon & Schuster.
Location: NOMCC 1st Level Hall F
Do you have questions/comments about the 2009 meeting? Email them to communications@pcma.org
What do you foresee as your biggest challenge for 2009?

