• Professional Development
• Professional Education

Who Should Attend? Student Members & Emerging Leaders, but open to all

When you chose your career, you thought the path to success was clearly defined. Then, suddenly, it didn’t feel right or an unexpected opportunity came along. Open a whole new world of career possibilities by listening to stories of people who realized that job titles and first-chosen paths don’t always define them or what they do.

• Develop a better sense of yourself and your strengths.
• Identify career possibilities that exist outside the usual paths.
• Critique the concept of the ?right job? at the right time.

Moderator

Tyra W. Hilliard PhD JD, CMP, Department of Tourism & Hospitality Management, George Washington University

Panelists

Joan L. Eisenstodt, Chief Strategist, Eisenstodt Associates, LLC

Paul A. Greenberg, Program Director for Journalism and Media Arts, Tulane University

Christie Hicks, Senior Vice President of Global Sales, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Paul G. Barbaro Jr., ,

Location: NOMCC 2nd Level 260-262

• Strategic Planning/Thinking
• Executive Education

Is there really a competitive advantage from taking on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives? As our world continues to evolve into one global village, the trend towards demonstrating CSR continues to grow. If approached in a strategic way, CSR could become part of an organization's competitive advantage. This expert panel discussion will address the events that have impacted this trend and the value for stakeholders to "walk the talk" regarding the mission and vision of their organizations.

• Attain greater understanding about CSR and how tying specific initiatives into events can increase participant ROI conference attendance and impact a community.
• Gain strategic and tactical knowledge through examination of recent CSR outreach initiatives.
• Discover how companies can invest in socially responsible practices in ways that solve pressing social issues and improve firms' competitive edge.

Moderator

Jay Whitehead, President & Publisher, Crossing Media dba Outsourcing Today

Panelists

Joseph Davis III, SMG General Manager, Hawaii Convention Center

Mark J. Sergot, Vice President, Global Sales, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International

Christopher John Wehking CMP, Director of Meetings and Exhibits, American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Location: NOMCC 2nd Level 271-273

• Event Management
• Professional Education

Are you newly responsible for planning a meeting outside the U.S.? Is your association currently forming global alliances? This session will help prepare you for the challenges and opportunities of planning meetings internationally. Discover the resources and tools available when you plan meetings around the world. Learn practical advice from international experts who can help you to succeed in this new global environment!

• Locate valuable resources and partners to help navigate through international challenges in different regions of the world.
• Discover how to select international destinations and maximize opportunities in program development by incorporating local culture, history and cuisine.
• Conduct SWOT analysis for international meetings.

Moderator

Claire Smith CMP, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre

Panelists

Ben Goedegebuure, Director, Sales, Scottish Exhibitions & Conference Centre

Roberta A. Kravitz, Executive Director, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

Paul Wilson, Conference Director, World Dental Federation (FDI)

Location: NOMCC 2nd Level 255-257

• Business Development
• Executive Education

Find out from this expert panel what’s new in the industry and how you can stay ahead of recent trends. Be prepared to participate - this session will tap the knowledge of the audience with on-site polls and Q and A. Hear about the latest in attendee promotion and exhibit sales strategies including how to protect your show in today’s crowded market.

• Identify how targeted exhibit, sponsorship and advertising packages help keep major companies in your show.
• Understand the decision making process a company goes through before it adds or drops a show.
• Hear new ideas to keep your show fresh and relevant every time.

Moderator

Sam Lippman, President, Integrated Show Management & Marketing and Producer of ECEF and the Large Show Roundtable

Panelists

Glenn J. Hansen, President & CEO, BPA Worldwide

Robin Preston CEM, Assistant Executive Director, Conf., Exhibits, Sponsorships, National School Boards Association

E. Allen Reichard, AMD Director, Global Event Strategy & Marketing

Location: NOMCC 1st Level Hall E2

• Strategic Planning/Thinking
• Professional Education

Do you proactively work on future projects or react to things as they come your way? The key to being effective and productive is the degree to which you can manage what is being thrown at you every day. Discover how you can make choices that lead to the most relevant and productive investment of energy and stay focused on what matters.

• Design a thought process that insures success.
• Increase time spent on high gain activity.
• Avoid counterproductive behavior patterns when faced with challenges.

Michael Staver, President, The Staver Group

Location: NOMCC

• Professional Development
• Professional Education

Debra L. Rosencrance CMP, CAE, Vice President of Meetings and Exhibits, American Academy of Ophthalmology

Location: NOMCC 2nd Level Outside of room 236-267 near escalator

• Event Management
• Professional Education

As companies raise financial expectations for meetings and events—they expect their meeting professional’s role to go beyond logistics and focus on strategy. The new breed of meeting professional must know how to handle analyzing feasibility, secure/manage sponsorships, and incorporate business objectives into their events. Join this panel discussion and discover how to advance your role beyond logistics and initiate strategic meetings management into your organization.

• Obtain strategies to achieve buy-in from upper management.
• Establish more influence in your position regardless of your position of authority.
• Create positive change within your organization’s events policies.

Moderator

Cathy M. Mason CMP, Account Director, Minding Your Business, Inc.

Panelists

Laurie Fitzgerald CMP, Senior Meeting Manager, Allstate Financial

Camille Paluscio CMP, Manager, Travel & Meetings, Volkswagen of America

Kati S Quigley CMP, Director, Event Marketing, Microsoft Corporation

Johnnie C. White Jr. CMP, Director, Meetings & Conventions, Cardiovascular Research Foundation

Michael N. Greto CMP, Global Strategic Accounts, Coca-Cola Company

Location: NOMCC 1st Level Hall E-1

• Professional Development
• Professional Education

New this year! You’re passionate about this industry and face challenges in the upcoming year. Bring your top concerns and questions to this open forum and speak with other meetings industry leaders about what keeps you up at night or what next challenge you can’t wait to tackle. Stop by and join the conversation.

Location: NOMCC

• Professional Development
• Professional Education

Working in the meetings industry means facing more time constraints than the average professional. So, how do you survive the average day? It's not about time management — it's about focusing your time, effort and energy in the things that will deliver the best results for you and your organization. Stop just being busy and start achieving!

• Analyze strategies to manage your schedule.
• Recognize when you procrastinate and how to change it.
• Discover the most effective way to improve your habits.

Jerry Teplitz JD, PhD, CSP, President, Jerry Teplitz Enterprises, Inc.

Location: NOMCC

• Professional Development
• Professional Education

How do you differentiate yourself from your competition? This interactive session will show you how to evaluate your strengths and create a personal brand that will leave a lasting impression in a field of fierce competitors. Discover how to leverage your personal resources, increase your likeability, and communicate in convincing ways with people you want to influence. When you leave this session, you'll know how to stand out in any crowd of competitors.

• List your personal strengths as well as your blind spots.
• Understand whether you are a horizontal or vertical thinker and how to apply that information.
• Write a personal branding statement that touts your strengths and distinguishes your personality in the meetings industry.

Karla Brandau CSP, President, Karla Brandau & Associates

• Leadership
• Professional Education

SOLD OUT - You will be placed on a waiting list if you register for this program

Gather with your colleagues and discuss Influencer: The Power to Change Anything by bestselling authors Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. Join co-author Joseph Grenny for an insightful discussion into how leaders at all levels can effectively influence others in order to get things done. Learn how some of the world’s most powerful influencers have risen to the top by employing a relatively simple set of practices and attitudes. Explore each step of the influence process-including robust strategies for making change inevitable in your personal life, your business, and your world.

• Identify a handful of high-leverage behaviors that lead to rapid and profound change.
• Apply strategies for changing both thoughts and actions.
• Marshal six sources of influence to make change inevitable.

Note: Session is limited to the first 50 registrants and pre-registration is required. Prior to the start of the session, you will be required to read Influencer: The Power to Change Anything.

Joseph Grenny, Business Communication Expert & New York Times Bestselling Author,

Location: NOMCC

• Event Management
• Professional Education

Are you an experienced international planner? If so, this roundtable discussion will allow you to consult with others just like you. Bring your questions to share with other veteran international planners and devise solutions to your challenges and critical issues. Come share best practices with other experienced planners and find out what next steps you can take to make your international meeting or exhibition even more successful.

• Plan for unique international meeting scenarios.
• Explore emerging meeting locations and their challenges.
• Identify which key strategic partners can help you navigate international waters.

Moderator

Claire Smith CMP, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre

Panelists

Ben Goedegebuure, Director, Sales, Scottish Exhibitions & Conference Centre

Roberta A. Kravitz, Executive Director, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

Paul Wilson, Conference Director, World Dental Federation (FDI)

Location: NOMCC 2nd Level 260-262

• Legal Issues
• Professional Education

Contracting for such a meeting requires that you be an expert in legalities, logistics, and coordination. Think you have nothing new to learn? This multifaceted discussion will explore the benefits and burdens of letters of intent, why convention center contracts require a different approach than other facility agreements, and how to avoid critical mistakes which will ripple throughout all of your meeting contracts. Discover how to navigate through this process with ease.

• Draft enforceable documents that avoid common mistakes which limit their usefulness.
• Increase flexibility in the "non-negotiable" requirements imposed by many facilities.
• Develop consistent clauses that must be placed into every city-wide meeting contract to ensure a planner can cancel all hotel and supplier contracts.

Joshua L. Grimes, Attorney at Law, Grimes Law Offices

• Event Management
• Professional Education

Do you know how to find green alternatives for your exhibitors? The second most wasteful industry in the U.S. is tradeshows and conventions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Discover what you can do to minimize your show's environmental impact and support the green efforts of your exhibitors.

• Create an exhibitor program to assist your exhibitors in green best practices.
• Enact an organizational strategy towards greening your show.
• Collaborate with venues, exhibitors and the larger community to reduce your show’s footprint.

Moderator

Tom Bowman, President, Bowman Design Group

Panelists

Noreen Burke, Greenbuild, Show Manager, Corcoran Expositions, Inc.

Kimberly L. Lewis, Director, Conference Planning Events, US Green Building Council

Jerry Pfeiffer, Regional Vice President of Sales, GES Exposition Services

Sandy Voss, Tradeshow Director, New Hope Natural Media, a Division of Penton Media

• Marketing
• Professional Education

Your brand image creates expectations. It defines who you are, how you operate, and how you're different from your competitors. Events provide one of the best opportunities to drive your customer’s experience with your brand. Get the tools you need to turn your events into brand experiences. Using real-world examples and the brand philosophy known as "simplify/amplify" discover how to build, grow, and sustain effective, relevant and measured experiential events.

• Apply integrated marketing concepts to the event world.
• Build a cohesive, relevant audience experience.
• Obtain real life examples from other organizations who have implemented this technique.

Moderator

Darren L. Temple, Senior Vice President Sales Administration, Freeman

Panelists

Tony Lorenz CMM, President, ProActive, a Freeman Company

Steve Drew, Assist Exec. Dir., Scientific Assembly & Information, Radiological Society of North America

Wendy Holliday, Vice President of Marketing and Membership Service, National Association of College Stores

Location: NOMCC 1st Level Hall E2

• Strategic Planning/Thinking
• Professional Education

With so much riding on the success of international meetings, planners are always seeking new ways to identify international destinations which will produce the best attendance. Get a sneak-preview of findings from PCMA’s newest research on “Economic Factors Affecting Global Meetings.” This research will provide an outlook for economic variables in several international destinations and the expected changes through 2010. This research will help you better project attendance at various international venues.

• Gain insights into current and upcoming trends in international attendance.
• Identify the economic factors that affect attendance at international meetings.
• Compare which international destinations are best suited for your meetings.

Michael Pusateri, President/CEO, Vantage Strategy Consulting, Inc.

Douglas C. Frechtling PhD, Professor of Tourism Studies, George Washington University

Location: NOMCC 1st Level Hall E1

• Leadership
• Professional Education

Is your leadership style damaging your team? Your style can either encourage productivity and energy, or increase negative behavior. Given the amount of stress that meeting professionals and suppliers are under, it is no surprise that sometimes it may be hard to keep your energy levels up. This interactive session will show you how to become a more effective leader when you increase your energy level with these tools and techniques.

• Evaluate how specific situations create stress and how to control those stressors.
• Apply personal power techniques to increase your overall "success ratio."
• Increase productivity in the workplace.

Jerry Teplitz JD, PhD, CSP, President, Jerry Teplitz Enterprises, Inc.

• Professional Development
• Professional Education

Corbin W. Ball CMP CSP CSP, CMP, President, Corbin Ball Associates

Location: NOMCC 2nd Level Outside of room 236-267 near escalator

• Program Planning
• Professional Education

Studies show that the top causes of program failure are poorly defined needs or a misalignment between program and business objectives. This interactive session will show you how to use key questions, data review, collaborative relationships, and marketing strategies as building blocks for creating and adding value. Learn a process that will help position your programs to satisfy customers and deliver results. Leave this session with practical, "tried and true" tools for updating or reinventing needs assessment processes for your organization.

• Assess specific levels of needs for improved business alignment.
• Leverage resources for gathering assessment information and support.
• Integrate outcome-based assessment strategies with existing business practices.

Patti Phillips PhD, President & CEO, ROI Institute, Inc.

Location: NOMCC 2nd Level 243-245

• Professional Development
• Professional Education

New this year! You’re passionate about this industry and face challenges in the upcoming year. Bring your top concerns and questions to this open forum and speak with other meetings industry leaders about what keeps you up at night or what next challenge you can’t wait to tackle. Stop by and join the conversation.

Location: NOMCC

• Technology
• Professional Education

Feel like your e-mail inbox is your mortal enemy? Bring your laptop with Microsoft Outlook to this interactive session for the ultimate hands-on-learning experience. Customize your Inbox to stop e-mail from entering, move it automatically to subfolders, let Quick Flags do the heavy lifting, and organize and store e-mails. As a bonus, get tips for writing better e-mail and controlling emotion that inadvertently leaks into your message. Bring your entire team and watch productivity go sky high!

• Organize your e-mail and work from a clean Inbox on a regular basis.
• Achieve maximum effectiveness when executing a daily task list.
• Craft e-mails that are bottom-line oriented, succinct, and easy to read.

Karla Brandau CSP, President, Karla Brandau & Associates

Location: NOMCC

• Facilities and Services
• Professional Education

This session will explore the necessity of close collaboration and diligent communication between CSMs and meeting professionals. Through case studies, discover how planners and CSMs can work seamlessly together to bring about extraordinary events. Discuss often missed issues that can spell disaster for your meeting without a strong CSM/planner partnership.

• Establish effective communication from the start of the relationship.
• Develop discussion “touch points” to identify each other’s needs.
• Create opportunities for local agencies to help meetings acquire a “local” footprint or signature.

Moderator

Renee J. Lewis CMP, Director of Publishing & Event Services, American Concrete Institute

Location: NOMCC

• Professional Development
• Professional Education

Location: Tommy's Wine Bar

Join your colleagues for a delectable discussion (and gumbo) about Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table by food writer Sara Roahen. Beginning with gumbo, Roahen examines the Crescent City's signature dishes, offering a history of the cuisine, the people who shaped it and those who keep it alive. Discuss Roahen’s culinary tour which defines the indefinable with grace, wit and passion-especially in regard to the city's alluring, complex flavors and aromas.

Note: Session is limited to the first 35 registrants and pre-registration is required. Prior to the start of the session, you will be required to read the novel that will be discussed.

Joan L. Eisenstodt, Chief Strategist, Eisenstodt Associates, LLC

Lorin Gaudin, Local Flavor Editor, ABC26 - WGNO

Location: Tommy's Cuisine and Wine Bar

• Event Management
• Professional Education

For the sheer size and spectacle alone, the Olympics represent one of the highest profile special events ever conceived. For the meeting professional, this raises great challenges and opportunities. What does it take a destination to host the Olympics? How can planners help clients and sponsors capitalize on opportunities, before, during, and after the Olympics? Come hear from past, present, and future Olympic representatives and apply their experiences to your meetings.

• Gain insights into ‘the Olympic experience’ of meeting professional.
• Identify auxiliary event opportunities tied to the Olympics.
• Determine how to drive effective activation for specific event rights or activity.

David Gazley, Vice President, Meeting and Convention Sales, Vancouver Convention and Visitors Bureau

Ping He CMP MBD, Director International Market Development, Experient

David Hornby, Commercial Director, Visit London

Gordon Kane, Founder, Victory Sports Marketing

Mark S. Liberman, President and CEO, LA INC. The Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau

Location: NOMCC

• Event Management
• Professional Education

An eco-friendly meeting incorporates much more than just recycling. It incorporates environmental considerations throughout all stages of the meeting in order to minimize the negative impact on the environment. "Greening" a meeting encompasses all aspects of the strategic planning process, starting with organizational buy in and support through implementation and execution followed by measuring the impact of your efforts and sharing your successes. A panel of leading industry professionals will prepare meeting professionals to meet the challenges of a sustainable approach and experience how greener meetings are creating better meetings.

• Align green meeting strategies with your organization’s philosophy and business practices.
• Implement policies of sustainability.
• Demonstrate the impact that your efforts have generated and report it to your stakeholders.

Moderator

Tamara Lynn Kennedy-Hill, Executive Director, Green Meeting Industry Council

Panelists

Ray Hobbs CHA, President, Atlantis Hospitality Group

Tonya L. Horsley CMP, Meetings Manager, American Institute of Architects

Rebecca Mebane, Director of Conferences and Meetings, National Recycling Coalition

• Professional Development
• Professional Education

Robin Preston CEM, Assistant Executive Director, Conf., Exhibits, Sponsorships, National School Boards Association

Location: NOMCC 2nd Level Outside of room 236-267 near escalator

• Marketing
• Professional Education

Looking for new tools to help you drive attendance? Discover how to correctly market to your target audience and ensure your event meets its goals. Explore the changing landscape of social networks and how to blend these and other innovative tools into your existing marketing efforts to capture the attention of your attendee.

• Incorporate new marketing tools into your marketing plan.
• Identify which marketing tools are old, tired and ready for retirement in light of your audience.
• Forecast the next big thing in marketing for changing demographics and the empowered customer.

Cris Canning, Head Instigator, Hospitality Link

• Strategic Planning/Thinking
• Executive Education

Where is the Healthcare Convention Industry heading? This session combines the critical findings from the Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association’s 2008 State-of-the-industry Report and Special Report on Healthcare Meeting Globalization. Hear trends in attendance, exhibits, locations, costs and medical specialty demographics. Walk away with a firm understanding of the state of the U.S. and global healthcare convention industry.

• Develop a thorough understanding of big-picture healthcare convention industry trends.
• Identify the impacts of globalization on the healthcare sector and medical convention marketing.
• Incorporate research findings, trend analysis and benchmarks for future planning.

Moderator

Eric Allen, Executive Vice President, Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association

Panelists

Frank R. Skinner MBA, Manager of Marketing Research, Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association

Nancy Hoppe CME/H, Associate Director, Global Congress & Convention Management, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals

Location: NOMCC

• Technology
• Professional Education

It's hard enough getting your home-based business off the ground or growing it without worrying about technology. From networking, data backup and security, to telephones and contact management, setting up a home office is enough to make your head spin. Instead of assessing technology products and services on features and function, discover how you can evaluate technology solutions from a "business" perspective. This interactive session will help you get your office working more efficiently with the latest technology at a lower cost.

• Assess technology solutions that will make your home office a success.
• Become "smarter" about technology on your own or with minimal IT support.
• Save frustration and money by becoming more efficient.

Corbin W. Ball CMP CSP CSP, CMP, President, Corbin Ball Associates

• Event Management
• Professional Education

Developing proper security protocol at meetings and conventions is essential for today’s organizer and any hotel and convention center. As meeting professionals, you are expected to know the necessary steps to ensure your attendees will be in a safe and secure environment. Attend this expert panel discussion of distinguished security leaders and gain valuable insights into security measures you can use before, during and after your event.

• Discover the importance of providing a profile of your organization, guest speakers.
• Identify when it is appropriate to meet with facility security, local police and/or intelligence gathering authorities.
• Gain essential tips to make your event as secure as possible.

Joseph Herbert, Director of Public Safety, Morial Convention Center

Gary Kukla, Manager, Corporate Security, Nestle Purina PetCare

Doug Thornton, , Louisiana Superdome

Brad Bonnell, , InterContinental Hotels Group Americas

Location: NOMCC 2nd Level 255-257

• Communication
• Professional Education

Do you ever have trouble communicating with international clients and co-workers? This entertaining, energetic and interactive session will teach you techniques for communicating--and captivating--clients, colleagues and other important contacts across cultures. Success in our global economy requires global rapport skills. Discover how to enhance yours and captivate other people--anywhere, anytime, anyplace.

• Identify keys to successful cross-cultural communication.
• Implement global rapport techniques.
• Handle cross-cultural communication snafus.

Janet Moore JD, ACC, Speaker- Author-Trainer, Janet Moore Communications, Inc.

Location: NOMCC

• Professional Development
• Professional Education

New this year! You’re passionate about this industry and face challenges in the upcoming year. Bring your top concerns and questions to this open forum and speak with other meetings industry leaders about what keeps you up at night or what next challenge you can’t wait to tackle. Stop by and join the conversation.

Location: NOMCC

• Strategic Planning/Thinking
• Professional Education

Learn how associations like the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) and corporations like American Express are using the ROI Methodology to determine the impact and financial ROI of their meetings and events. Since this methodology was introduced to the meetings and events industry in 2004, there have been hundreds of success stories. This session will provide a sampling of actual results from the variety of practitioners to show how the ROI Methodology can be applied in all types of meeting and events.

• Describe the ROI Methodology.
• Explain the benefits of the use of ROI.
• Develop an action plan for using ROI for your meeting or event.

Moderator

Jack Phillips PhD, Chairman, ROI Institute, Inc.

Panelists

Todd Hanson, President, Catalyst Performance Group, Inc.

Cordelia Hecko CMP CMP, Project Manager, Concepts Worldwide

• Strategic Planning/Thinking
• Executive Education

In today’s market, fulfilling customers’ needs isn’t enough. To retain customers and members, you must learn how to anticipate their needs in order to create loyalty. Discover the distinction between service that fulfills a need and one that is dedicated to anticipating your members’/customers’ needs. Find out how you can produce wow experiences that are consistent with overarching business objectives.

• Distinguish between fulfilling or anticipating needs.
• Anticipate unexpressed needs and concerns to create wow experiences.
• Examine the “everything matters” principle.

Joseph Michelli PhD, Author,

Location: NOMCC