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PCMA.ORG AUGUST 2015 PCMA CONVENE 17
Mark Your Calendar
PCMA Events
2015 Global Professionals
Conference (APAC)
Melbourne, Australia
Aug. 31–Sept. 3
2015 North American
Advisory Summit
Ixtapan de la Sal, Mexico
Sept. 23–24
2015 Global Medical
Meetings Summit
Edinburgh, Scotland
Nov. 13–16
Industry Events
ASAE Annual
Meeting & Expo
Detroit
Aug. 8–11
14th Annual Meetings
Industry Summit
Seattle
Sept. 11
IMEX America
Las Vegas
Oct. 13–15
PCMA SCHOLARSHIPS
Calling All Students
PCMA has three fall scholarships available, with the nomination period running from Aug. 24–Oct. 1:
› The PCMA Chairmen’s Convening
Leaders Scholarship, supported by NYC
& Company, offers two PCMA student
members registration, housing, and
airfare to Convening Leaders 2016 — as
well as a $2,500 tuition-based award.
› Five PCMA student members will
win a PCMA Convening Leaders Scholarship, which provides complimentary
registration, housing, and airfare to
Convening Leaders 2016.
› The $1,000 Student Chapter of the
Year Award goes to two current PCMA
student chapters to fund educational,
community-service, or membership
programs during the 2016 school year.
For more information, visit convn
.org/fallscholarships.
CHAPTER CORNER
Canada East Will
Get Innovative
The first year, 250 people showed up. The second
year, it was 360. This November — when the
Canadian Innovation Conference travels to the
Metro Toronto Convention Centre and the Inter-
Continental Toronto Centre — organizers expect
upward of 500 attendees. “It’s gone viral,” said
Chuck Schouwerwou, CMP, CMM, president-elect
of PCMA’s Canada East chapter and a conference
planning committee co-chair. “If we hit 500, we’ve
outgrown our plenary room, so we’re looking for
innovative ways to increase seating capacity.”
Why the bump? Schouwerwou, president of Con-
ferSense Planners, thinks it’s a testament both to
the inspirational programming — “Our keynotes are
amazing, and the networking events are mind-blow-
ing” — as well as Canadian meeting professionals’
thirst for education on their own side of the border.
Given the exchange rate, “more and more Canadian
employers will not pay for their staff to be sent to
the United States for education,” Schouwerwou said.
“With employers not allowing their staff to go, how
are planners supposed to get their CEUs?”
Keynote speakers will include
Canadian celebrity chef Michael
Smith and authors Nancy Vonk and
Janet Kestin, the minds behind Dove’s
Campaign for Real Beauty. The cost
for two days of programming for plan-
ner members is $125. “It’s an incred-
ible deal,” Schouwerwou said. “We
partner with hotels, airlines, and rail
to make sure this is a very affordable
conference.” One of those partners,
Tourism Toronto, is both sponsoring
the closing party and hosting a pre-
conference fam trip.
For more information, visit convn
.org/canadianinnovation2015.
News From
PCMA.org
Keep informed about the
latest news and developments in the meetings
industry by subscribing to
the daily newsletter PCMA
News Junkie at pcma.co/
NJsubscribe — and by
becoming a regular visitor
to pcma.org. Here’s a
sampling of recent stories:
› This Is Becoming One
of the Most Essential
Pieces of Your Job Search
What do LinkedIn, Twitter,
and Facebook accounts
have in common? They’re
part of a social-media
presence that employers
review when considering
new candidates.
› Your Post-Vacation
Guide to Feeling Better
These five tips might not
resurrect your vacation,
but they will definitely
help ease office reentry.
› Five TEDTalks to
Inspire Every Meeting
Professional
From learning how to
listen to finding the
work you love, these five
speakers offer timeless
ideas for improving our
day-to-day lives.
› The Line Item You
Need to Add to Your
Budget
Learn why you should
include this tactic in your
annual meeting-planning
budget.
Canadian Innovation Conference: ‘gone viral.’