2013 Convening Leaders Download: The What, Why and How

Kelly Peacy, CAE, CMP

Senior Vice President, Education & Meetings

Professional Convention Management Association

• Share some new concepts of the 2013 PCMA Convening Leaders program in Orlando from a “behind the scenes” point of view

• Discuss the “why and the how” behind the concepts

• Share the results and what we would have done differently

• Answer your questions!

Why am I doing this Webinar?

The Incubator of New Ideas

Our Innovation Process

Where do these ideas come from?

– Our Convening Leaders attendee evaluations– Trends in business and face to face events– Comments, feedback, more comments and more feedback– Thinking about ways to do a common meeting element in a

different way– Brainstorming and immersion in an environment– Often ideas come from a challenge

Our Innovation Process

OK, interesting ideas, now what?!

– Collaboration and lots of it—key stakeholders– What do we think a successful initiative will look like?– Develop some success metrics– Make some strategic budget decisions– Draft concepts, make a million changes, land on a final concept– Talk about the new ideas!– Execute, evaluate, share

General Session / Learning Lounge / PCMA Epicenter

Open space concept

General Session / Learning Lounge / PCMA Epicenter

• Orange County Convention Center West Concourse

• Halls A4/B1

• 182,000 sq. ft.; 360’ ft. total width; 40 ft. ceiling

• General session seating for 3,300 theater (Four general sessions)

• Learning Lounge consisted of 6 learning areas of approx. 40 people each; short 15 minute presentations on a variety of topics

• PCMA Epicenter—All things PCMA related (products and services)

• Continental breakfasts; refreshment breaks; post-lunch dessert

Considerations / Learnings

• Designing the space:– Engaging the attendees; walk through experiences– General session seating / staging design

• Budget considerations:– Carpet– Sound– Structures

• Program considerations:– Timing– Main stage rehearsals

• Behavior considerations:– Using lighting to move attendees (OCCC advantage)

Lunch Four Ways

Four luncheons—One Program

Lunch Four Ways

• Orange County Convention Center West Concourse

• Halls A1/A2

• 182,000 sq. ft.; 360’ ft. total width; 40 ft. ceiling

• Luncheon seating for 2,600 attendees

• What happens when you divide a large space into separate, yet common experiences?

• Four different table sets, menus and audio visual– Family Style Comfort Food – Small Plates– Classic French– Healthy Trends

Considerations / Learnings

• Designing the space:– Structural columns

• Budget considerations:– Drape around perimeter of room (lighting critical)– Large screens and drape around column– Image magnification cameras (I-Mag)– Carpet

• Catering:– Four separate menus and service styles for 650 people in each

area

• Behavior considerations:– Used rope, stanchion, lighting and flats screen monitors to

separate areas and move traffic around the room

The Show Reimagined

An Experiment in Lunch and Learning

The Show Reimagined

• Orange County Convention Center West Concourse

• Halls A3

• 91,000 sq. ft.

• Buffet station luncheon 2,600 attendees on a flow

• 2 hour luncheon with exhibit and trade show educational sessions included

• Lunch and learning on a specific topic at the attendees own pace

• Six 15-minute sessions repeated twice in small “booths” spread throughout the space

• A Central Theater in the middle of the room with planner case studies

Considerations and Learnings

• How do we explain what this event is?– PCMA does not have an exhibit hall, but our members do– Short video explaining the concept sent in attendee email– Program flyer with map handed out as attendees entered

• Budget considerations– Set up of exhibit booths? Created video walls of an actual trade

show at the entrance instead– Sound in educational booths; need to account for AV– Sound in open Central Theater—demonstrated use of headsets;

seating for 200 people

• Learned we should have communicated earlier and more about the goals of the event

• We should have had more food stations!

Questions