PCMA Unveils Keynote Speakers, Masters Series’ Speakers for Annual Meeting

Instead of having one opening general session speaker at its annual meeting, the Professional Convention Management Association will have three speakers give 15-minute keynotes, two of which will be expounded on during Master Series sessions later in the schedule.

Besides the keynote speakers, PCMA also recently announced some of the Master Series sessions and who will be leading them during association’s Jan. 8-11 annual meeting at the San Diego Convention Center.

The speakers include Dr. John J. Medina, who will give one of the opening session keynotes and will discuss how to design meetings that are “more engaging, foster better recall, and generate more action,” according to PCMA officials.

Medina will take a look into how people think and learn and how to help people get the most out of their meetings.

He is a developmental molecular biologist and the author of the New York Times bestseller "Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School" - a book that takes on the way our schools and work environments are designed.

The second keynote will be given by game designer and futurist Jane McGonigal who will translate decades of gaming insights to the meetings arena

McGonigal is the director of Game Research and Development at Institute for the Future, a nonprofit futures research group based in Palo Alto, Calif. She is the author of The New York Times bestseller, “Reality is Broken”.

The third keynote will be given by Sally Hogshead, author of “Fascinate”, who will talk about crafting messages that instantly captivate an audience.

Hogshead is a speaker, author and brand innovation consultant. Clients past and present include Nike, MINI Cooper, Aflac, Cole Haan, Target, Coca-Cola and Godiva.

There are several Masters Series sessions also lined up. Here is a sampling of a few:

International Business and Culture: Making Sense Through Mythology - Devdutt Pattanaik of the Future Group presents his eye-opening observations on how myth informs culture. Utilizing humor and insight, Pattanaik explains how the failure to understand culture in worldwide business accounts for the major source of misunderstandings and deals gone bad.

What is Your Everest? - Jamie Clarke, who climbed Mount Everest twice and led countless Everest expeditions, will energize and prepare attendees to look at their goals, face their fears and learn from failures to conquer their toughest challenges.

There also will be three other general sessions held during the three-day event, covering the role of the subconscious in achieving success, looking into what the future will look like in 25 years and how two brothers created a $100 million clothing business.