Organisers of the PCMA Education Conference have decided to forgo the ease of having attendees attend educational sessions under one roof and instead spread them across New York.
The educational sessions, held on June 12, 2017, will move from the Marriott Marquis to six off-site venues as part of its new strategy to better engage attendees.
The venues include two Broadway theatres, the Microsoft Flagship Store, the Jacob Javitz Convention Center, Central Park’s iconic Tavern on the Green, and a trendy event space on Park Avenue.
This means additional logistical concerns, however, organisers do not seem to mind.
“The benefits far outweigh the operational challenges with moving groups in an afternoon,” said Kelly Coppola, Senior Director of Business Events Strategy for the Professional Convention Management Association.
“By moving people out of the standard conference format to breathe fresh air and discover a new environment, we’ll be able to reactivate their brains and enhance the ability to accept and retain new information,” continued Coppola.
In addition to preventing the typical post-lunch conference food coma, Carrie Johnson, senior Program Manager at PCMA, pointed out that the chance to see other venues is a critical piece of delivering on the promise of this year’s theme for the conference: Where New Ideas and Event Design Converge.
“We want attendees to be able to see what’s happening at other venues and how other designers are utilising space in new ways,” said Johnson. “The takeaways from the off-site immersive sessions will help shape conversations as attendees learn how to apply those lessons to their own events.”
Johnson also indicated that she wants to completely reimagine attendees’ experience in the host venue, too: “In comparison to historical Education Conferences, this will be less about filling every open space with activation and more about elevating the quality of the conversation.”
“We’ll be providing zones where people can have more white space to interact and share ideas. Our ultimate goal is to create a comfortable place to practice uncomfortable things. Because that is the ultimate path to growth.”
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