Planner’s Notebook

A Few of My Favorite Things

Four months out, here are three aspects of Convening Leaders 2014 that I'm particularly excited about.

I know I’m not Oprah, but I do have some favorite things, especially when it comes to our upcoming Convening Leaders 2014 program in Boston, Jan. 12–15. There are so many things I love about this year’s event, but I only have room for three, so here they are:

The [r]evolution starts here
It’s our meeting construct, the mantra upon which we are building our entire experience. The “here” is Convening Leaders, where the brightest minds and most innovative ideas come together to revolutionize the way we conduct business events. I’m excited for our attendees to experience the content our staff and PCMA volunteers have developed.

As always, we’re trying some brand new approaches to content delivery and working to provide you with as much detail as possible about your educational options. For example, do you prefer lectures or an active learning experience? We’ll indicate which type of session you can expect with small icons in the program, so you can better match each session to your preferences or mood. We want to meet your expectations, allow for you to create your own Convening Leaders journey, and leave Boston feeling like you’re ready to take on the world.

Group lunches To say that food is an important part of any conference experience would be an understatement. Especially lunches at Convening Leaders, which are an opportunity to see fellow attendees, take a break, and recharge. Over the last few years, we’ve experimented with some new lunch concepts. I don’t want to give it all away, but let me assure you that our lunches in Boston will not be like anything you’ve seen us do before. Thankfully, our friends at Levy Restaurants, the caterer at Boston’s John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, where we’ll be convening, have our backs. They’re working with us to revolutionize the way we feed attendees, handle dietary restrictions, and more.

Wicked cool Boston The Hynes is located in the heart of Boston’s historic Back Bay neighborhood. We’ll take full advantage of the entire building, along with some nice, large meeting space at our Sheraton Boston Hotel headquarters, conveniently connected indoors to the Hynes.

If you’ve never been to the Hynes, you’ll be impressed by its high ceilings, windows overlooking the Back Bay, and unique charm. My team and I have loved working in this building and with its amazing team of professionals, led by General Manager Maureen Baker and Director of Event Operations Ed Bryan. Attendees also will get to see the city’s other fantastic convention facility, the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC), when we hold our Opening Welcome Reception there on Sunday night, Jan. 12.

Kelly Peacy, CAE, CMP

Kelly Peacy, CAE, is CAE, CMP, is senior vice president of education and events at PCMA.