The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and its partner organization, PCMA Education Foundation, will be jointly-awarding research grant funds totaling more than $75,000 USD in order to advance the second phase of three major meetings industry research initiatives.
BUSINESS EVENTS CASE STUDIES
PCMA will fund research on work that is focused on what the professional, business, academic and economic outcomes of the business events industry are and how they can be best communicated to the respective communities and governments they effect.
The project is being managed by the University of Technology, Sydney and is in collaboration with JMIC (Joint Meetings Industry Council). It will focus on creating a set of case studies detailing where the outcomes of business events have positively impacted cities around the world. Best practices in the sector will be captured as part of this research and case studies are due to be completed by early 2019.
Sherrif Karamat, COO, PCMA, said, “By helping to fund this prestigious piece of work with our industry partners, we are helping to prove to the wider world that business meetings and events are a vital part of all our economic futures. For the first time as a result of this work, the case studies generated by JMIC will be thoroughly researched examples of the broader benefits that business events can bring to cities across the globe.”
PCMA EDUCATION FOUNDATION RESEARCH
PCMA Education Foundation is supporting two other critical pieces of work into key industry issues that can profoundly impact the business events industry.
First is a study around the issue of travel boycotts. These political tools have risen in popularity in recent years to force political or ethical change in the U.S. and abroad. For example, in Charlotte, North Carolina in February 2016, government passed a law allowing transgender people to choose public bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity. The Governor later called this action “a threat to public safety” and within a month, legislature passed a law prohibiting local governments from enacting their own anti-discrimination rules. As a result, many national organisations such as the National Basketball Association decided to terminate their business in North Carolina.
The impact these travel boycotts are having on the business events industry is the subject of this research. The Foundation is contributing $30,ooo USD and the work is being carried out by Destinations International (DI), formerly Destinations Marketing Association International (DMAI), the global association for official destination marketing organizations (DMOs). The study will provide much needed information for event organizers and destinations to navigate travel boycotts as they impact meetings and travel.
For the second study, the PCMA Education Foundation has partnered with the German Convention Bureau (GCB) and the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC) to delve into how different types of event participants are impacted by the use of various elements and methodology.
Phase one was previously completed, initialed by the GCB and EVVC together with the Fraunhofer Institute of Labour Economics and Organisation (IAO). So far they have identified six so-called future meeting scenarios that match the developments in the industry. The six scenarios show various forms of future events and the second phase will build on those results focusing on identifying success factors for event organizers.
Meredith Rollins, executive director of the PCMA Education Foundation, said, “We’re glad to be partnering with DI to understand the true impact of travel boycotts and GCB and EVVC to define how participants will engage with future meeting design. Education is key to success for our industry and both of these research projects tackle issues that will shape our industry today and for the future.”
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