Meeting professionals should continue to grow professionally during tough economic times, and the New York Area Chapter of the PROFESSIONAL CONVENTION MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (NYPCMA) can help.

NYPCMA rolled out the “Planner Subsidy” program in 2009 which allows planner members to participate in our events at no fee. A response to budget cuts, this program allows planner members to request this subsidy directly from NYPCMA; the chapter compiles the list of requests and follows up with an email to all our supplier members. The program has been well received and is a win-win for all parties; new friendships are made and members continue to learn from industry experts when attending our programs.

To bring this initiative to the next level and allow more meeting professionals to participate, NYPCMA is offering “Pay what you can” for their next Roundtable Workshop which will be held on Tuesday, June 9th at The New Yorker Hotel from 11am to 2pm. This workshop, sponsored by Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau, will provide attendees with the unique opportunity to engage in discussions about a variety of topics currently affecting our industry. Moderators will frame the topics in the current market and open the discussion for attendees to share knowledge, ideas, best practices, possible future trends and problem resolution. The minimum fee to attend this event is only $25 per person compared to the standard fee of $45 - $55 per person; the “Pay what you can” offer is applicable to all NYPCMA members and non-members.

“Diana Brady, our Director of Programs, took our initiative one step further. For the first time since NYPCMA incorporated in 1993, the “Pay what you can” is offered to our members in direct response to the current economic downturn that has impacted the meetings industry,” said Dawn Rockas, President of NYPCMA.

PCMA represents approximately 6,000 meeting industry leaders including planner professionals, suppliers, faculty and students. Aside from students and faculty, members are categorized as either a professional or supplier based on their position. The mission of the Professional Convention Management Association is to deliver superior and innovative education and promote the value of professional convention management.

Contact:
Hannah Wai
Director of Marketing and Communications, NYPCMA
212-715-4227
Hannah.wai@marriott.com