PCMA Announces Convening Leaders Host Cities in 2019, 2020

The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) announced the destinations hosting their annual 2019 and 2020 Convening Leaders event. Convening Leaders, held each January, is the definitive event for the business events industry and continues to grow attendance and exceed audience expectations. More than 4,200 professionals participate in three days of educational collaboration and orchestrated networking. The event has grown more than 30 percent in the last nine years by making face-to-face business event innovation the cornerstone of the program.

In 2019 PCMA will host Convening Leaders in Pittsburgh, known as” City of Bridges,” located at confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and recognized for its 400-plus bridges and breathtaking vistas. The destination once known as “The Steel City” has transformed into a technology lightening rod with companies such as Google, Apple, Bosch, Facebook, Uber, Nokia, Autodesk, and IBM among the 1,600 technology firms generating $20.7 billion in annual payrolls and generous local intellectual capital.

Located in Downtown Pittsburgh, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center blends space, functionality, and flexibility with cutting-edge technology and promises to create an unforgettable Convening Leaders experience. Pittsburgh is home to 68 colleges and universities, including research and development leaders Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. PCMA will tap into these cerebral resources to bring risks, new ideas and innovation to Convening Leaders’ content. You just might get a chance to take a spin in a driverless Uber.

“We are so excited to host the 2019 PCMA Convening Leaders Conference in Pittsburgh in 2019 that five minutes after the announcement the team started our planning,” says Craig Davis, president and CEO of VisitPITTSBURGH. “PCMA attendees who have never been to our great city or who haven’t been here a while, will quickly find out why Pittsburgh is among the top travel destinations in the world, best food cities and cultural district in the U.S., and one of the friendliest cities.  Although our historical roots are in steel, our never-quit work ethic has transitioned our region to become a hotbed for education, medicine, technology, banking, energy and, of course, tourism.  We look forward to welcoming the meetings and convention leaders from around the world to Pittsburgh.”

In 2020, San Francisco will host PCMA’s Convening Leaders annual event. A mosaic of colorful, distinctive neighborhoods, San Francisco is a city of life-changing technology, trend-setting cuisine and famous postcard views. Within this seven-by-seven-mile metropolis, attendees will discover ethnic enclaves such as the Mission District and the leafy glades of the Presidio and Golden Gate Park. Over the years, this supremely tolerant city has set the bar and welcomed a diverse collective both culturally and intellectually.

San Francisco is a renowned magnet for meetings of all sizes, from self-contained meetings based at one hotel to citywides utilizing multiple properties and the Moscone Center.  Just blocks from Union Square, San Francisco’s Moscone Center is about as central as it gets. It’s walking distance to hotels, restaurants, museums, attractions, public transit and more. In 2020 the center will showcase the recent expansion of more than 170,000 gross sf of flexible meeting space, including a 50,000-sf ballroom.

“There will be so much new to experience in 2020, we can’t wait to welcome Convening Leaders to San Francisco,” says Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO of San Francisco Travel. “The elegant design of the Moscone Center expansion and the Chase Center, home to the NBA Champions Golden State Warriors, will take people’s breath away. Attendees will see changes in the neighborhood including the new Central Subway, the Mexican Museum and the Salesforce Transit Center and we’ll have new hotels, many with trendy rooftop venues.”

“Convening Leaders is the premier industry event for leading business event professionals,” says Deborah Sexton, president and CEO, PCMA. “Our participants and partners attend this event every January to network with their colleagues from around the globe and seek out innovation for their upcoming programs. Both Pittsburgh and San Francisco are unique welcoming destinations with tremendous knowledge capital communities that will contribute valuable ideas and intuitive talents to our program.”

Convening Leaders 2018 will be held in Nashville at the acclaimed Music City Center. Registration for the event opens this year in late August at conveningleaders.org.