What’s Mine Is Yours: JPdL Takeaways from PCMA Vancouver 2016

The JPdL “blue wave” certainly made a splash at PCMA Convening Leaders Conference in Vancouver this January! Our team of conference and event professionals were thrilled to be in attendance at the premiere education & networking conference for the event and meeting planning industry.

At JPdL, we believe that conference takeaways are meant to inspire and be shared. Read up on the key takeaways from our team members from their PCMA Convening Leaders experience!

“The words of Jonah Berger come to mind as one of many takeaways: it is important to note that 7% of word of mouth is now exclusively through social media channels. People want to hear information from someone they know and trust and a satisfied client can be your greatest advocate. Sharing your story through case studies, pictures and videos, rather than simply telling it will help you find your ‘super-consumer’ (frequent user and committed) who can help you promote your business.” – Jean-Paul de Lavison, CMP | JPdL President

“I was impressed by the Medical Meetings HQ speakers and attended a full-house session on trends in the industry. I especially enjoyed hearing Ellen Shorthill from ASHA. Just as biomedical industry is becoming more personalized, meetings need to personalize the learning of medicine. The key is to understand what works with your group and what doesn’t. People remember how they FEEL when they leave, so what innovation can you provoke?” – Marie Lou Coupal, CMP | JPdL International

“One memorable takeaway for me came from the session ‘Viral Business: Creating Obsessed Fans’ led by Johnny Earle, the founder of Johnny Cupcakes. I really enjoyed his unique energy, creativity and branding. Another great takeaway came from the session ‘Better than Before – Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives’, led by Gretchen Rubin author of The Happiness Project. I learned a lot about myself and my habits.” – Jennifer Ginsberg | JPdL Toronto & Niagara

“The main highlights of PCMA, for me, were the usage of an “open space” concept of the Learning Lounge and Tech Central, short presentations to smaller audiences, sponsors visibility and the LinkedIn 10 minute ‘revamp’. I also loved sharing the experience together with my colleagues.” – Isabelle Desloges, CMP | JPdL International

“My takeaway is from Gretchen Rubin, on mastering habits to meet essential goals. The idea is not to have a single BIG goal with a finish line, but milestones along the way so you think about accomplishing them as a life choice. It is a sense of continuing practice both on a personal or professional level. Her menu of “healthy treats” includes podcasts, music, and puzzles (we happen to have one in the JPdL office!) instead of “unhealthy treats” such as shopping, screen time, sweets or junk food. I’m up to the challenge, are you?” – Andrée Asselin | JPdL Québec

“A session about dietary restrictions led by Kelly Peacy, Senior Vice President of Education & Events for PCMA, brought up the question: Are we taking the trend to personalization too far? One “easy” solution is to include dishes that are allergen-free to be served to ALL delegates as part of the normal menu, so that everyone enjoys and no one is feeling singled out. Tasty dishes that contain no gluten, nuts, soy, corn or animal products are not just possible but delicious, nutritious and often very popular. The stories told by caterers, venues and meeting planners are testament to just what ‘normal’ delegates will eat!” – John Kotchan, CMP | JPdL International

“Juliet Funt, author of WhiteSpace at Work, explained that WhiteSpace is the strategic pause taken between activities. In tiny sips or larger portions, this open time was once woven between the daily activities of all of us — and made the smartest of us even smarter. Now it’s the most endangered element of modern work. Every brain needs White Space (those blank blocks within an agenda) to relax, absorb and process information, and is key to creativity and problem-solving” – Laure Gazalé, CMP | JPdL Montreal

“The European Society of Cardiology had a really innovative idea in the London Heart Trail – which won them the PCMA Chairman’s Award.  It spotlighted the Society, the destination and the venue – a collaborative effort to everyone’s benefit which also highlights the indirect benefits destinations reap from the business events sector. Having joined the JPdL Team only recently, it was a highlight to meet my JPdL colleagues!” – Peggy Nieghorn, CMP | JPdL Ottawa – Intertask Conferences

Tweet us some of YOUR takeaways (@JPdLEvents) and we can help share it with others in the meeting and event planning community!