PCMA and its partner organization, the PCMA Education Foundation, announced they will be jointly awarding research grant funds totaling over $75,000 in order to advance the second phase of three major meetings industry research initiatives, with an end goal of propelling the industry forward.
The three initiatives being pursued by PCMA include the continuation of its business events case studies, a study on the impact of travel boycotts and an international study on future meetings scenarios.
PCMA announced it is funding a series of business events case studies to determine 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 that they effect.
The project is being managed by the University of Technology, Sydney and is in collaboration with the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC). The project will focus on creating a set of case studies detailing where the outcomes of business events have positively impacted cities around the world.
PCMA said the business events case studies research is due to be completed by early 2019.
“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,” said Sherrif Karamat, COO, PCMA. “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.”
Further PCMA Foundation Supported Research
While the business events research is underway, the PCMA Education Foundation is also supporting 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, N.C., in Feb. 2016, the state 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 organizations such as the NBA decided to terminate their business in North Carolina (the NBA pulled its All-Star game). This legislation has since been rescinded.
The impact these travel boycotts are having on the business events industry is the subject of this research. The PCMA Education Foundation is contributing $30,000 and the work is being carried out by DMAI, the global association for official destination marketing organizations (DMOs). The study will provide information for event organizers and destinations to navigate travel boycotts in the future.
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 Organization (IAO).
So far, the GCB and EVVC 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.
“We’re glad to be partnering with DMAI to understand the true impact of travel boycotts and GCB and EVVC to define how participants will engage with future meeting design,” said Meredith Rollins, executive director of the PCMA Education Foundation. “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.”
