IS – How was 2024 for PCMA? You’ve grown as a trade association, increasing your presence internationally and making an acquisition or two.
SK – In the months leading up to COVID, PCMA found itself at a pivotal moment of transformation. The organisation was deeply engaged in reimagining its direction, focusing on how to deliver enhanced value not just to its established base in the US and Canada, but to stakeholders across the globe. While PCMA had already established meaningful presence in Europe, Asia and Latin America, we recognise the need to strengthen our footprint in Africa and other emerging markets.
This drive for global expansion came with two parallel objectives: growing the size of the community while also enhancing the value delivered to its members. One crucial aspect of this evolution was the organisation’s approach to corporate engagement, which ultimately led to the acquisition of CEMA (Corporate Event Marketing Association).
The results have been remarkable, with CEMA experiencing more than 30% growth since the acquisition and recently hosting its largest summit to date. But success wasn’t measured merely in numbers. “The real objective,” as leadership explains, “is whether we’re truly providing value for our stakeholders, members and the broader audience.” The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with members reporting that they’re not only getting the networking opportunities they seek but also receiving tangible value from their organisational involvement.
The strategic vision extended beyond just corporate engagement. Recognising the need for enhanced product and service development capabilities, PCMA established a relationship with the Events Leadership Institute, which eventually resulted in an acquisition. The organisation also expanded its presence in the UK through EMA, demonstrating its commitment to global growth.
However, this period of expansion hasn’t been without its challenges, particularly when it comes to cultural integration. As with any merger or acquisition, the process of bringing together different organisational cultures requires careful consideration and management. Learning from historical examples like the Daimler-Chrysler merger, PCMA has taken a thoughtful approach to cultural integration, particularly with CEMA. We’ve recognised the importance of respecting different organisational cultures rather than forcing change, allowing each entity to maintain its unique strengths while finding ways to collaborate effectively.
PCMA is also looking intently to the future. With projections showing that millennials and Gen Z will make up 70% of the workforce by 2030, the organisation is focused on ensuring the industry remains attractive to these emerging professionals. This requires a resolute commitment to purpose and value delivery, as well as a deep understanding of how to serve these evolving demographic needs.
The organisation maintains a clear-eyed view of the work ahead. Success in this environment requires earning their audience’s trust daily, delivering consistent value and maintaining a deep understanding of industry trends and stakeholder needs.
IS – You must have seen that there’s quite a lot of synergy that you thought there’s a gap that we actually need to fill, which is why, CEMA will be perfect for that.
SK – There’s a fascinating dynamic between event marketers and business event strategists in both association and corporate settings. I’ve observed about a 60% overlap in their approaches and there’s tremendous potential for cross-pollination of ideas between PCMA and CEMA. However, the corporate mindset around events is distinctly different – they’re laser-focused on the sales funnel and driving product revenue, which is quite different from how associations typically think.
One of the most striking differences I’ve noticed is how corporations like Google view their brand as absolutely paramount, while associations often don’t think of themselves as brands at all. This is a critical oversight because today’s young professionals are deeply attracted to brands that align with their values. They want to see themselves as part of something meaningful and impactful.
We need to move beyond just talking about membership and engagement. Instead, we should focus on building attractive, compelling brands that will draw in the next generation of leaders. I believe – and I say this constructively – that some in the Baby Boomer generation haven’t done enough to cultivate future leadership. This has left many associations today struggling with questions about their future success and ability to attract new talent.
These challenges are precisely what’s driving PCMA’s strategic decisions. We recognise that standing still isn’t an option – we must create an organisation that resonates with future generations.
IS – And that leads on to the likes of Spark AI, which is now a necessity for many in our industry. How did the idea of Spark AI come about? Gevme already existed as a business, so did you approach them with the idea of Spark or did it already exist?
SK – No, Spark didn’t exist before. Interestingly, it started over two years ago when Veemal Gungadin approached me with an idea and he said, “What do you think?” I immediately said “Yes”. It wasn’t that I knew where this was actually going, but what I saw was how we could change the way we work and I thought that was really attractive.
One consistent challenge I’ve heard from event organisers is feeling trapped in a hamster wheel, overwhelmed with mundane tasks. The idea of Spark was to free them from these burdens so they could focus on more meaningful work.
This ties into a broader concern I have about climate change, which I believe poses an existential threat to our industry. While we could survive a two-year shutdown like COVID-19, a five-year disruption would be catastrophic. Young professionals today are deeply purpose-driven. They’re attracted to organisations addressing critical issues like climate change. Whether some people dispute its reality or not, future generations will need to live in this world 70 years from now.
Both AI and climate considerations are reshaping how we approach business fundamentally. Event design needs to be intentional from the start, considering factors like climate impact, AI integration and target audience before even beginning the planning process. Yes, traditional KPIs like revenue and attendees matter, but you won’t effectively convey your message – whether it’s about haematology research or any other topic – if you’re not designing with your audience in mind.
AI’s role here is twofold. First, it drives worker efficiency. Second and perhaps more importantly, it provides event organisers with unprecedented access to data. When discussing data, privacy is paramount. We’ve ensured that when you input your data, it remains exclusively yours.
This commitment to privacy has earned us credibility with major corporations like Siemens, where their events department has transformed into a revenue centre using Spark across their enterprise. That’s a pretty phenomenal story.
IS – What value will the new Tempest partnership bring to PCMA members and how will it compliment the current stable of products you offer?
SK – The partnership with Tempest brings DMOs into the ecosystem, which is a game-changer. The most trepidation that we have found has been on the supply side. The event organisers are rapid adopters of AI and not holistically, but in certain disciplines of the business, we have not seen the same move of the destinations.
Let me illustrate why. Consider a destination with a database of 15,000 potential clients but only five business development staff. Each person can realistically handle 150-250 relationships per year. Even if you assume maximum efficiency, that’s only 1,250 relationships. And even if half of those 15,000 prospects aren’t high priority, you’re still missing opportunities with thousands of potential clients.
Our AI-driven approach helps streamline this process and maximise effectiveness. The real power lies in scaling access to information. Today we might have 9,000 engaged users, but tomorrow that could grow to 25,000 or even 100,000. This gives us unprecedented insight into how planners select destinations.
More importantly, it provides event planners with reliable, verified destination information rather than having to rely on uncertain web searches when their professional reputation is at stake. After all, it’s simply not feasible to personally visit 200 destinations for site inspections.
That said, I want to be candid about the future. This industry is evolving so rapidly that while I have ideas about where we’re headed, I can’t precisely predict what things will look like in five years. What I can tell you is that we’re building adaptive capabilities that will help us better understand and respond to client needs as the technology continues to advance. And this is available to all PCMA globally, not just the US and Canada.
IS – Are you seeing much of a difference between the demand and needs of the US market compared to the likes of the European market?
SK – In my experience, the fundamental challenges businesses face are remarkably consistent across different regions – I’d estimate about 90% of the core issues are the same whether you’re in Europe, North America or elsewhere. What’s fascinating is how the approaches to solving these challenges can vary dramatically, particularly between European and North American contexts.
Let me share a specific example that really illustrates this. At a recent CEO session in Barcelona, something unexpected happened that perfectly demonstrates this dynamic. The organisers took an unconventional approach – instead of having seasoned executives or business school professors lead the session, they had a team of millennials run the entire program. These young professionals were focused on helping C-suite executives understand how to be more productive and work better with younger generations.
What was remarkable was the response. Despite having a room full of senior executives, many of whom had attended countless leadership sessions, the feedback was extraordinary. They unanimously agreed it was one of the best executive sessions they’d
