PCMA acquires Corporate Event Marketing Association

Professional convention management association, PCMA has announced it has acquired, 8 December, the Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA), a community for event marketers. It becomes a wholly-owned division of PCMA. The deal between the two organisations was signed after members of CEMA voted overwhelmingly in favour of the acquisition by PCMA. Based in Sacramento, California, CEMA began over 30 years ago with a vision to provide event marketers with the creative direction needed to drive innovation and growth for, what would become, the world’s leading organisations. Today, CEMA is 800+ members strong, with participation from global brands like Cisco, Salesforce and Oracle. Sherrif Karamat (pictured), president and CEO of PCMA commented: “CEMA has been a leader in the event marketing space for more than three decades. As part of our ongoing commitment to delivering value to our members, so that they can emerge out of the pandemic prepared for a new reality, we continue to look for ways our industry can bring more creativity, content and learning from professionals in adjacent fields. PCMA’s Board chairman Stuart Ruff-Lyon added: “As Covid-19 restructured nearly every industry and organisation around the world, PCMA and CEMA focused attention and effort on delivering high-value, recovery-focused resources for both of its members. Now, as the world moves forward into recovery, our partnership has evolved into a stronger offering to members of both organisations and the industry, as one.” Members of both organisations, their leaders say, will benefit from new professional development and networking programmes, expertise and research, membership growth, and long-term stability and organisational expansion. CEMA and PCMA will cross-pollinate peer-to-peer learning and idea exchange forums and educational and experiential learning content. “We are thrilled to be joining the PCMA family and excited at the prospect of expanding and enhancing professional development, networking, and growth opportunities for CEMA members,” said Kimberley Gishler, president and CEO, CEMA. Karen Cooper, CEMA’s chairwoman of the Board added: “We are now in an optimal position to pursue strategic growth and regional expansion, and create even better engagement and experiences for the membership of both associations.”