Interview
Blazing a trail: A year in the PCMA hotseat
NEIL BROWNLEE REFLECTS ON HIS YEAR AS PCMA ' S FIRST NON-NORTH AMERICAN CHAIR.
Right: Neil Brownlee, head of Business Events,
VisitScotland
W hen Neil Brownlee,
VisitScotland’ s head of Business Events, became the first non-North American Chair of PCMA, he took on an ambitious agenda tied to PCMA’ s 2030 vision.
It included launching a refreshed brand identity, deepening the integration of PCMA’ s acquisitions, including CEMA and EMA UK, elevating Convene for Climate( C4C), introducing a new membership model, and advancing vital DEI work while exploring the potential of AI.
Now, almost a year later and just weeks before he hands over the reins to incoming chair Kelly Ricker, he reflects on what has been achieved during a transformative year for the organisation.
Refreshing the PCMA brand Brownlee describes PCMA’ s soon-tobe-revealed refreshed brand identify as a‘ gradual re-energising of everything the organisation presents to the world’.
He hints at the creative choices that have gone into the re-design, including a colour palette of“ beautiful, regal
Scottish deep purples”. All will be revealed at the formal launch at PCMA’ s Convening Leaders in Philadelphia in January. But what matters most to Neil is not the redesign itself, but the renewal it signals.
“ Once it’ s fully rolled out throughout 2026- from Convening Leaders to the edUcon conference planned for Puerto Rico in June- it’ ll provide a vibrant backdrop to an organisation celebrating its 70th anniversary,” he says proudly.“ It feels like the right moment.”
Integrating acquisitions and redefining membership When Brownlee took the chair, PCMA had a growing portfolio of acquired associations, including the US-based CEMA( Corporate Event Marketing Association) and EMA UK( the Event Marketing Association, with 800 UKbased corporate event marketers as members). Each has its own community, so the challenge was to integrate them into the PCMA family.
“ Often when you acquire other businesses, you need a moment to take stock,” he says.“ However, if you don’ t integrate them early, they can harden into silos. This year has been about ensuring those communities feel part
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