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of the PCMA family, while preserving the distinctiveness that first made them valuable.”
Alongside this, PCMA has overhauled its membership model. Previously, the organisation had more than a dozen categories,“ very dominated by specific segments,” Brownlee notes. This has now been streamlined to six broader groups, allowing people to self-select based on the primary focus of their professional work.
Support for the structural changes was canvased during two Town Hall meetings in 2025- a refreshingly transparent move designed to keep members engaged and informed.
A second edition of Convene for Climate Convene for Climate( C4C) was launched in 2024 by PCMA, in partnership with the Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe( SANCBE), and Brownlee was looking forward to its return.
The second edition ran from 16-17 October in Rotterdam, the Netherlands,
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immediately after PCMA ' s Convening EMEA conference, which had taken place in the city for two days prior.
Brownlee is proud of PCMA’ s collaborative efforts to advance climate action and sustainability within the business events sector, and sees C4C as a meaningful step toward strengthening PCMA’ s European footprint.
What matters greatly to him, however, is that PCMA consistently delivers content that challenges industries and global issues, not just business event logistics.
A conversation he recounts from the opening moments of C4C in Rotterdam captures this perfectly: a delegate from the tin-packaging industry explaining misconceptions about the environmental performance of aluminium versus paper cartons.“ That is the beauty of PCMA,” Brownlee says.“ You meet people beyond your own sphere, discussing issues much bigger than event operations. Who knew that the recycling options for waxed cartons were far more limited than what people view as old tech or even landfill, aluminium tins?”
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“ If we don’ t control the AI narrative, others will dictate it, the same way we were told during the pandemic that no one would ever travel or meet face to face again. It’ s nonsense” |
DEI and exploring the potential of AI Two themes central to Brownlee’ s year as PCMA chair were supporting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion( DEI) across the global meetings and events community and exploring the potential of AI.
The political sensitivities associated with DEI this year have made the first theme a particular challenge. Brownlee acknowledges the shift in tone from governments worldwide, particularly in the United States, and he credits PCMA President & CEO Sheriff Karamat with expertly navigating the tightrope.
“ We needed to show people we had their back,” he says,“ but without putting the organisation or those exposed further in the crosshairs at a time when DEI programmes were being challenged.” PCMA’ s approach, he says, has been to stay firm in its values without making itself an easy political target.
On AI, he sees a sector that is still learning and emerging from the hype
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