Conference News March 2025 | Page 21

PCMA

Equipping and empowering communities with tools and skills for success

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION PCMA CEO SHERRIF KARAMAT OUTLINES HOW IT CONTINUES TO MOVE THE INDUSTRY – AND SOCIETY – FORWARD
f you’ ve ever heard me speak or have read my

I columns here, you have undoubtedly heard me

Above use the word‘ transformation’. One of the things that drives me forward is my passionate belief in the business events industry’ s capacity to create social progress and economic transformation, and the meaningful role our industry will play in helping to solve the many pressing problems we face in the world today.
As we move forward into this new year, I’ d like to share some new ways the global PCMA community is moving our industry forward. I believe that large-scale, transformative change comes not solely as a result of innovative ideas and the willingness to take risks, but through communities where individuals are equipped and empowered with the tools and the skills to actively collaborate and lead change themselves.
One example of how we are leading innovation as a community is Spark. When we introduced this AI tool to our global community two years ago, it was because we recognised we could not stay on the sidelines. We wanted to help drive change and equip professionals with a tool designed by and for event professionals, to help us become more creative, effective, and efficient in our roles. Today, Spark has more than 10,000 users in 120-plus countries.
: Sherrif Karamat
“ As we witness DEI programmes being scaled back or entirely dismantled across industries and sectors, we’ re going in the opposite direction at PCMA”
AI is not standing still and neither are we. At Convening Leaders 2025, we began the soft launch of two AI-based initiatives – Destinaitor, an AI-powered destination and venue search tool. Like Spark itself, we are building it in collaboration with the industry, and your feedback will ensure we develop a tech solution that meets your needs. Another new development is Spark Studio, which will enable Spark users to take on more complex tasks and share their workflows – and successful prompts they’ ve used – with others in the Spark community.
We also rolled out the Ascent Pathways 100 Program at Convening Leaders, a new initiative to help empower underrepresented professionals in our industry with access to education and professional development opportunities. A hundred recipients will be selected to join the programme each year, in partnership with Visit Baltimore and via a grant provided by the PCMA Foundation. As we witness DEI programmes being scaled back or entirely dismantled across industries and sectors, we’ re going in the opposite direction at PCMA. We’ ve invested in Ascent Pathways to engage and support professionals in our industry who have encountered barriers due to their gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, different abilities, or unique life experiences.
Inclusivity also means being multigenerational, which is why I look forward each year to learning from our latest class of 20 in Their Twenties, who bring their own perspectives on how to move the events industry forward.
We recognise that transformation only happens when everyone has access to the right tools and is given a seat at the table. n
ISSUE 135 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 21