PCMA Convene Podcast

PCMA Convene Podcast examines how geopolitics, travel disruption, visa restrictions, and rising costs are changing meetings planning.

What should an event actually do?

This episode explores Timothy Shriver's work with the nonprofit Unite and the Dignity Index to promote respectful communication and reduce societal divisions by focusing on human dignity during disagreements.

This episode interviews Dr.

This episode explores how three different STEM and government meetings successfully navigated challenges like budget cuts, visa problems, and a government shutdown through innovative planning and educational initiatives.

Mark Adams discusses how community-building and AI-driven creativity are reshaping leadership and strategy for business events professionals.

This episode tells the story of how the Net Zero Conference grew from a small meeting into a global gathering that embeds sustainability into every aspect of its design.

An interview with Pauline Nguyen on living with calm, clarity, and inner strength through spiritual entrepreneurship and emotional mastery.

Laura Nelson discusses creating inclusive, wellness-focused events by offering alcohol-free networking options.

This episode discusses the importance of a code of conduct for events to ensure a respectful and civil environment, featuring insights from NLC's Janice Pauline.

Interview with endurance athlete Natalie Dow about mental frameworks for pushing through extreme physical and mental challenges.

Julie Holdgrave discusses scaling hands-on culinary medicine classes into a large general session for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's annual conference.

A story about three strangers collaborating at a hackathon to use AI tools for responding to an event RFP.

An interview with a culinary training program graduate about how the program supports careers and the hospitality workforce for business events.

An interview with Jacqueline Chee of ReFed about reducing food waste at events, offering practical strategies for planners.

This episode features an interview with foundational partners of Convene for Climate discussing why their organizations joined this initiative to drive collective climate action in the events industry.

This episode discusses key takeaways from the Convene for Climate event, focusing on collaboration, measurement, and industry transformation in sustainability efforts.

Season 10 of the Convene Podcast centers on sustainability inside a luxury resort kitchen.

Exploring how collective intelligence, AI, and climate action can transform business events to accelerate net zero and rebuild trust.

Tracy Stuckrath discusses how event professionals can maximize F&B ROI, reduce waste, and design inclusive menus.

This episode features an interview with Holly Ransom discussing key leadership insights from Convening Leaders 2026, including takeaways from Adam Grant and Trevor Noah, the impact of AI on events, and the importance of empathy and curiosity.

Erin Stafford discusses how ambition and resilience can lead to burnout in high-pressure event planning roles and shares strategies for sustainable success.

Interview with innovation strategist JQ about change fluency and leading through disruption for event professionals.

An interview with Jekini Bisselin on leading with empathy and cultural intelligence to foster belonging and authentic connection in event spaces.

Editors discuss findings from the annual Meetings Market Survey, covering challenges and optimism in the business events industry for 2025.

The Convene editors discuss the 40th anniversary of the magazine and their personal introductions to the business events industry.

Preview of the upcoming Convening Leaders conference, focusing on the main stage speaker Zannie Minton-Bettos, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist.

This episode features an interview with Franziska Seehausen discussing the traits of modern leaders, the concept of 'good technology', and how circularity and constraints drive sustainable innovation and business opportunities.

Tahira Andeen argues that event design is a lever for change.

Two industry leaders discuss evolving sponsorship and exhibition models for business events heading into 2026.

Editors of Convene podcast discuss their favorite stories from 2025, including a piece on Fast Company's Innovation Festival and its unique Fast Tracks experience.

Season 9 opens by looking toward 2026.

This episode features an interview with David Allison discussing the 2025 Salary Survey for event planners, focusing on the tension between high job satisfaction and lower pay satisfaction, and exploring how values influence planner behavior and retention strategies.

This episode discusses how to plan impactful brand experiences with tighter budgets and higher expectations, focusing on trust, scope creep, and the physical-digital balance.