PCMA EduCon 2019 will take place June 25-28 at JW Marriott Los Angeles LA Live. Known among PCMA’s portfolio of events for taking a more focused, practical approach to learning through small-scale, collaborative education sessions, the conference will bring in around 800 attendees (compared to PCMA’s annual Convening Leaders events, which draws 4,500).

“At EduCon, each person will be able to tailor programs specifically for her own needs, in the format that best suits his learning style,” said Tonya Almond, PCMA’s vice president of knowledge and experience design.

The conference will feature four education studios, at which speakers will provide one-hour sessions with aligning content. Recap “After Chats” will follow most sessions to allow attendees the chance to talk about what they’ve learned.

Studios include:

• Collaboration studio: working together to find practical solutions to industry issues
• Deep Dive studio: examining hot industry topics and exploring components most related to them
• Fresh Look studio: outside experts inspire participants to break down barriers and get more creative with problem-solving
• True Stories studio: focusing on case studies

This year’s lineup also features dynamic keynote speakers including John Ondrasik, singer/songwriter of Five for Fighting; Connie Chi, founder and CEO of The Chi Group; Susan McPherson, founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies; Sara Ross, leadership strategist; Ciaran Gribbin, founder of Rock and Roll Team Building; and Ritu Bhasin, president of Bhasin Consulting.

Prior to the official conference start, PCMA EduCon will also host a Hackathon, where participants will come up with unique solutions to solve the following problem: How might the hospitality/tourism industry reduce or prevent unsheltered/homelessness? (If you wish to register for this, you must do so prior to June 11, which is when the introductory webinar on the Hackathon will be held. Learn more here.)

In addition to all the learning opportunities, several networking activities are on the agenda for EduCon. They include a 3-mile fun run through downtown Los Angeles early Wednesday morning; the Give Back Bash at Hotel Indigo LA Downtown on Wednesday evening; and “Namaste with PCMA” yoga class on Thursday at the host hotel.

To learn more about PCMA EduCon 2019 or to register, go here.

Editor's Note: PCMA isn't just for convention managers — we've found that their events have a lot of educational content that is also very applicable for corporate event professionals!