NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — After a successful inaugural event last March, three of the major industry organizations will unite once again next year for Power of Purpose–Business Events Industry Week 2023, held March 7-9 at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.
The second annual multi-day experience will offer several co-located programs from Destinations International, the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), in conjunction with the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association.
“Business Events Industry Week is about bringing the world together in the U.S. capital annually, where every facet of the industry unites to conduct business, learn from each other in immersive settings and celebrate professional recognition of the best and brightest globally,” Sherrif Karamat, CAE, President and CEO of PCMA and CEMA, said. “Participants are going to see dramatic enhancements in 2023, and we are just getting started.”
The two days kick off with PCMA’s Showcase on Wednesday, March 8, an annual one-day event for show organizers and meeting planners to connect with 100 destination organizations. A new fashion show that evening, benefiting the PCMA Foundation and sponsored by The Palm Beaches, will feature industry insiders walking the catwalk in Palm Beach-inspired attire by Lilly Pulitzer and Amanda Perna.
Related. Events Industry Gathers In D.C to Demonstrate the Power of Purpose
IAEE’s Women’s Leadership Forum Reception will also be held the evening of March 8, followed by the Women’s Leadership Forum on Thursday, March 9. Destinations International’s Convention Sales and Services Summit is March 9, and that evening, PCMA’s red carpet Visionary Awards will close out the two days.
This year, a centralized registration platform has been developed for all co-locating events. Additional details will be shared during IAEE’s Expo! Expo! 2022 and PCMA’s Convening Leaders 2023.
David DuBois, CMP-F, CAE, FASAE, CTA, President & CEO, IAEE, is optimistic about the event, as well as the outlook for trade shows in the coming year. “I feel confident that the exhibitions and events industry will continue to build on the forward movement accomplished in the past two years,” DuBois said. “The exact amount is impossible to determine, but I believe it will advance exponentially as the number of events continue to resume their full schedules and that we will be much closer to our pre-COVID performance levels. We are now shifting from survival mode to thriving mode.”
For more information, visit the Power of Purpose web site.
Reach David DuBois at ddubois@iaee.com; Sherrif Karamat at skaramat@pcma.org; David Jefferys, Executive Director of LGBT Meeting Professionals Association, at (215) 977-9900 or dave@lgbtmpa.com; Don Welsh, President and CEO & Foundation Executive Director of Destinations International, at (202) 835-4219 or ceo@destinationsinternational.org
