PHILADELPHIA — Jan. 11-14, PCMA’s Convening Leaders 2026 (CL26) wasn’t shouting about disruption. It did something quieter — and smarter. It redesigned the event experience around human outcomes instead of inherited conference habits.
From the moment attendees scanned the program, it was clear this wasn’t a show built around tracks and time slots. It was built around intention. Education was framed through three narrative lenses — Unity, Legacy and Momentum — less like categories and more like chapters. Instead of asking, “Which session should I attend?” attendees were asking, “What kind of leader am I trying to be right now?”
That approach resonated with Gil Gonzalez, Director of Events at EVA – Events Management Platform. “The structure made it easier to think in themes instead of sessions,” he said. “I found myself connecting ideas across conversations rather than treating each session as a standalone moment. It encouraged more intentional choices and better follow-up discussions outside the room.”
Designing For Ease
For Tracy Stuckrath, CSEP, CMM, CHC, Founder of thrive! meetings & events and host of the Eating at a Meeting podcast, Convening Leaders highlighted how powerful F&B can be when it’s
Photo Credit: Whatever Media Group
designed as a social catalyst rather than a logistical necessity. She pointed to destination-driven activations on the District floor, where food became an easy entry point for conversation.
“Salt Lake City had a make-your-own salt activation and fresh popcorn with different salts. Savannah leaned into bananas and banana splits to celebrate the Savannah Bananas. Louisville had a make-your-own hot toddy,” she said. “Those activations made it easy to connect with people because you were experiencing something together.”
That idea — designing for ease — surfaced repeatedly throughout the week.
“Speakers Beth Surmont and Princess Castleberry emphasized designing events to provide ease,” Stuckrath said. “Ease is your competitive advantage. When it comes to food and beverage, it should be about the people we’re feeding — making dining experiences that put people at ease, no matter their dietary or physical needs.”
It’s a philosophy Gonzalez echoed from a broader perspective. After nearly 20 years in the industry, he said what stood out wasn’t a shiny new tool, but a shift in mindset. “What really stuck with me was the move away from chasing ‘new tools’ and toward designing connected systems that actually work for people,” he said. “Clarity and simplicity — not more tech — are what move teams forward.”
Convening Leaders also revealed where experience design can falter. Stuckrath pointed to education sessions scheduled over lunch as a friction point. “You had to choose between one or the other, or grab a quick bite and run,” she said, noting that way finding and flow — especially around food — remain areas where even major industry events can improve.
Keeping Networking Real
Networking at CL26 reflected a similar balance of structure and organic discovery. Gonzalez described the event as “a reunion of sorts,” where long-standing relationships deepened through candid, problem-solving conversations rather than forced encounters. For Stuckrath, useful connections happened in familiar, human-scale settings, from the District floor to informal dinners after hours.
Taken together, those observations reinforce a truth trade show organizers can no longer ignore: Attendees aren’t buying badges; they’re buying outcomes. “Great networking” is meaningless unless people can describe who they connected with — and why it mattered.
PCMA Convening Leaders 2026 suggests the future of trade shows will belong to organizers who design for ease, clarity and connection — then get out of the way and let people experience them.
Photo Credit: Photos by Whatever Media Group
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