New York Times Columnist David Brooks, Economic Expert Jeremy Siegel and Humanitarian Stephen Lewis to Headline 2009 PCMA Annual Meeting

CHICAGO, IL, October 21, 2008 -- Internationally recognized humanitarian Stephen Lewis, economic analyst Jeremy Siegel, and New York Times columnist David Brooks will headline the Professional Convention Management Association's (PCMA) 53rd Annual Meeting, taking place Jan. 11 - 14 in New Orleans. Appropriately themed Convening Leaders, the industry's premier education and networking event will bring together more than 3,000 of the most influential leaders in meetings.

"We are ecstatic about our General Session speakers. These talented individuals will not only inspire, motivate, and inform our Annual Meeting Attendees, but I'm confident that these speakers will also prepare our attendees for the challenges of our future," said Deborah Sexton, PCMA President and CEO. "We have booked the most thought-provoking, timely education and, in true PCMA tradition, outstanding networking functions. Together with our enthusiastic hosts in New Orleans, the PCMA Annual Meeting will excite the meetings community for the year ahead."

Stephen Lewis, an internationally recognized human rights leader who Time has honored as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, will kick-off Monday's opening General Session with his inspirational presentation on "Uncommon Leadership." Through his work, Lewis has witnessed first-hand the leadership qualities of global icons like Nelson Mandela, President Bill Clinton, and Bill Gates. Lewis will explore the evolving role of leadership in the face of shifting economic and social priorities and share stories of how well-known global leaders and, more importantly, everyday leaders have worked in communities across the world to accomplish the extraordinary.

PCMA recently announced that Professor Jeremy Siegel of the world-renowned Wharton School is slated to tackle today's hottest global issue: the economy. At Tuesday's General Session "What's Next for the Markets and the Economy," Siegel will make sense of the root causes of the current economic crisis, discuss where today's values lie, and project domestic and international returns into the future. Siegel has written and lectured extensively about the economy and financial markets, and has appeared frequently on CNN, CNBC, NPR and others networks. He is a regular columnist for Kiplinger's and Yahoo! Finance and has contributed articles to The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, The Financial Times and other national and international publications. Professor Siegel served for 15 years as head of economics training at JP Morgan and is currently the academic director of the U.S. Securities Industry Institute.

David Brooks--Op-Ed Columnist for The New York Times, author and commentator on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS--has been named the meeting's closing General Session speaker. Brooks' insightful review on "The New Ruling Class: What it Means to the U.S., Our World and Our Industry" will focus on how the new shift in political power will impact the U.S., the world, and the meetings industry. Brooks--who has regular access to politicians, policy makers, and power-brokers--will share his insider's perspective on some of the U.S.'s hottest issues, including: the economy, domestic and international travel, rising energy and food costs, and more.

On Saturday, Jan. 10, the CMP^® Exam will be offered during the PCMA Annual Meeting in New Orleans for the first time. Other CMP^® programs at the meeting include the "CMP CRAM Course," the "CMP Facilitator Course," and an informative and instructional program on the "CMP Application Process" geared toward potential CMPs.

Attracting more than 60 percent of PCMA members each year, the PCMA Annual Meeting is considered one of the meeting industry's most comprehensive educational and networking events. The 53rd Annual Meeting will offer a wide variety of education sessions designed to help attendees enhance their careers and make them valuable players within their organizations. Topics will include attendance-building, negotiations, ROI, innovation, work/life balance, talent management, exhibition management, marketing, leadership, technology, crisis planning, green meetings, generational issues, international meetings, legal issues and more.

Registration is now open to everyone. Registration opened on Sept. 4 for those who pre-registered at PCMA's 2008 Annual Meeting in Seattle. Pre-registrants received advanced opportunity to reserve spaces at limited-availability courses and hotels. Pre-registration for 2010 will be offered again at the 2009 Annual Meeting. For more information, visit www.pcma.org or call PCMA at 877/827-PCMA (7262).

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The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) is the professional resource and premier educator for the meetings and convention industry. Founded in 1957, PCMA represents the interests of meeting management executives from associations, non-profit organizations, corporations, independent meeting planning companies, and multi-management firms who recognize the importance of meetings to their organization. PCMA empowers members with the tools they need to succeed as meeting professionals and to promote the value of the industry to their organizations and the general public. Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 16 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. For additional information, please visit the PCMA Web site at www.pcma.org.

The role of the PCMA Education Foundation is to support the mission of the PCMA through fundraising and grant giving focused on education and research that will benefit the meetings and conventions industry. Established in 1985, the Foundation supports educational programs to improve professionalism in the meetings industry and to provide a university-level meeting management curriculum. The Foundation funds educational programs for meeting managers, hotels, convention and visitors bureaus, and other members of the meetings industry. It also conducts ongoing research of industry issues and concerns. The Foundation continually funds new programs to encourage the highest levels of professionalism in the meetings industry.