PCMA Convening Leaders 2024 Achieves Sustainable Event Standards Certification

PCMA’s annual event receives Silver Level Certification in its first year participating in the Events Industry Council’s program

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 12, 2024) – The Events Industry Council announced today that Convening Leaders 2024 (CL24), EIC member PCMA’s flagship education and networking event for the global business events industry, achieved Silver Level Certification to EIC’s Sustainable Event Standards. EIC’s standards provide event planners and suppliers with prescriptive actions for producing and delivering sustainable events.

“PCMA has a unique opportunity — and responsibility — to contribute to the global efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change,” said Sherrif Karamat, CAE, President and CEO, PCMA and CEMA and Immediate Past Chair of the EIC Board. “EIC’s Standards provide us with a framework to measure our event impact while guiding us to rethink how we plan and produce our work collectively. We now have the necessary baseline to create platforms and environments to drive sustainability leadership, and advocate for the importance of a sustainability by design approach.”

EIC President and Chief Executive Officer Amy Calvert congratulated PCMA on its achievement. “We are proud to see our EIC Members leading the way when it comes to sustainable events,” she said. “Achieving Silver Level Certification in their first year is a testament to PCMA’s dedication and sets a benchmark for others in the industry.”

EIC’s standards specify performance criteria in the areas of organisational management, marketing, communications and engagement, climate action, water management, materials and circularity, supply chain management, diversity, equity and inclusion, accessibility and social impact.

Honeycomb Strategies, a sustainable solutions company, collaborated with PCMA to implement programmes for sustainable management in line with EIC requirements. They also collected sustainability metrics on impact for CL24, which welcomed 4,136 in-person participants to the San Diego Convention Center (SDCC) and 949 professionals online.

The Alliance for Audited Media, a not-for-profit auditing organisation, performed the independent third-party certification of PCMA’s compliance with the Event Organiser standard.

"The independent certification process is a rigorous review to ensure that PCMA’s practices align with EIC’s standards. The certification demonstrates that PCMA upholds high levels of environmental and social responsibility,” said Alliance for Audited Media President Richard Murphy.

Contact:

For all EIC media enquiries, additional comment and request for interviews, please contact Steve Dobbins, Events Industry Council

Tel: +1 323 578 2671 / Email: media@eventscouncil.org

ABOUT EVENTS INDUSTRY COUNCIL. The Events Industry Council’s global federation includes 33 Association Members representing 103,500 individuals and 19,500 entities, and more than 30 Corporate Members and Strategic Partners with global operations and event teams in countries around the world.

EIC is the global champion for event professionals and event industry excellence. It promotes high standards and professionalism in the events industry with the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) programme and signature programme activities. The CMP credential is recognised globally as the badge of excellence in the events industry. The qualifications for certification are based on professional experience, education and a rigorous exam. Learn more at www.eventscouncil.org.

ABOUT PCMA

PCMA, PCMA Foundation and CEMA educate, inspire, and listen, creating meaningful experiences where passion, purpose and commerce come together. We are the world’s largest community for Business Events Strategists, providing senior-level education, networking, and market intelligence for the global business events industry. Our mission is to drive social and economic progress through business events. Headquartered in Chicago, IL PCMA has 17 North American Chapters, regional communities in APAC, EMEA and LATAM, and members in 59 countries. The Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA), a PCMA subsidiary, advances strategic event marketing and marketing communications for senior-level event marketers and industry professionals. Visit us at pcma.org.

ABOUT HONEYCOMB STRATEGIES

Honeycomb Strategies is a women-owned, B-Corp-certified sustainability consulting firm specializing in the hospitality, sports and event industries. We work with our clients to consider their business and environmental practices working together, not sacrificing one for the other. We believe when an organization is innovative and resourceful, it is successful. With decades of combined experience, we have enjoyed working with some of the most iconic and sustainable venues and events in the industry. Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and The Bee’s Knees. hcsustainability.com

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE FOR AUDITED MEDIA

As the largest not-for-profit media assurance organization, the Alliance for Audited Media delivers impartial, credible data to help media buyers buy and sellers sell. AAM works alongside the media and advertising industry to establish standards that can be verified independently, ensuring the legitimacy of the businesses that drive media's progress. AAM also provides verification for compliance programs including brand safety, privacy, sustainability and tech assurance. Learn more at auditedmedia.com.