PCMA President Kent Allaway, CEM, CMP, left, welcomed attendees at the opening night reception at SeaWorld. His day job is vice president of meetings and trade shows for the Produce Marketing Association. Photo by Jacob Slaton Photography.

Attendees at PCMA's 2013 Convening Leaders event in Orlando spent a morning at Clean the World—one of the local organizations that benefited from PCMA's Hospitality Helping Hands program. Clean the World reduces waste by recycling hotels’ discarded soap and shampoo products and sending new soap to the needy in the U.S. and in third-world countries, preventing millions of deaths caused each year by hygiene-related illnesses. Since 2009, CTW has collected and distributed more than 11 million bars of soap to more than 55 countries worldwide. PCMA attendees assembled hygiene kits, which were donated to the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. Photo by Jacob Slaton Photography.

The keynote by Morton T. Hansen, PhD, looked at what makes companies great. He is co-author of "Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck—Why Some Thrive Despite Them All." Everyone in the room received a free copy of the book. Photo by Jacob Slaton Photography.

From left to right: Kathy Canning, executive director of the Orange County Convention Center; Deborah Sexton, president & CEO, PCMA; Gary Cain, president, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida; Tammi Runzler, vice president of convention sales and service, Visit Orlando; and Sherrif Karamat, chief operating officer, PCMA, prepare to enter Party with a Purpose, the annual fundraiser connected to PCMA’s annual meeting, Convening Leaders. On January 14, more than 1,500 attendees enjoyed a lively evening at Hard Rock Live Orlando to generate funds for the PCMA Education Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, and PCMA’s Network for the Needy. A check for $25,000 was presented to the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida during the general session at Convening Leaders the following day. Photo by Jacob Slaton Photography.

Hale and hardy attendees take part in Tuesday morning’s Fun Run/Walk. Photo by Jacob Slaton Photography.

Advocates-in-Chief: Advocacy was a key word during PCMA, and was front and center in the Learning Lounge, where representatives of Voices in Advocacy assisted attendees in writing to their respective congressmen and women (“Do the Write Thing”) about the value of the meetings industry, and mailed the letters later. From left to right: Megan Croukham, Roger Rickard, and Terrie Rickard of advocacy group Revent, LLC.

Stéphane Garelli gave a fast-paced view of the world’s economies in a speech to PCMA during Tuesday’s general session. He is director of the International Institute for Management Development’s World Competitive Center in Lausanne, Switzerland. Photo by Jacob Slaton Photography.

John Folkes, far left, president and principal of Minding Your Business Inc., received the Distinguished Member of the Year Award at PCMA. His reward? A night in the Cinderella Castle Suite in the Magic Kingdom, courtesy of Walt Disney World Resort. Deborah Sexton, president & CEO, PCMA; Mickey Mouse; and Rick Continelli, senior vice president, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, were on hand to congratulate him on earning this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Photo by Jacob Slaton Photography.

"Reimagining Convention Exhibits and Trade Shows" was the theme of Tuesday's lunch, which gave attendees new ideas to use for their own association meetings' exhibit halls. Photo by Jacob Slaton Photography.

The foyer of the Orlando Orange County Convention Center was a hub of activity for PCMA's Convening Leaders. Photo by Jacob Slaton Photography.

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman delivered a general session speech on Wednesday morning at PCMA. He is co-author of "That Used to be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back." Photo by Jacob Slaton Photography.