Seven Heartland Chapter members attended last month’s PCMA Convening Leaders conference, using their scholarships awarded to them by the Chapter.
In this week’s newsletter, we feature Annie Tebow’s highlights and key takeaways from the conference.
Annie Tebow, CMP, DES
Senior Event Planner
Meetings and Conventions
American Academy of Family Physicians
I’m so thankful for the opportunity to participate in this year’s CL. I really enjoyed all of the content and I’m still going back to re-watch many of the on-demands. It was definitely different from an in-person experience, but it still provided me with the excitement to hear and “see” colleagues in our industry.
What was the best thing about attending Convening Leaders virtually this year?
Annie: Participating in the Microcommunities and the Conversation Starter sessions were my favorite parts about this year’s virtual Convening Leaders. Not only did it feel nice to connect with people in our industry about how they’ve been dealing with the pandemic, by transitioning into virtual as well as hybrid, but also it offered a true human connection that doesn’t translate well through text chat and emails.
What was your key learning from CL?
Annie: Collaboration is key to success! This rings true more today because of the people you need to be part of your virtual event’s brain trust from the get-go. Being in charge of an event doesn’t mean you have to champion every task at hand. Having a mix of subject matter experts in your core team ensures your planning process is more dynamic and thorough.
Who was your favorite speaker/presenter and why?
Annie: There were plenty of really great speakers, but the one that made me really excited to watch was former KC Chiefs guard, Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff. I had a complete fangirl moment in the chat and Q&A. It was a good thing this wasn’t in person.
What are you most excited about for 2021?
Annie: Advancements in virtual event technology, personal growth and improvement from virtual events I planned in 2020, feeling comfortable again with executing in-person events, and (crossing my fingers it would be possible) planning a safe vacation outside of the US.
Please watch for more insights from the Chapter’s other scholarship winners in future issues of The Pulse.