Houston will host the nation's top gathering of meeting professionals in 2025, according to an announcement this week by the association that puts the conference together.
PCMA's Convening Leaders conference, the group's flaghship education and networking event, will be held January 12-15, 2025 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. PCMA announced the host cities for the next four years, including San Diego, which will host the conference in January 2024. The annual event draws roughly 3,500 to 4,000 meetings industry professionals.
“The business events industry plays a critical role in bringing people together that drives economic growth and social good for individuals, organizations, and communities” said PCMA President and CEO Sherrif Karamat. “Each of these destinations has a unique identity and offers a diverse range of experiences for our participants. We look forward to bringing our global community together to learn, connect, and innovate for the future.”
Houston will actually host the 25th anniversary of the conference in 2025. The other host cities PCMA announced this week are Philadelphia in 2026 and Miami in 2027.
“We look forward to hosting the premier gathering of meetings professionals in the country when Convening Leaders comes to Houston in 2025, said Michael Heckman, president and CEO, Houston First Corporation. "Not only is Houston a great destination enjoyed by millions of visitors annually, our George R. Brown Convention Center campus is the perfect place for event professionals to collaborate and be inspired while also enjoying the world-class culinary and cultural offerings of the nation’s most diverse city."
Houston's prime central location and two international airports offering 6,000 flights a week make it an ideal location to host a conference. The city was recently named by Travel & Leisure as one of the 50 best places in the world to travel in 2023.
Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 17 North American Chapters, international regional communities and members in 59 countries.