At Convening Leaders in January, PCMA announced a strategic partnership with CEMA. As one of their first joint projects, the two associations have planned a series of interactive webinars to educate the industry on the novel coronavirus, what to expect, how to prepare, and how to react.

“CEMA is proud to partner with PCMA to bring timely and actionable insights on COVID-19 to the event marketing community,” says CEMA President and CEO Kimberley Gishler.  

She continues, “The PCMA webinars cover a range of useful topics from scientific fact, to risk management and contractual preparedness, to response, communications and recovery during and after a major disruption. We will continue to explore new topics with PCMA as COVID-19 evolves and look to collaborate with them on helping our event marketing colleagues remain resilient during this crisis.”

Gishler says that CEMA is working with partners PCMA and the Events Industry Council (EIC), as well as other peer organizations, to ensure coherent information flow across the event marketing industry. 

“What we can do about this issue is arm ourselves with facts, seek expert advice and share those among our community so that every event marketing professional has the best available information to help them decide if and how this issue impacts their event audiences and plans,” she says.

COVID-19 Educational Webinar Schedule

• Tuesday, March 10, 3:30 p.m. CT — Get the Facts on COVID-19 with Dr. Robin Patel, Mayo Clinic


• Thursday, March 12, 1 p.m. CT — Is Your Event Covered in a Crisis Situation? - Barbara Dunn, Esq., Barnes & Thornburg LLP


• Tuesday, March 17, 1 p.m. CT — Crisis Contract Preparedness for Suppliers - Lisa Devlin, Esq., Devlin Law Firm P.C.


• Thursday, March 19, 1 p.m. CT — Lessons Learned from Toronto’s 2003 SARS Outbreak - Sherrif Karamat and Bruce MacMillan, PCMA

PCMA has declared helping the global business events industry navigate the challenges presented by the COVID-19 outbreak to be its top industry priority. Anyone interested in supporting the association's plan is invited to reach out to PCMA President and CEO Sherrif Karamat.

Visit our Event Industry Coronavirus Resources page for a list of industry resources and information on COVID-19.