**Indianapolis**: Leonard Hoops, president and CEO of Visit Indy, reflects on his leadership as chair of the PCMA Board, highlighting major developments in the business events sector, accessibility improvements, and the increasing role of AI, as he prepares for the organisation’s future beyond 2025.
Leonard Hoops, president and CEO of Visit Indy, has reflected on his tenure as chair of the PCMA Board of Directors and Trustees for 2024, emphasising significant developments and projections for the business events industry as it progresses into 2025. His involvement with PCMA spans nearly three decades, during which he has held various leadership positions and contributed extensively across multiple chapters.
In an interview with Convene magazine, Hoops described the past year as “rewarding,” highlighting the unique engagement opportunities he experienced as board chair. He explained that this role allowed him to connect with PCMA’s global community, attending industry events worldwide at the request of Sherrif Karamat, the organisation’s president and CEO. “You do as many things as possible,” Hoops stated, reinforcing the expansive nature of his responsibilities.
Looking back, Hoops noted that his term has been marked by ambitious agendas, particularly the launch of the exponential growth strategy that aims to guide PCMA until 2030. He likened his leadership role to moving a football forward, aiming to achieve specific milestones set by his predecessor, Desirée Knight. Hoops acknowledged progress in membership engagement, indicating that both memberships and community interactions had notably increased.
A focal point of Hoops’ chairmanship has been on enhancing accessibility within the industry. Drawing from personal experience with his son, Cannon, who uses a wheelchair, he underscored the importance of integrating accessibility into PCMA events. The organisation has begun collaborating with external resources to evaluate and improve accessibility measures, with ongoing efforts planned for future events such as Convening Leaders in Houston.
The implementation of AI within the industry has been another area of focus. Hoops noted that the integration of AI tools, particularly PCMA’s Spark platform, is growing momentum. This adoption signifies a shift among event strategists who are beginning to see AI not just as a time-saving tool but also as a strategic asset. As Hoops explained, the industry is currently transitioning from early adopters to a phase where AI becomes integral to event strategy, forecasting that by 2025, many will have fully embraced this technology.
However, challenges remain. Hoops described a disparity in technology adoption rates between event strategists and destination marketing organisations (DMOs). He perceives many DMOs as being at the early stage of AI integration, lagging behind event strategists. There remains significant potential for leveraging AI within DMOs for various applications, such as crafting personalised itineraries and analysing vast CRM data to enhance event offerings.
As Hoops’ term concludes, the insights he shared underline the evolving landscape of supplier relationship management (SRM) in the events sector, particularly through the utilisation of generative AI. The continuous effort to analyse unstructured supplier data and extract meaningful insights represents a crucial avenue for improving supplier relationships, positioning organisations to adapt to industry shifts.
Source: Noah Wire Services
