Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Names Events DC President and Chief Executive Officer, Gregory A. O'Dell 2019 Board Chairman
Gregory A. O’Dell, president and chief executive officer of Events DC, the District of Columbia’s official convention and sports authority, has been elected 2019 Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA). O’Dell’s term will begin immediately following PCMA’s annual meeting at the 63rd Convening Leaders in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in January 2019. The PCMA Board of Directors is selected by the organization's nominating committee and confirmed by its members.
“It is an honor to be named PCMA Board Chairman and to serve among such a distinguished list of seasoned leaders across the global meetings industry,” said Gregory A. O’Dell, president and chief executive officer of Events DC. “In my role, I look forward to continuing the incredible work of the PCMA board led by current Chair Claire Smith - supporting Chief Executive Officer Sherrif Karamat and his great team as they continue to implement a bold new vision for PCMA.”
Through his role at Events DC, O’Dell has become an instrumental leader in the global meetings industry with passion for innovation and education. As president and chief executive officer, O’Dell oversees Events DC’s three lines of business: Conventions and Meetings, Sports and Entertainment, and Special Events. His primary responsibilities include oversight of the development and promotion of hospitality, athletic, entertainment and cultural activities that generate economic and community benefits for the residents and businesses of District of Columbia. He also manages Events DC’s development portfolio that include a new multi-purpose Entertainment and Sports Arena on the Campus of St. Elizabeths East in Congress Heights, the redevelopment of the historic RFK Stadium-Armory Campus, a comprehensive streetscaping project around the 9-block exterior of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and the redevelopment of the Carnegie Library inclusive of a primary tenant lease for Apple’s global flagship store.
“Greg has been a long-standing PCMA supporter and we are thrilled to have someone with his depth of business events experience guiding our board of directors,” said Karamat. “His understanding of the global power of the meetings industry and how it affects economic and social transformation is an asset to PCMA and its community.”
In this role, O’Dell will continue to part of an exceptional leadership team that continues to push for growth, development and education in the future of travel and tourism for national and local economies.
O’Dell has served on PCMA’s Board of Directors since 2012 and is currently Vice President of the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC). He also serves on the boards of the Washington, DC Economic Partnership; DC Surface Transit, Inc.; the Downtown DC Business Improvement District; Destination DC; Children’s National Medical Center (Washington, DC).
The PCMA Education Foundation, a branch of PCMA, the world’s largest network of business event strategists with more than 7,000 members and an audience of more than 50,000 individuals was founded in an effort to support the mission of PCMA through scholarships, research education and critical projects for the business events industry. The Board of Trustees is responsible for the fundraising, guardianship of the Corpus and funds raised and support of PCMA and the industry. The scholarships, research, grants, education and critical projects presented by the Foundation have supported the mission of PCMA to provide senior education and networking for the business events sector.
Additional 2019 PCMA Appointed Trustees include; William F. Reed, Chief Event Strategy Officer at the American Society of Hematology; Mary Pat Heftman, President of the Restaurant Show Group; and Stuart Ruff-Lyon, Vice President, Events and Education at Risk and Insurance Management Society Inc.
Convening Leaders 2019 will take place from January 6 – 9 in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
