Singapore – Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), a US-based global business events platform that has been around since the 50’s, is launching a Digital Event Strategist (DES) Course, specifically for APAC executives.
The current DES course is a re-launch of the highly successful DES course and now the program has been enhanced to cater to APAC business events and marketing professionals for those planning a hybrid or digital meeting. The course offers a comprehensive toolkit that will help business events and marketing professionals effectively plan, produce and measure results of digital events.
The firm has appointed a group of experts to lead the new DES program. This includes Mayvin Global’s Managing Director and Founder Deanna Varga, HK Initiative’s Founder and Managing Partner Darren Chuckry, and Creative Technology Hong Kong’s Managing Director Justin Choy, as well as Sinclair’s Senior Manager of Digital Jayson Chau, and Bank of America’s Asia Pacific Head of Event Marketing Deborah Caldwell.
The APAC experts will provide ‘expert hours’ which include opportunities for mentoring, discussion, and conversation on the business events challenges.
According to Karen Bolinger, the managing director of PCMA APAC, the APAC experts are a vital addition to the already popular course, as they will help guide the industry forward.
“We know hybrid and digital events aren’t going anywhere; the DES course is an essential certification covering six modules from business planning and technology to marketing and measurement. Not only do you get the benefits of expanding your knowledge, but you also get support from the experts and the opportunity to network with peers. DES alumni become an important professional community,” said Bolinger.
Meanwhile, Varga said that she is looking forward to helping shape the business events industry as a DES APAC expert for ‘Business Planning and Monetisation’ and help participants implement sustainable commercial strategies to drive revenue, profit, and visitor engagement.
“I believe these skills are more important than ever before as we navigate the post-COVID environment. Knowing I’ll be able to answer questions for those who are reskilling and upskilling in our industry, especially as we face significant workforce hurdles, is important to me. I’m looking forward to working through some of the APAC challenges in the expert hours,” added Varga.
DES is a six-week course of self-paced materials, with weekly expert hours. Upon successfully completing the course, participants will remain certified for two years.
