GREATER PALM SPRINGS, Calif.—Visit Greater Palm Springs has launched a Customer Advisory Board in partnership with the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), creating a forum for meeting professionals to help shape the destination’s meetings strategy through 2028.
The working advisory program will bring together established and emerging professionals to exchange ideas, provide feedback, and build relationships across the meetings industry. The board will offer Visit Greater Palm Springs’ leadership direct input on destination priorities, infrastructure, and programming, while members receive early updates on venue openings and product developments.
The inaugural, invitation-only board will include up to 24 members divided into three eight-person market “Rings”: the Tech Ring, for corporate technology and West Coast companies; the Association Ring, for national associations and nonprofit organizations; and the Incentive & Luxury Ring, for incentive houses, luxury travel agencies, and high-end corporate programs.
Within each Ring, experienced planners will be paired with emerging colleagues from the same market segment through a structured mentor-mentee model.
“At Visit Greater Palm Springs, we believe the strongest ideas emerge through collaboration,” says Scott White, president and CEO of Visit Greater Palm Springs. “This Customer Advisory Board creates a forum where established meeting professionals and emerging leaders can share expertise, different perspectives, and gain fresh insights that will help shape the future of meetings. We’re excited to partner with PCMA on an initiative that strengthens relationships, fosters innovation, and invests in our industry.”
Board membership begins this month and runs through 2028. The first year will include virtual sessions during the summer and fall, followed by an in-person gathering in Greater Palm Springs. Education accreditation will also be available through the program.
PCMA president and CEO Sherrif Karamat says the initiative supports the industry’s next generation of leaders while giving destinations more direct access to planners’ perspectives.
“The future of our global community depends on how boldly we invest in the people who will eventually lead it,” Karamat says. “Programs, such as this CAB, don’t simply mentor aspiring leaders; they build the workforce our community will rely on. We are proud to stand behind the Visit Greater Palm Springs team in pioneering a model that strengthens the pipeline of business events strategists, while giving destinations a more direct, honest channel to the events strategists they serve.”
