Planners and suppliers gathered in San Antonio in early January for RCMA's EMERGE 2024 conference. How wonderful it was to be together! We were refreshed by each other's company and inspired by each other's faith. For the second year, we welcomed over 200 first-time planners and suppliers! Even as the event grows, it continues to feel like a warm gathering of friends and family. Here are some snapshots of the rich experiences we enjoyed together.

SERVING & EXPLORING TOGETHER

Many attendees arrived early to participate in Tuesday's pre-event education, serving, and sightseeing. The Hands-On Hospitality session led first-time planners on an insightful behind-the-scenes look at meal prep, decor, and room sets, hosted by Henry B. González Convention Center and The RK Culinary Group.

Serving in the local community is always a meaningful part of EMERGE. This year, attendees visited ChildSafe to fill backpacks with coping supplies for children who are dealing with abuse. At Haven of Hope, we cleaned sleeping mats and sorted donated items for unhoused individuals and families. To offer further support, Meet Minneapolis made a $1,000 donation to Haven for Hope on behalf of EMERGE attendees who participated in the Step Challenge.

"My experience serving at ChildSafe had me in tears. They are truly helping children find safety from danger and traumatic experiences. They are helping them heal. We created backpacks and got to write affirmation cards. It was so powerful."
– Bridget Jenkins, Beauty Is, Inc.

Scott Higgins and his team from Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board again organized the Children's Library Project, inviting attendees to donate children's books at EMERGE. Over 500 books were donated to Haven for Hope, an organization committed to "ending homelessness by empowering individuals and families to transform their lives."

It is no wonder that the EMERGE Sightseeing Tours were so popular, as San Antonio is home to two of the top tourist attractions in Texas – the Riverwalk and the Alamo. Attendees chose from five tours across this city, including a river ride, visiting historic missions, shopping at the El Mercado, and seeing sensational murals on a bike ride! Thank you to Visit San Antonio for providing these awe-inspiring excursions.

"I went on the electric bike artistic mural tour. We learned more than just history; we learned about current happenings in the city. I felt like we got an inside peak of San Antonio. I even learned where there is a great ice cream place!"
– Lisa Winkley, T.D. Jakes Ministries

CELEBRATING TOGETHER

EMERGE's officially kicked off with a night of fiesta! We gathered in the wondrous glass atrium of Henry B. González Convention Center, enjoying brightly colored décor, skillful musicians, and artistic offerings. Everyone savored local culinary delights as we mixed and mingled in a vibrant atmosphere. Viva San Antonio!

"We are thrilled to have you all in our beautiful and enchanting city for Emerge… San Antonio is a city founded on faith, and more than 300 years later, that foundation remains… it keeps us grounded and makes us who we are today."
– Marc Anderson, President & CEO of Visit San Antonio

During the final general session, Yellow Bird Dancing (Tony Duncan), representing the San Carlos Apache Tribe, shared a cultural presentation of music and dance celebrating the unique spirit of Native Americans. We are so thankful that Visit Phoenix, host of EMERGE 2025, invited Yellow Bird Dancing to share with us.

We also awarded Sandra Schutrop and George McKain II an Award of Excellence for their outstanding service in faith-based meetings.

EMERGE 2024 closed in laughter! Renowned comedian Michael Jr. engaged us with his clever comedic style, weaving in a message about learning to receive gifts given to us.

INSPIRED TOGETHER

For the first time, RCMA welcomed a keynote speaker back for a second year in a row! Professional development coach, motivational speaker, and basketball broadcaster Vera Jones returned to EMERGE with more wisdom and humor.

Vera's message centered on the importance of empathetic leadership to connect and encourage. She emphasized, "Communication, leadership, and customer service must be about empathy. Empathy is not babysitting people's feelings… it is the capacity to perceive or feel what another person is experiencing within their frame of reference."

Vera shared a story about Ricky, a grocery store worker with limited abilities who rushed ahead to help with her cart, shouting, "I got it!" Vera admired his passion for his work and observed, "Someone got past all of what Ricky couldn't do to get to what he could do. That required a leader to show tremendous empathy."

Vera encourages empathetic leaders to ask, "What engages you in your work and why? and What can I do to lead (and/or) help you?" Vera concludes her talk by saying, "If you don't do anything else, learn to be a good encourager, helping people understand how they matter. EMPATHY IS OUR SUPERPOWER – use it to LOVE and LEAD them!"

Social entrepreneur Liz Bohannon shared about the power and necessity of community and relationships, noting an 80-year Harvard study that found "the single best predictor for happiness, fulfillment, and physical health and wellbeing is relationships, and more specifically friendships."

Liz pointed to data indicating that we've entered an "epidemic of loneliness. Two out of three people in our country struggle with loneliness. Loneliness is not an accusation of unworthiness. It signals an unmet need… that we need to course correct."

For many, building new relationships is a challenge. Bohannon encouraged us to "GO FIRST. Bring your full and authentic selves… Being vulnerable and going first to build community is one of the bravest acts of self-leadership." She highlighted that "you must pay your dues. Prioritizing relationships has a cost. It's hard work." Liz continued, "Research shows that it takes 90 hours to move from an acquaintance to a friend; it takes another 110 hours before Someone becomes a friend that you would actually call for help. Bohannon added, "Relationships aren't magical and mystical where some people have them and others don't. The reality is that all good things take time, work, and intention."

Liz emphasized, "Develop the skill of reflective listening. It will transform your relationships. We'll never find perfect friends, but if we can learn to lean into discomfort, we'll learn how to connect… and work through conflict…to a place of greater intimacy." Bohannon finished with the encouragement, "Life is too much to carry on your own. We were created to do life together. Go first."

Our final keynote was the dynamic Ryan Leak. With humor and boundless energy, Ryan shared a message about taking risks and chasing failure. He told us, "Chasing failure can take you further than chasing success ever could." Emphasizing the necessity of risk for growth, Ryan remarked, "You're only failing if you're failing to learn… Failure loses its grip when you keep moving forward. Don't wait for Monday or the ideal emotional state." Leak challenges us to live with the notion, "What would you do if you could not fail?"

CONNECTING TOGETHER

A sense of vitality and energy was palpable during the Exchange expo sessions. Connections and partnerships blossomed.

"This is one of my favorite events. I love the relationships that we have with our clients and other suppliers. It's just like a family. I've been coming to EMERGE for five years, and it is like a family reunion every time. That's my favorite part."
– Shaunte Winfree, Hyatt Regency Birmingham–The Wynfrey Hotel
"The Expo times were excellent. People are interested, engaged, and excited about what they're doing more than ever."
– Lee Callicutt, Visit Montgomery
"It's been a great experience here at Emerge. We've met a lot of new meeting planners, made a lot of new connections, and built old friendships even stronger." – Jessica Rodgers, Visit Shreveport-Bossier

LEARNING TOGETHER

Education is one of the most valued parts of EMERGE. Four education slots were offered, including specialized tracks in legal, planner tools, tech, and wellness. Additionally, Roundtable Discussions and Learning Labs helped attendees dive deeper into topics of interest.

My favorite session was about AI (Artificial Intelligence) with Jim Spellos. It was eye-opening. Technology is changing so quickly, and AI has a lot of good uses. I learned how it can help us to better ourselves personally and professionally."
– Angella Lopez, Visit Lauderdale
"I learned a lot from the Learning Lab about exhibit spaces. We were able to look at setup and flow and explore things to consider when designing the space. The session was a great opportunity for me to learn how to plan our exhibit time better."
– Andrea Grebas, The Navigators

GRATEFUL TOGETHER

EMERGE 2024 closed with a deep sense of gratitude. President Harry Schmidt offered a heartfelt thanks to Visit San Antonio, our wonderful event host.

"When planning an event like this, there is a bridge to cross between expectations, anticipation, and execution. I can say with deep gratitude on behalf of the RCMA community that San Antonio has been an ideal partner, exceeding expectations and executing with excellence."
– Harry Schmidt, RCMA President & CEO
"We are so appreciative to all of you for coming to San Antonio. We truly hope you have created some good memories of San Antonio and will come back and create more!"
– Troy Love, Dir. of Association Sales, Visit San Antonio
"I can't tell you how often the hotel staff here have stopped us to say, 'These are the kindest people we've met. These folks want to thank us and how beautiful our city is.' That is a really big deal. I will miss working with the RCMA team as you have become family."
– Shauna Goodman, Dir. of Destination Experience, Visit San Antonio

BETTER TOGETHER

"Because of this faith-based community, I was able to grow personally and professionally. Now, we need your best and brightest talent and thinking to continue to move this community into greatness and excellence for the Great Creator. Let's go and do something special in the world."
– Al Hutchinson, RCMA Board Chair, President & CEO of Visit Baltimore
"Since my very first EMERGE, I have felt like this is a family. The feeling of belonging, fellowship, and friendship, and that we're all here to help each other. I think this is just a wonderful event."
– Lee Callicutt, Visit Montgomery
"This event is truly relationship-based. There's a real belief in helping each other. You get to see people for who they really are."
– Amram Grunwald, The Ami Company

RCMA is "Where Faith Meets." We are an association of people marked by deep care – care for details and care for one another. Our sense of spirituality is best expressed in our love. EMERGE 2024 was a meaningful opportunity to experience that love and care in real time and to remind us how fortunate we are to be a part of such a special community.