Experience Columbus Inspires All to ‘Live Forward’

Experience Columbus is thrilled to partner with PCMA as we bring our communities back together for social and economic progress. Columbus is a city built on bold ideas and fueled by relentless optimism. As a community, we tend to dream big. We let nothing stop us from turning today’s dreams into better tomorrows. We’re excited to reveal to a wider audience all that’s possible when you “Live Forward” by sharing the thrilling opportunities available to all types of travelers in Columbus.

Columbus, the 14th-largest city in the United States as well as the fastest-growing city in the Midwest, is a smart and open community with a dynamic convention package that can fit the needs of any group. Located within a one-day drive or one-hour flight from more than half of the U.S. population, Columbus is easily accessible for all. As attendees of PCMA Convening Leaders 2022 in January will learn, Columbus is posed to be the fashion city of the future — and we are most certainly ready to strut our stuff and welcome participants as host city for Convening Leaders 2023.

To Live Forward, we must reflect on our recent past. To memorialize our shared experience in dealing with a global pandemic and its impacts on our industry, our friends and families, as well as on a personal level, Experience Columbus is developing a three-part mural series to share our collective experience of Hope, Unity, and Resiliency. The paint-by-numbers mural project, created by local Columbus artist Jeremy Jarvis, launched at PCMA’s Educon in 2021, where attendees gathered to paint parts of the mural. Participants of Convening Leaders 2022, taking place in Las Vegas, will continue work on the painting. And when attendees visit Columbus in 2023 for the next Convening Leaders, they will witness their own artistry on display at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

Live Forward also means transformation. In an effort to create more leadership pathways for people of color, Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, in collaboration with Tourism Diversity Matters, launched the Diversity Apprenticeship Program (DAP). The program provides a paid, hands-on, on-the-job experience for people who identify as BIPOC to work across multiple departments in travel industry organizations. Upon successfully completing 600 working hours, the apprentice(s) will be offered a full-time, manager-level position or higher, at one of the participating partner locations. Columbus is committing to actionable change to better diversity in the hospitality industry. Residents and visitors alike can and should expect hospitality workers to reflect themselves.

Experience Columbus wants all of us to Live Forward!