MCCA’S Rooney elected to board

James E. Rooney, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, has been elected to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), the meeting and convention industry’s most significant and influential organization.

Founded in 1957, PCMA represents the interests of meeting management executives from associations, non-profit organizations, corporations, independent  meeting planning companies, and management firms who run major meetings throughout the world. Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 16 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. Rooney’s appointment to the 20-member board was made at the 55th PCMA’s annual meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“It is indeed a personal and professional honor to be appointed to the PCMA board,” said Rooney. “But beyond that, holding a seat among my peers on the PCMA board reflects the Commonwealth’s and Boston’s elevated status in the international convention and meeting industry. I pledge to represent our destination well.”

Rooney will be one of only three convention center executives on the 20 member board, sitting with convention center heads from Scotland and Hawaii. The Board will be led by incoming PCMA Board Chairman Susan R. Katz of the True Value Company. Rooney also serves on the PCMA North American Advisory Summit, which at the request of the Mexican government examines Mexico's infrastructure and competitiveness and makes recommendations to help bring group business to that country.

“We are delighted that James Rooney will be joining the PCMA Board this year,” said PCMA President and CEO Deborah Sexton. “Jim brings a wealth of experience to the table and is wellknown in the meetings industry for his leadership and vision. He has been very active in PCMA, participating in both the North American Advisory and CEO Summits, and we look forward to the contributions he will make in his role as a Board Member.” "Jim's significant contribution to the meetings and convention industry is being acknowledged once again by his peers with his recent appointment to the PCMA Board of Directors,” said Metro Toronto Convention Centre President and CEO Barry Smith, a former PCMA board member. “This new leadership role is yet another testament to how the industry has recognized the considerable skills and capacity that Jim brings to both Boston as well as the broader industry."

Rooney has over 25 years of professional management and public service experience including 10 years with the MCCA. Prior to being named Executive Director in 2003, Rooney was Director of Development and Construction for the MCCA and oversaw the construction of the $850 million BCEC and the renovation and  expansion of the $71 million MassMutual center in Springfield. He was twice named to Tradeshow Week’s Power Pack as one of the top ten convention bureau/center leaders in North America, and under his leadership, the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center was named the best convention center in the country in 2007.
Rooney was also the recipient of the American Society for Public Administration’s 2008 Distinguished Public Administrator Award. Since 2006, just two years after the opening of the BCEC, Boston has been ranked a Top 10 North American convention destination.

About the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA)
The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority owns and oversees the operations of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA and the Boston Common Parking Garage. In 2010, the MCCA hosted 239 events at the BCEC and the Hynes with 773,387 attendees, generating 585,528 hotel room nights and $462 million in economic impact. The MCCA is currently in the midst of its Top 5 campaign to launch Boston into the top five convention destinations in North America. For more information, go to www.t5boston.com.

About PCMA
The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) is the professional resource and premier educator for the meetings and convention industry. Founded in 1957, PCMA represents the interests of meeting management executives from associations, non-profit organizations, corporations, independent meeting planning companies, and multimanagement firms who recognize the importance of meetings to their organization. PCMA empowers members with the tools they need to succeed as meeting professionals and to promote the value of the industry to their organizations and the general public. Headquartered in Chicago, PCMA has 16 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. For additional information, please visit the PCMA Web site at pcma.org.