GMC PCMA Pickleball Tournament
Thursday, July 30, 2026 | SPF Chicago, Chicago, IL
Paddles up! On July 30, 200+ attendees swapped conference lanyards for pickleball paddles at SPF Chicago for an afternoon that was equal parts competitive, chaotic, and a whole lot of fun. There were dinks, there were smashes, and there was plenty of trash talk between old friends and new connections alike — exactly what a GMC PCMA gathering should be.
🏆 Champions
Congratulations to Team Visit Omaha (Matt Brolley, NHS and Chirag Patel, National Retail Federation) for taking home the title and the pickleball trophies! You brought your A-game and left it all on the court.
🥈 Runner-Up
A big shoutout to Team Visit San Diego (Shalini D’Souza, Independent Planner and Meredith Kaleciak, EISAI) who fought hard all the way to the final. Great games, and great sportsmanship!
Passport Prize Winners
Beyond the main event, players competed for bragging rights (and some great prizes) with our Passport challenges:
- Best Dressed Team/Player: Stefanie Milano
- Best Team Spirit: Amy Cacich
- High-Five Champion: Michelle Scherer
Prizes were generously donated by:
- The Palm Beaches, Visit San Antonio, Visit Baltimore, See Monterey, and Kalahari
Thank You to Our Sponsors
None of this would’ve been possible without our incredible sponsors. Huge thanks to our title sponsor, Visit Seattle, along with the rest of our sponsors: The Palm Beaches/Palm Springs, Visit San Antonio, Visit Austin, Visit Baltimore, Visit Monterey, Experience Columbus, Kalahari Resorts, Destination Reps, and Visit Indy, plus the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. A special thank you to our in-kind sponsors, MK Photo for event photography and Viper Tradeshow Services for our event signage.
And to our Team Sponsors — Choose Chicago, Loews Hotels, Visit Houston, Accor, Visit Omaha, Visit San Jose, Visit Atlantic City, San Francisco Travel Association, and Visit San Diego — thank you for getting our members out on the court!
See you next year — bring your best serve. 🎾
