Dreamtime 2017, the premier incentive travel product event in Australia, showcased both the Land Down Under and the rising destination of Brisbane.

The U.S. and the meetings industry have given a lot to Burt Cabanas, founder and chairman of Benchmark, and since handing over the CEO reins to son Alex in 2013, he’s upped his lifelong efforts of giving back to the organizations and people who helped shape his success.

If indeed the government does shutdown, how will it affect the meetings industry in the near term?

Greensboro has risen from a textile-based economy to taking a lead in the aerospace and defense industries.

Being the executive banquet chef at Pechanga Resort & Casino is a study in flexibility, from executing a chocolate and wine festival in time for Valentine’s Day to summertime chili cook-offs or catering to 1,500 hungry leathernecks for the annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball, where chicken and lots and lots of sirloin are the menu items du jour for “First to Fight.”

Following are 10 must-know trends from Leena Salamah, account strategist and executive director of Marketing Design Group (MDG).

We asked five planners who responded to our 2018 Meetings Today Trends Survey to elaborate on their responses.

2018 Meetings Today Trends Survey planner interview with Rita Kelly, Director of Administration, Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association, Minneapolis.

2018 Meetings Today Trends Survey planner interview with Kelly O'Neal, Conference & Event Services Manager, University of Dallas, Irving, Texas.