The Inland Empire, nestled in the center of Southern California, is surrounded by mountains and vineyards, and olive and orange groves fill the valleys. Combine this bounty with its spas, resorts and cuisine that highlights this local produce, and there is a bumper crop of wellness options that can be harvested by groups.

The Renaissance Reno Downtown Hotel unveiled a new program for meetings that, as the property states, can make any event more “pawsitive.” And who wouldn’t want more of that? The Puppy Meeting Package brings 30 minutes of puppy playtime for groups of 25 or more attendees.

Sycuan Casino Resort completed its $260 million hotel and resort expansion. The newly expanded resort, located in east San Diego County about 30 minutes from downtown, features a 12-story hotel tower with over 300 guest rooms and 57 suites. The property also boasts state-of-the-art amenities including an expanded gaming area, new restaurants and bars, meeting and event space, a full-service spa and fitness center and a pool and gardens area.

The InterContinental Houston - Medical Center opened next to the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical complex. The 354-room, 21-story hotel features Club InterContinental Lounge, a Mediterranean restaurant Safina Restaurant & Bar, an outdoor pool, fitness center and meeting and event space.

Conrad Washington, DC opened its doors on New York Avenue at the gateway of the high-end, mixed-use CityCenterDC. The 360-room, 10-floor hotel features 30,000 square feet of retail space on its ground floor and 32,000 square feet of meeting space.

Charlotte has a diverse array of art venues, museums, public exhibitions and galleries. These institutions strive to celebrate local and international artists and provide an ideal backdrop for events. In the Uptown neighborhood, the Levine Center for the Arts is a cultural campus home to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts & Culture, the Mint Museum Uptown and the Knight Theater. Following are four standout museums that double as off-site event venues.

Madison, Wisconsin, is an emerging destination for Midwest meetings. Here’s a run-down of what is new in the area for planners considering the city for their next event.

Scenic Lake Geneva is 75 miles southeast of Madison, making it a great getaway for groups pre- or post-function. Here are four things to do in the popular resort city.

The Madison area’s 200 parks, 13 beaches, five lakes and 200 miles of biking and hiking trails make it easy for groups to get outdoors. With both land and lake activities abounding in its wealth of dedicated open-space, taking advantage of the Wisconsin capital’s year-round offerings are a way to truly experience Madison like a local.

INNOV8 Meetings + Events is a new professional global meetings management organization. The company specializes in in tracking data, leveraging overall meetings spend, reducing an organization’s risk through a cost savings evaluation, customized contract process and volume buyer program. The team is focused on assisting meeting professionals with a strategic meetings management process.