From inspiring women leaders to contract checklists and new tech so wacky it’s genius, here are the Meetings Today articles you could not stop reading in 2019.

Host your next event in one of these three St. Louis historic hotels. With stunning architecture and captivating pasts, these are ready-made for inspiring meetings.

The new St. Louis Aquarium opens inside historic Union Station in December 2019. Host your next meeting in its shark tank, interact with stingrays and more. Plus, Union Station adds more amenities like restaurants and an observation wheel.

Executive retreats—where corporate leaders come together to get off site and discuss company problems, progress and goals—are often high stakes. Avoid stumbles out of the gate by recognizing common planner mistakes for this unique type of event. Read more.

From biking in Portland to sand dune buggy tours and hikes around a national park, these are the best ways for meetings groups to bond outdoors in the Beaver State. Read more.

As Milwaukee gears up for an event-packed 2020, VISIT Milwaukee announced that Peggy Williams-Smith will be its new president and CEO after a months-long national search. She is a local Milwaukeean and the first woman to lead the organization. Read more.

On the road for meetings in October? Add a little spookiness to the agenda while convening in some of America’s most-haunted big cities. Here’s our recommendations for ghost tours in Savannah, Georgia; Portland, Oregon; New Orleans; San Diego; and Chicago.

As Nashville’s tourism flourishes, so does the interest from meeting planners. Music City hotels are answering the call, offering new and reimagined spaces—here’s the latest at JW Marriott Nashville, Renaissance Nashville and Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center.