In response to the growing number of active shooter incidents, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in May 2018 released “NFPA 3000,” a provisional standard created with insight from law enforcement, fire officials, EMS, medical providers, facility managers, the CIA, the FBI and other experts. The standard provides whole-community guidance on planning for, responding to and recovering from an active shooter incident and other hostile events.

MGM Resorts International opened Massachusetts’ first resort-casino, MGM Springfield, August 24. The property occupies three city blocks in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, and features a 125,000-square-foot casino floor with 2,550 slot machines, 120 gaming tables, a poker room and a high-limit VIP gaming lodge, according to MGM. The resort was reported to cost $960 million to build.

Hawaii's Hurricane Lane has been downgrated to Category 2 status.

Florida Governor Rick Scott announced the commitment of an additional $3 million to battle Florida's red tide mitigation efforts.

Several major airlines have waived change fees as Hurricane Lane is barreling toward the islands.

Hawaii is preparing for the worst as it begins seeing the first signs of Hurricane Lane Thursday, August 23, 2018, although reports indicate the storm will likely not have a direct hit on any of the islands. The category 4 storm is moving closer to the Hawaiian Islands with winds of 145 mph, and it is estimated that if the storm doesn’t make landfall, the islands will experience winds of 39 mph to 73 mph and rains of 5 inches to 15 inches.

The ways in which events are becoming sustainable, sometimes to the goal of zero waste, are increasingly innovative and exciting.

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) acquired WINiT for Women, a career development network aimed at increasing visibility, mobility and development for women in the travel, meetings, events and exhibition industries. The acquisition will increase services for both organizations.

ASAE’s Annual Meeting & Exposition, held August 18-21 at Chicago’s McCormick Convention Center, set an attendance record for the association of associations as well as featured the unveiling of a bold pricing strategy for its experimental XDP event held in the Washington, D.C., area each April. Perhaps the biggest news item was the radical “pricing strategy” of offering free admission for association professionals to ASAE’s XDP, or Xperience Design Project, held April 11-12 next year at the Washington, D.C., area’s Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.

Omni Hotels & Resorts launched a new meeting planner loyalty program modeled after its Omni Select Guest program, which awards amenities and tier levels for free stays for planner activity. The program was announced August 20, 2018 at ASAE’s Annual Meeting & Exposition in Chicago.