In St. Louis, red rules. Of course, they love their St. Louis Blues hockey team, but it’s the MLB Cardinals that rule The Roost. Called by many “the best fans in baseball,” the good citizens of St. Louis know how to cheer on their teams, and also how to provide a great setting for meetings and events that serve up a good, honest portion of Midwest quality and tradition. Participants of Meetings Today LIVE! MidAmerica discovered several exciting venues and group options on the second day of the event’s May 20-23, 2018, program.

The sight of an empty swinging egg chair was irresistible enough. But glimpsing the view before me—the mesmerizingly turquoise hues of the ocean—if I grabbed that seat made it impossible not to jump right in. I did just that, happily swaying like a kid for a bit after checking in to the Serafina Beach Hotel, Puerto Rico’s new design-driven hot spot.

Meetings Today LIVE! MidAmerica hit a lofty high note on its opening night, with a welcome reception perched 20 floors above downtown St. Louis in the historic Crystal Ballroom of the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel.

Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Hilton’s luxury brand, announced it will convert the Mandarin Oriental on the Las Vegas Strip to the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas in August 2018. Waldorf Astoria will assume full operation of the property with plans to reimagine and renovate the hotel.

Cvent released its annual lists of “Top Meeting Hotels” for meetings and events worldwide in 2018. The top venues were sorted geographically and rankings are based on each hotel’s group business performance on the Cvent Supplier Network.

Major meetings industry associations have joined forces to fight sexual harassment.

Dallas-based hotel developer Sam Moon Group and the city of Frisco broke ground on the Hyatt Regency Stonebriar at the Stonebriar Centre on May 9, 2018. The 18-story, 303-room hotel will feature a parking garage, conference center and city library.

Westgate Resorts is boosting third-party commission rates to 12 percent, based on location and times of meetings.

Voices in Advocacy inks deal with RAP Index to use advocacy technology to streamline policymaker outreach and influence.

A new report from American Express Global Business Travel shows that while a large majority of business travelers acknowledge the value of traveling for work, a varying percentage across markets are reluctant to comply with company travel policies.