Keynotes. The boon of the conference world and an anxiety inducing responsibility for any planner. The perfect one will leave your audience dazzled and an inept one will leave everyone with a sour taste in their mouths. An opening keynote sets the tone for the week(end) while the “breakout” leaves employees thinking. A proper closing keynote wraps it all up and sends them on their way, inspired. No pressure, right? With the world of expert speakers growing every day, the options are expanding while true expertise is getting harder to find.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation President and CEO Mark Hoplamazian recently announced that Hyatt will no longer allow hate groups to host meetings or events at its properties. The announcement came in the form of a memo to company employees, which Hyatt did not release.

The Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu is launching the Hoʻomaluō Program, a comprehensive environmental sustainability initiative with the goal of enhancing the overall meetings experience. The Hoʻomaluō Program is kicking off in conjunction with the 2018 American Dental Association (ADA) – America’s Dental Meeting, held October 18-22, 2018.

Workers at seven downtown Boston hotels operated by Marriott International went on strike as of 5 a.m. October 3, 2018, with UNITE HERE union members set to expand strikes in other U.S. cities as soon as Thursday, October 4.

The Broward Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published a report accusing former Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB VP of Convention Sales Christine Roberts, currently the executive director of the MPI Foundation, of steering over a quarter million in contracts to her boyfriend’s event company.

MGM Resorts International Chairman & CEO Jim Murren released a statement to mark the first anniversary of Las Vegas’ Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooting Oct. 1, 2017, in which 58 concert-goers were killed and more than 500 were injured from gunfire directed from Mandalay Bay Resort.

What do you get when you cross the world’s most valuable sports franchise with one of the world’s largest independently owned and operated hotel companies? The “star attraction” named the Omni Frisco Hotel, of course.

On a recent tour of the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Meetings Today spoke with John Page, general manager for SMG for the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC). Page shared his advice for navigating a convention center renovation or expansion.

Enlisting the services of an attorney is a key step in a plan to prevent and address sexual harassment within an organization and at meetings and events. We checked in with two prominent attorneys who are well versed in and frequently speak about legal issues involving the meetings industry: Barbara Dunn O’Neal and Tyra Hilliard.

Marriott International announced the creation of Beyond Barriers, the next phase of its #LoveTravels program. According to Marriott, “#LoveTravels Beyond Barriers” celebrates and supports those who are actively leading unique strategies to promote inclusion, equality, peace and human rights.