Columbus, Ohio’s North Market, dating to 1876 and located firmly within walking distance of the city’s major convention hotels and the Greater Columbus Convention Center, offers a full plate of eating and shopping choices, from the hot chicken craze to Vietnamese, Indian, Greek and Italian—among the United Nations-worthy selection of prepared foods—to fresh meats and sugary treats.

While some meetings were canceled or postponed as a result of Hurricane Florence, North Carolina shouldn’t see much impact in future cancellations, according to Eleanor Talley, Tourism Public Relations Manager for Visit North Carolina, since it is mostly up and running.

Once you’ve seen one convention center you’ve seen them all, right? A recent visit to the Chattanooga Convention Center left me surprised to find some nice touches that many of its bigger—and smaller—city counterparts lacked. Following are five standout features I noticed during my tour of the Chattanooga Convention Center led by Executive Director Mike Shuford, during a press trip with the Chattanooga CVB.

The InterContinental San Diego officially opened with help from an aerialist serving champagne, comments from San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Colleen Keating, chief operation officer for IHG, and unparalleled views of San Diego Bay.

UNITE HERE! union members representing hotel and culinary workers in San Francisco and San Jose have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike against the cities’ Marriott properties as October convention season is ready to kick into high gear.

We checked in with four female leaders in the hospitality and meetings industry—Courtney Stanley, Sarah Soliman Daudin, Sangeeta Sadarangani and Karin Seelow—to get their take on the best safety tips for women to avoid sexual harassment and assault while on the road.

Benchmark, which includes Benchmark Resorts & Hotels, Gemstone Collection and the London-based etc.venues brand portfolios released its “Top Ten Dining Trends for 2019.” The trends were observed by Benchmark’s executive chefs and culinary experts at the company’s 80 hotels, resorts and restaurants across North America and Europe.

As the east coast prepares for Hurricane Florence to make landfall, airlines have issued waivers for travelers ahead of the storm and cruise lines announced reroutes of some ships earlier this week. The storm is forecasted to bring heavy winds of up to 130 miles an hour and flooding of up to 35 inches to North Carolina, South Carolina and parts of Georgia and Virginia.

Meetings industry veterans Tyra Hilliard and Joan Eisenstodt share advice for meeting planners impacted by hurricanes, including legal advice and contract and safety concerns.

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort is planning an expansion, including new features and amenities catering to meetings and groups. The project is slated to break ground early fall 2018 and is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2020. The new structure, which is described as a tower, will be located next to the Swan Resort on the current site of the tennis courts.