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.

799 killed and 1,418 wounded in 250 incidents. These are the sobering statistics for multiple casualty events in the U.S. between 2000 and 2017, occurring at schools, workplaces, medical institutions, houses of worship and most certainly events, among other locations, according to data presented during the “A First Responders Guide to Handling Active Shooter and Terrorism Threats” educational session at ASAE’s Annual Meeting & Exposition.

Association management and services company SmithBucklin launched SmithBucklin AXP, a methodology and range of tools that aids its association clients’ conversations about priorities, progress and opportunities for improvement, according to the Chicago-based firm.

Travelers at Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport were plunged into darkness Wednesday, August 15, 2018, around 10 p.m., a situation that provides an opportunity for meeting planners to think about and assess their own risk management strategies for power outages. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said a Dominion Energy issue caused the outage, according to a report from Washington, D.C.’s NBC4.

Entering into its eighth year, IMEX America’s Smart Monday Powered by MPI delivers a full day of free education Oct. 15 available for registered IMEX America meeting planner attendees. The day focuses on the professional development that is critical for many planners to justify even getting out of the office to travel to Las Vegas to attend the Oct. 16-18 main event that focuses on buyer-supplier appointments. The two key MPI staffers who take a leading role conceptualizing Smart Monday are Lori Pugh, manager of global education and event production, and Jessie States, head of meeting innovation.

A mountain setting can take away the distractions of the office and city life and allow for a connection to nature, which often can spike productivity, creativity and collaboration. Unplugging, bringing the meeting room outdoors and creating new experiences seem to be on-trend for 2018, according to four experts dialed in to mountain meetings. 

As all-inclusive properties in Mexico, the Caribbean and beyond trend toward luxury experiences, meeting groups are taking advantage of the added amenities in addition to the convenience and cost-savings.

Steve Hill will replace Rossi Ralenkotter as Las Vegas CVA CEO on September 1, 2018.