In the first Wednesday Wrap special episode of the Meetings Today Podcast, Tyler Davidson talks about the major events of the last week in the meetings industry and what Meetings Today has been working on, including his March 2019 cover story on San Franciso's work to help those who are homeless.

Portola Hotel & Spa unveiled a new way to incorporate sustainable and eco-friendly practices into meetings and events with Reduce Waste Conferences. The 379-key property, Monterey’s first U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Certified Hotel, has long implemented environmentally conscious efforts. This new Reduce Waste Conferences program adds even more green initiatives to the hotel's current efforts and asks for commitments from meeting planners and conference attendees.

MGM Resorts International unveiled the $130 million, 250,000-square-foot expansion of its MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, introducing copious new spaces and creative new options to accommodate the evolving need for collaborative, productive and healthy work spaces.

Rosewood Miramar Beach opened its doors in Santa Barbara's Montecito community. The oceanfront resort offers guest accommodations that open out right onto the beach. Formerly Miramar by the Sea, the property serves as a gathering place for locals and visitors alike.

Canopy by Hilton Minneapolis Mill District opened with 183 guest rooms in collaboration with Sherman Associates and DLR Group. The property is the first in the city for the brand and located in East Town, a large mixed-use development that includes residential and retail components.

While Cvent is the leading industry data and RFP platform for planners and suppliers, it is also a major producer of meetings. According to Rachel Andrews, director of meetings and events at Cvent, planning for the event tech giant is a source of constant change, whether stitching together its annual Cvent CONNECT conference, integrating staffs and resources after one of its many acquisitions or any number of other internal or client events.

Organized by the Hilton San Francisco Union Square Community Projects Manager Jo Licata, and Parc 55-A Hilton Hotel, the three-day immersion indeed found our group enjoying the amenities of both of these top-notch, popular convention hotels, but by venturing outside of their front doors we discovered the soul of a neighborhood and the unceasing dedication of the hotels and community leaders to improve the lives of its residents.

The Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, home to America's largest indoor waterpark, just got bigger. The resort's freshly expanded convention center, which includes an additional 112,000 square feet of meeting space, will open in September 2019. Tifani Jones, Kalahari Resort's corporate sales director, shares how this expansion will positively affect future events.

Southwest Airlines will soon begin low-cost service to Hawaii from California March 17, 2019, after receiving FAA approval to operate long overwater flights.