In September 2018, Hurricane Florence deluged parts of the Carolinas. Hardest hit was North Carolina, with an estimated $17 billion in crop, infrastructure and other losses. Florence went easier on South Carolina, which reportedly saw some $607 million in damages. Experiencing varying impacts, from minimal to destructive, the region’s coastal destinations have made significant recovery efforts.

The issue of cybersecurity came back to the fore in November 2018 with the revelation of a massive data breach of Marriott’s Starwood-branded hotels. The information of up to 500 million guests was compromised in the data breach. And let's not forget the whole 2018 Facebook data fiasco.

October 2018 marked a year since actress Alyssa Milano reignited the #MeToo movement. It has become clear that no industry is immune to sexual harassment, including meetings and conventions.

The specter of active shooters carrying out mass shootings has fallen on the meetings industry after a drumbeat of such horrific incidents in 2018 and before. Sadly, this realization that a violent attack could occur has become part of our lives, and the “new normal” is to have a heightened sense of awareness and risk management preparation in order to protect attendees at events.

There were a number of notable hotel strikes and labor actions in major meetings and conventions destinations across the U.S. in 2018, with actions against Marriott International by the UNITE HERE labor union grabbing headlines throughout the back half of 2018.

In January 2018 independent meeting planners were met with some explosive news that reverberated throughout the industry: Marriott would be cutting commissions for third-party planners! Hilton, Hyatt and IHG joined the party, while smaller chains and independent hotels jockeyed for position by increasing their commission rates. More recently Loews Hotels took a notable stand and temporarily raised commissions.

As much as we might prepare and plan ahead for the holiday season, the stress that usually comes with the time that should be joyful often takes us by surprise, especially if you’re a busy meeting planner with seasonal events to oversee plus family life to balance. Three wellness experts—Holly Duckworth, Deb Gee and Nova Browning Rutherford—shared tips on ways to decompress, destress and re-emerge with newfound positivity.

As the new year approaches, so does a new beginning for San Francisco’s meetings business. The long-awaited opening of an upgraded Moscone Center came in early January, as the convention complex debuted a $551 million expansion.

Meetings Today reached out to Brian Friedman, vice president of digital innovation at event management software company Aventri to get his forecast on the top event technology trends.

Hyatt Regency Seattle opened with 1,260 guest rooms and more than 103,000 square feet of meeting and event space. The property is the largest hotel in the Pacific Northwest and located just two blocks from the Washington State Convention Center and adjacent to The Summit, the planned convention center expansion building slated to open Spring 2022.