Sarah Kloepple and Christoph Trappe discuss recent airport travel experiences during the government shutdown and provide some general tips for navigating security and reducing stress for everyone. Remember to be nice to TSA workers and definitely arrive a little earlier at the airport!

While many of the logistical challenges of the meeting- and event-planning world change very little year-over-year, some key results from our Meetings Today Trends Survey point to a major shift in some of the more personal issues of meeting planners.

Following is a transcription of the conversation between Staff Writer Sarah Kloepple and Johnson Controls Exhibit and Events Manager Becky Andrzejak featured in The Advantages of a Two-Story Exhibit Booth episode of the Meetings Today Podcast.

A number of issues impacted the meetings industry in 2018, from strikes and other labor actions in various destinations across the U.S. to major hotel chains cutting their traditional commission level for independent planners. Meetings Today polls its readers every year on how their jobs and programs fared, how they expect their budgets  will shape up, the sites they typically use for their programs and other questions that help shine a light on the state of the profession. 361 meeting planners answered the call. Following are some highlights.

Hilton Birmingham at UAB, The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s flagship hotel on campus, completed its multimillion-dollar renovation, officially converting from a DoubleTree by Hilton property.

Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center opened its doors as the largest combined resort and convention center in Colorado. The resort is the fifth Gaylord Hotels property in the U.S., under the Marriott International umbrella. It is located about 10 minutes from Denver International Airport.

While women have an outsized representation in the hospitality industry—especially in the role of meeting planners—the number of females in upper management and c-suite roles continues to lag behind those of men. Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League, is a hotel, CVB and meetings industry veteran who took a hammer to the glass ceiling years ago.

With a background in financial analytics, one could argue that Mulberry Development Principal & CEO Michael Buono was as equipped as anyone to weather the economic collapse of 2008 that tore through the construction and real estate industry like a Category 5 hurricane.

One thing is undeniable: The close-shave timing of his entry into the hospitality development business couldn’t have been worse. “The word on the street was we were the last project that was funded [as a lender] in Manhattan by HSBC before the financial meltdown took place,” Buono said of his Ace Hotel New York project. “What I saw was fear and lots of instability because the market just imploded.”

01.15.19 Update: According to Reuters, German airport security staff have started a one-day strike. Lufthansa said it would cancel around 500 flights, 28 of which are intercontinental.

01.14.19 Update: Lufthansa announced it will cancel at least 414 flights due to a possible strike on Tuesday, January 15 at eight German airports, including Frankfurt. The airline said the cancellations include 386 flights within Europe and 28 international flights.

Airline passengers planning on traveling to, from or through Germany’s Frankfurt Airport during this timeframe may have to find alternative plans.

According to a notification on Lufthansa’s homepage, due to a strike by security staff at the airport, a major European hub, Lufthansa Group flights to and from Frankfurt will be considerably hindered Tuesday, January 15.