Destinations International’s 2018 Annual Convention continued Thursday, July 12, 2018, on a dramatic but uplifting note. A morning keynote address focused on how Visit California and prominent leaders in the community worked to overcome a spate of natural disasters over the past year.

Destinations International kicked off its 2018 Annual Convention earlier this week with over 1,500 attendees from over 16 countries, according to Don Welsh, president and CEO of the association for destination marketing organizations, as well as 65 education sessions and five general keynotes.

The UNITE HERE labor union rolled out travel advisories on Marriott hotels in eight major American cities, where contracts have either expired or are set to, for over 12,000 unionized workers.

Las Vegas police are conducting a criminal investigation into the mishandling of funds by Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), according to reporting published by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Meetings Today reached out to Joe D'Alessandro, president and CEO of San Francisco Travel, to discuss a major medical association’s decision to opt out of a longstanding contract with the city due to open drug use on the streets and other safety concerns voiced by those visiting the city for meetings.

A major Chicago-based medical association is moving its $40 million convention out of San Francisco due to safety concerns for attendees. The city’s—and in particular the Moscone Convention Center’s SoMa neighborhood’s—open drug use and homelessness issues are being blamed for the decision.

The former Trump International Hotel & Tower Panama in Panama City will be managed by Marriott International as a JW Marriott. Ithaca Capitol took control of the property from the Trump Organization in March 2018 following a fight that included court cases in the U.S. and Panama and Trump Organization lawyers asking president of Panama to intervene in the dispute.

California’s Santa Clara CVB had its funding suspended for 60 days by the City of Santa Clara until a new management company can be found. Employee salaries and benefits will be paid during the 60 days.

Teneo Hospitality Group identified the top concerns and trends within the meetings industry so far in 2018, according to its recent poll of planners in the U.S. The results presented by Teneo identify budgets, quality control, cost and reliability of audiovisual and technical services, security of content and the challenges of meeting increasingly complex dietary demands as the most prominent concerns of planners.

Joint venture partners the Bernstein Companies and Boston Properties broke ground on the new Marriott International headquarters complex and adjacent Marriott hotel in downtown Bethesda, Maryland.