Meetings Today's Joan Eisenstodt interviews event planners, other hospitality industry professionals and authors about what books they find are relevant to their lives and professions.

Planning “life-cycle events,” such as end-of-life celebrations or memorials, has many similarities to traditional meeting and event planning, but with several major differences. Meetings Today blogger Joan Eisenstodt reached out to a traditional meetings industry veteran, a funeral director who has a background in hospitality, and a hospitality professor to get their take on this segment of the events industry.

I spoke with Alison Bossert of Final Bow Productions, a celebration-of-life event company, on the challenges and joys of organizing end-of-life events. Her comments show that all types of event planning can be rewarding while opening my eyes to yet another career path for planners.

Reading about Alison Bossert gave me hope that more attention was being paid to the management of end-of-life events by those who understand event logistics. Alison was gracious to spend time talking with me.

Why, I asked, Bruce Elliott in HR, is bereavement leave so stingy? You’ll have guessed it—if we are taking time off and being paid, we are not an asset to the bottom line. It has taken me weeks to even be somewhat more productive after the death of three friends. Of the friends who died, I asked some closest to them for their input.

Joan Eisenstodt reached out to meeting planners and suppliers to find out what odd excuses, and other strangeness, they've heard from each other.

Most hotels in the U.S. say they are “ADA Compliant.” This checklist will guide you to look at what makes a meeting or event accommodating beyond the ADA requirements.

Meetings Today blogger and contributing writer Joan Eisenstodt interviews successful meeting professionals about their interactions with mentors.

One question asked in the 2019 Meetings Today Trends Survey was “Do you plan to offer a CSR program next year?” 33% of survey respondents said yes and 67% said no. I reached out to only one person about this because of her noted expertise in this subject. In the “Webinar” section of the Meetings Today website, you can find numerous webinars Nancy Zavada has presented to further your knowledge.

One question asked in the 2019 Meetings Today Trends Survey was “What activities do you incorporate into your meetings?” The responses surprised me with golf second highest at 38%; spa/spa activities at 31%; sporting events 26%; and attractions and theme parks 27%. Teambuilding activities were at 53%, the highest of all activities. I reached out to John Chen who is a guru of teambuilding for his thoughts.