For all meeting and event planners—and owners of an independent meeting planning company, especially—developing and leveraging a business network is critical to success.

Storytelling is at the heart of CAPTURE, a new professional development program unveiled by Sarah Soliman Daudin, president of Soliman Productions, and Courtney Stanley, owner of CS Consulting, as part of their newly announced partnership and brand, SarahxCourtney, which will also include one-on-one mentorship, speaking engagements and other initiatives.

As a female who has worked in the corporate world for more than two decades and been athletic since childhood, I’ve recently been inspired by a Nike ad narrated by tennis icon Serena Williams that aims to encourage women and girls to “Dream Crazier” and reach for the stars. In the spirit of following dreams in an environment that provides the opportunities to do so, here are six great ways to empower women in the workplace.

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

Meeting planners in the Meetings Today Market Trends Survey respond as to what worries them about the meetings industry.

Meetings Today's Joan Eisenstodt interviews major meetings and events industry job recruiters about what they see and ask regarding ethics.

Joan Eisenstodt interviews Paul A. Greenberg, a journalist, professor of communications and former hospitality industry member, about ethics.

Joan Eisenstodt interviews the Peterson family about multiple generations in the hospitality industry.

Joan Eisenstodt interviews Liz Erikson Marnul about multiple generations in the hospitality industry.

Joan Eisenstodt interviews mother and son Lesa P. Melvin and Jarad Melvin about multiple generations in the hospitality industry.