Innovation is requisite for staying ahead in the convention business. It’s second nature for Las Vegas, and it’s also the watchword for reinvention in convention markets around the U.S.

Along with roughly 22 other participants at the annual Senior Planners Industry Network (SPIN) event, held at The Don CeSar in St. Petersburg, I opted not to take a morning educational session indoors. Instead, I stepped outside my comfort zone for a new wellness program: “Go Outside to Go Inside: Higher Performance Through the Magic of Insight.”

Losing a $40 million piece of business tends to get one’s attention. Thus was the case in July 2018 when the American Anesthesiology Society decided to locate its annual outside of San Francisco, citing concerns for the safety, or at least the perception of safety, of attendees due to the city’s intractable homelessness and vagrancy epidemic.

Golf is a popular pastime along the Gulf of Mexico’s shore. Southern states with Gulf-front footage are filled with fine fairways and golf-related facilities for all skill levels and all seasons. In this region, it’s easy to incorporate the game of golf into the program—or even make it the main event.

With the lines between consumer and corporate events continually being blurred, attendees are increasingly demanding highly unique, high-touch environments. Following are five innovative experiential event options that borrow from popular culture to completely envelop attendees in the experience.

Michael Cerbelli has been turning meeting planners’ heads since he first took the stage 18 years ago with his annual list of the latest trends sure to inspire, engage and mesmerize attendees during events. This year, technology played a larger role than ever in the trends revealed during Michael Cerbelli’s: The Hot List^™: 2019 presentation at the San Diego Convention Center. Cerbelli picked six event tech innovations to share.

Whether it’s the tranquil seclusion or the fresh air, or a bit of both, mountain settings are often the base for health and wellness retreats. In the meetings world, high-altitude resorts are the perfect backdrop for rejuvenation and relaxation, with groups often integrating outdoor activities, spa treatments, healthy meals and mindful breaks.

Planning any type of meeting or event is always a stress-inducing affair, but with the rampant regulations in the murky world of pharmaceutical and medical meetings, planners best know the lay of the land before they accept the mission. Three of the major healthcare meetings certification programs include: 3Sixty's Healthcare Champion Program, MPI's Healthcare Meetings Compliance Certificate and the EIC's CMP-Healthcare Subspecialty.

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.

NGALA Wildlife Preserve, located on a private, wooded 42-acre property outside Naples, Florida, caters to corporate events and is a home for a variety of rescued animals that cannot be reintroduced back to the wild. NGALA, which translates from Swahili to “Place of the Lion,” was founded by Donovan Smith nearly 20 years ago and is currently home to about 45 animals in addition to over 100 venomous reptiles introduced to the preserve by Smith’s “better half,” Khara Geders.