Peak hurricane season may be drawing to a close, but not before potentially dealing the U.S. its biggest hit of the year. Hurricane Michael strengthened to a Category 2 storm Tuesday morning, October 9 as it charged toward Florida's northeast Gulf Coast, predicted to make landfall in Florida’s Panhandle Wednesday afternoon, October 10, as a Category 4 storm, according to the National Weather Service.

October marks a year since actress Alyssa Milano reignited the #MeToo movement, persuading millions of people to take a stand against sexual harassment. While Courtney Stanley, speaker, writer and business consultant at CS Consulting, was inspired to start speaking on the topic well before October 2017, #MeToo further encouraged her, along with her good friend, Sarah Soliman Daudin, president and CEO of Soliman Productions, to move the conversation forward in the meetings and events industry, where they have both continuously experienced sexual harassment.

Major hotel chains are introducing so-called “panic buttons” to help ensure the safety of their workers. And while the term “panic button” may indeed evoke a highly descriptive tone, Marriott International at least would like everyone to refer to them by the less alarming moniker Associate Alert Devices. The technology is also referred to as Employee Safety Devices (ESD) and it is being rolled out at hotels across North America.

We checked in with four female leaders in the hospitality and meetings industry—Courtney Stanley, Sarah Soliman Daudin, Sangeeta Sadarangani and Karin Seelow—to get their take on the best safety tips for women to avoid sexual harassment and assault while on the road.

Meetings industry veterans Tyra Hilliard and Joan Eisenstodt share advice for meeting planners impacted by hurricanes, including legal advice and contract and safety concerns.

Residents of South Carolina and North Carolina were ordered to evacuate coastal areas as Hurricane Florence approaches.

As staying fit on the road continues to be a top priority for business travelers, including busy meeting professionals planning events or attending industry conferences, the recent Mollie Tibbetts tragedy is a reminder that we must continue to keep our guard up while running and exercising.

Union hotel workers are set to strike at 30 properties in downtown Chicago September 1, 2018, following the expiration of the UNITE HERE Local 1 contract. Union members authorized a strike by a 97 percent vote August 16, 2018, and although spokespeople for the union are remaining tight-lipped leading up to the possible strike, its Twitter page has the appearance of an imminent labor action.

In response to the growing number of active shooter incidents, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in May 2018 released “NFPA 3000,” a provisional standard created with insight from law enforcement, fire officials, EMS, medical providers, facility managers, the CIA, the FBI and other experts. The standard provides whole-community guidance on planning for, responding to and recovering from an active shooter incident and other hostile events.

Florida Governor Rick Scott announced the commitment of an additional $3 million to battle Florida's red tide mitigation efforts.