799 killed and 1,418 wounded in 250 incidents. These are the sobering statistics for multiple casualty events in the U.S. between 2000 and 2017, occurring at schools, workplaces, medical institutions, houses of worship and most certainly events, among other locations, according to data presented during the “A First Responders Guide to Handling Active Shooter and Terrorism Threats” educational session at ASAE’s Annual Meeting & Exposition.

Travelers at Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport were plunged into darkness Wednesday, August 15, 2018, around 10 p.m., a situation that provides an opportunity for meeting planners to think about and assess their own risk management strategies for power outages. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said a Dominion Energy issue caused the outage, according to a report from Washington, D.C.’s NBC4.

It's been nearly a year since actress Alyssa Milano reignited the #MeToo movement, persuading millions of people to take a stand against sexual harassment. Today, two women are moving the conversation forward in the meetings and events industry, helping planners and organizations fight and address misconduct. Sarah Soliman Daudin, president and CEO of Soliman Productions, and Courtney Stanley, speaker, writer and business consultant at CS Consulting, created #MeetingsToo and launched a presentation, How to Prevent and Manage Sexual Harassment at Events, at the recent 2018 MPI World Education Congress (WEC) in Indianapolis. 

Germany’s Frankfurt Airport was evacuated Tuesday afternoon (August 7, 2018), local time, after a security lapse in which a French family was released into a security area following a positive test for explosives. After being located and answering questions, the family was allowed to travel further.

I present the following safety checklist for meeting planners and others in our industry to reference when recommending or accepting recommendations for various transportation services. While much of the checklist was compiled after learning of the tragic duck boat incident that killed 17 in Branson, the list itself can be applied to all modes of transportation and to other activities.

Dr. Lynn Linde, senior director of the Center of Counseling Practice, Policy and Research at the American Counseling Association recently sat down for an interview with Buildings, one of our sister publications. The following question, addressing when it's appropriate to cancel or continue on with ane vent following a tragic incident, was asked by Senior Editor Janelle Penny, on behalf of Meetings Today.

In light of the July 19, 2018, duck boat tragedy near Branson, Missouri, consider these five areas, each with a few questions, to include in your RFPs regarding boats, cars and buses, and also for hotels and off-site venues. These are items that are likely taken for granted by meeting and event planners organizing group excursions and transportation.

Tragedy struck during the NeoCon 50 tradeshow after Jacqueline E. Albertine, 57, fell from a swing installed in the David Edward showroom on the 3rd floor of Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. She died on Tuesday, June 12, 2018. The NeoCon example shows that it is critical for meeting and event planners to exercise the proper duty of care to mitigate accidents and reduce organizational liability if the unforeseen happens.

One of the hot topics at MPI’s WEC 2018 is sex trafficking, as it relates to the travel industry. Michelle Guelbart, director of private sector engagement for ECPAT-USA, detailed some of the signs and ways to help during her presentation “ECPAT: The Meeting and Event Industry’s Role in Combatting Sex Trafficking,” which took place on Monday, June 4, 2018. ECPAT-USA is a nonprofit organization that exists to end human trafficking.

The NRA's annual convention, being held in Dallas in 2018, serves as a reminder for meeting planners to consider their event security.