Attendees from the Grace Hopper Celebration are rallying to create new programs.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Read online The Conference That Wouldn't Stay Canceled Attendees from the Grace Hopper Celebration are rallying to create new programs.   David McMillin, Skift Meetings Head of Content October 22nd, 2026 What happens when a conference gets canceled just two weeks before the opening session is scheduled to kick off? For people who were planning to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration in Anaheim, California, the answer was to build another program in its place. On one hand, the decision to cancel was a sad reminder of the challenges that organizers can face when attempting to tackle a big issue like championing women leaders in the male-dominated tech world. On the other hand, the instant push to find another way to bring attendees together underscored the meaningful role that meetings play in attendees’ lives. Head below to read the story, along with 10 CSR ideas worth stealing, a look at convention centers that are raising the bar for sustainability and the AI paradox looming over the industry. — David McMillin P.S. Destination consideration sets are shifting fast, driven by geopolitics, evolving entry policies and major infrastructure bets around the world. Our new report maps where your peers are looking next. Download it here.       NEW REPORT ON THE GLOBAL MEETING LANDSCAPE What do your peers’ budgets look like now? How are they navigating continued geopolitical pressures? And what are they doing to define ROI to leadership? Get the answers in a new Skift Meetings research report. This report was sponsored by Destination Toronto and Ottawa Tourism. GET THE REPORT             FEATURED STORIES 5 LEED-Certified Convention Centers You Should Know About By Barbara Scofidio It’s not just features that add up to LEED certification. These convention centers are known for working closely with event customers to share their meetings’ sustainability stories. GET THE STORY Steal These Ideas: 10 CSR Activities and Gifts From IMEX and Beyond By Barbara Scofidio Giving back has become the norm on the convention floor, and these 10 options were inspired by IMEX America. GET THE STORY Grace Hopper Cancels Two Weeks Out, but Its Community Is Gathering Anyway By Andrea Doyle The conference couldn’t survive a shortfall in registrations and sponsorships. But its community is finding ways to gather without it, raising questions about whether the value of a conference ultimately belongs to its organizer or its attendees. GET THE STORY The AI Paradox Looming Over the Meetings Industry By Andrea Doyle and David McMillin AI may turn out to be the best demand driver meetings have had in years. But attendees will increasingly discover events through chatbots, plan their schedules with AI, and arrive accustomed to digital interactions. Delivering the human connection they seek could prove harder than the industry assumes. GET THE STORY             What Happens When a City Treats a Conference Like an Olympic Bid Melbourne Convention Bureau + Skift Meetings For Women Deliver 2026, Melbourne built a cross-government steering group that fast-tracked visas, drew 30+ world leaders and helped unlock $190 million for gender equality. LEARN MORE             SKIFT PICK: TRANSLATING TRAVEL TRENDS FOR MEETINGS Signed With a Royal Sonesta for 2027? Reread Your Contract. Sonesta started laying off corporate staff last Friday, according to reporting from Skift’s Sean O’Neill. The cuts follow the recent departure of the company’s chief brand officer. Less than two weeks earlier, South Dakota hotel investor TKO offered $2 billion in cash for the hotel portfolio of Service Properties Trust, which owns 34% of Sonesta. That portfolio includes much of the brand’s upscale inventory with properties such as Royal Sonesta Chicago Riverfront, Royal Sonesta New Orleans and Royal Sonesta Kaua’i. For now, the trust’s board is only reviewing the offer. You don’t have to follow REIT drama to see why this matters. But if you have a 2027 or 2028 program at one of these hotels, the property you signed with might not be the one you show up to. If the offer becomes a real deal, your hotel could have a new owner, a new operator, a new flag and almost certainly a new sales team. So pull the contract now and check the change-of-ownership and assignment language. Do your rate, concessions and F&B minimums carry over to a successor? Can you walk if the hotel is debranded? There are plenty of potential worries, but there is also a possible upside: if a Marriott or Hilton flag goes up, your attendees could end up earning points they care about.             ICYMI: 10 Things Planners Get Wrong About Younger Attendees Think you know Gen Z? Think again. Make sure you’re building an engagement strategy that avoids following any of these misconceptions. LEARN MORE             Thanks for being a regular reader. We are switching to a new email platform. Why? This change will allow for better delivery, and more engaging newsletters. Please take a moment to add this new email address to your contacts to ensure you continue receiving your newsletters without interruption. During this transition, these emails might land in your promotions or spam folder. To ensure you don’t miss out, please move this newsletter to your primary inbox.         DEFINING THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 Skift 35 W 31st St. New York, New York 10001, United States

New report: How the global meetings landscape is evolving

Where planners are booking next and which destinations are making the biggest investments ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  

Choosing a host destination has never felt more challenging. According to Skift Meetings research, 26% of corporate planners have relocated, postponed or canceled a meeting in the past two years because leadership was concerned about a destination's reputation.   Where should planners be looking instead? There’s no simple answer, but The Reshuffling of the Consideration Set offers some helpful guidance. We spoke with planners, tracked entry policy changes around the world, and mapped the convention centers, hotels and airports coming online over the next decade to show where the global meetings landscape is headed.   Download the report today to learn: How associations are using destination choice to grow their membership, and what it's costing U.S. cities Where entry policies are getting easier for attendees, and where they're getting harder and more expensive How planners are putting a number on geopolitical risk Which new convention centers, airports and resorts will change the map by 2032 What to ask before your next RFP goes out DOWNLOAD THE REPORT This report is in sponsored by Destination Toronto and Ottawa Tourism. Skift, 35 W 31st St., Frnt 1, New York, NY 10001, USA Manage preferences