Kyle Jordan, chair of LGBT Meeting Professionals Association, discusses inclusivity goals and best practices for business events

Join Northstar's Loren Edelstein in a conversation with Kyle Jordan, chair of the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association, for an update on the nonprofit's efforts and the current state of inclusivity in the business events industry. Planners can do more to create safe spaces and accommodations for underrepresented groups, says Jordan, particularly the LGBTQ+ community. There's a lot of discussion in June for Pride Month, but this issue requires collective action year-round, he adds.

Topics covered:

• New leadership and brand identity for LGBT Meeting Professionals Association (1:00)
• The need for more inclusive event planning to welcome LGBTQ+ attendees (4:00)
• Considering discriminatory laws and practices as an important factor in destination selection (6:00)
• What planners can do to create more inclusive events (7:00)
• How the travel industry at large needs to be more accommodating (12:00)
• LGBT MPA's long-term goals (13:45)

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When it comes to developing creative, out-of-the-box meeting experiences, independent hotels provide a number of appealing options for event planners. In this episode of Eventful, created in partnership with the Caribe Royale Orlando, we delve into the advantages of working with independent properties, by looking in depth at Caribe Royale’s approach to events. We speak with the property’s managing director, Amaury Piedra about how he and his team works with meeting planners to create exceptional events—and how input from meeting planners has shaped new, major upgrades to the property.

For a bigger-picture perspective on the value of independent hotels, we also spoke with Michael Dominguez, president and CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International, which serves as a global sales arm for independent hotels for meetings, incentives and conventions. He shared what he thinks sets independents apart and how planners can leverage their offerings.

Listen to the in-depth conversation in our latest episode of Eventful: The Podcast for Meeting Professionals, and remember to subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts and anywhere else you listen to podcasts.

This episode was created in partnership with Caribe Royale Orlando.

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Attorney Joshua Grimes provides a legal perspective on duty of care, cancellation clauses and more when planning events in states with controversial legislation.

Many meeting professionals believe controversial issues like abortion rights are political concerns that have no bearing on their jobs. But that isn't true, says industry attorney Joshua Grimes, Esq., president of Grimes Law Offices, LLC. In this episode of Eventful: The Podcast for Meeting Professionals, Grimes talks with Northstar's Loren Edelstein about the potential risks legislation could pose to meeting organizers and attendees.

This timely and important discussion covers:

• Why controversial legislation shouldn't be dismissed as "politics" (0.15)

• How laws regarding bathroom use, prenatal health care, undocumented immigrants and other concerns can directly affect meetings and attendees (1.00)

• Possible workarounds for meeting successfully where such laws exist (3:30)

• The effectiveness of nondiscrimination clauses in meeting contracts (5:00)

• Duty of care, liability and other legal concerns (9:15)

• Weighing the decision to cancel an event (12:00)

• Why planners, suppliers and industry associations should be having candid conversations about legislative issues (14:15)

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