No issue is more important to association conventions and trade shows than the safety and security of staff and attendees. Yet, experts say, too many associations are woefully underprepared for catastrophic incidents such as a terrorist attack, violent protest, natural disaster or medical emergency.

Competition among gaming resorts for meetings is heating up as more venues nationwide expand and open new properties. Las Vegas and Atlantic City remain the top casino resort destinations, however, a variety of smaller destinations also aim to attract more events. Burgeoning competitors range from properties in the Southwest nestled amid stunning scenery to small-town destinations in Pennsylvania.

We spoke with five meeting planners and five hotel sales staffers to learn what lies at the core of this relationship and what it takes to make it work.

Off-season events offer many advantages, including especially attractive lodging rates and flexible guest-room options due to lower occupancy.

The kind of hotel development that really grabs an association meeting planner’s attention is the new “headquarters” hotel. Fortunately, there are several such projects in the works.

Convention hotels have a symbiotic relationship with their nearby convention centers — one can’t live without the other.

First- and second-tier cities are partnering with upscale hoteliers to raise their profile in the convention market.

The best meeting-savvy resorts attract a remarkably diverse selection of conferences and attendees — gaming enthusiasts and not.

Booking a convention hotel under construction or renovation can require somewhat of a leap of faith. But in the end, it can all work out to your advantage.

As the association meeting market returns to robust health, hotel partners play a more important role than ever in the success of conventions, conferences and other events.