Eight days. That’s how much notice attendees, sponsors and exhibitors got before the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) called off its annual conference at the Gaylord Texan after filing for bankruptcy. It’s the second major event to fall apart in the final stretch in less than a month, after Grace Hopper canceled two weeks out.

In today’s edition of The Stand-Up, Andrea Doyle looks at the fallout. There’s a hopeful thread, too: another healthcare event organizer is setting competition aside and offering free registration for attendees. As Melissa Paige puts it, “We have the space, resources, and willingness to step up.” Head below for the full story, along with tips from a speakers bureau leader on better speaker selection, a new $1.5 billion luxury theme park in Mexico and more. — David McMillin

What’s ahead for incentive programs next year? Join some of the experts from Skift Meetings’ M&I 15 to hear how they are balancing budget pressures with rising attendee expectations.

Business Events Sydney + Skift Meetings

Global conflicts have disrupted a planner’s ability to organize international meetings. Sydney is emerging as a place removed from many of those tensions, yet well connected for attendees flying in from around the world.

How are your peers thinking about risk in the destination selection process? What’s next for entry policies and fees? Which regions are making the biggest infrastructure bets for the future? Find out in a new report from Skift Meetings designed to help you get a sense of the future of the global meetings landscape.

This report was sponsored by Destination Toronto and Ottawa Tourism.

Sustainability Actually Does Sell

The travel industry tends to picture the sustainable traveler as a small, earnest group that books the eco-lodge and happily pays the green surcharge. Skift Advisory research says that picture is wrong. In a survey of 74,000 travelers across the top 40 outbound markets, 77% said travel should benefit communities and the environment, 70% said they prioritize destinations and businesses committed to sustainability, and 24% actively seek out sustainable options even when it means trade-offs.

Those travelers are your attendees, just on a different trip. A single “green” breakout or a recycling-bin photo in the recap deck isn’t enough, especially if you’re trying to win over younger attendees. In an Expedia Group survey earlier this year, 91% of Gen Z travelers said environmental or social concerns shaped their travel plans at least once in the past year, compared with 62% of Millennials. Choose a host city where the venue, hotels, and dinners are walkable or close to transit. Put a transit pass in the registration bundle. And make the local, lower-impact option the one that’s already booked, not an add-on someone has to opt into.

All the tools you need for successful meetings and events, all gathered in one place.