Tradeshow Life, which always offered free job listings for employers, has added section called HireOpps to expand on the concept. If you know anyone in the meetings/tradeshow business that’s looking for work, either because of Katrina-related circumstances or otherwise, this could be something to check out.

Update: Busy guy that he is, Jeff has also just added some forums for people to post Katrina-related news, and other industry topics. Check it out.

According to philly.com, the American Public Health Association is moving its formerly New Orleans-sited meeting to Philadelphia:

The American Public Health Association, which was to hold its convention of 14,000 doctors and other health-care professionals in New Orleans, is moving the gathering to Philadelphia due to damage from Hurricane Katrina.

Dr. Georges Benjamin, APHA’s executive director, said the group picked Philadelphia in part because the Pennsylvania Convention Center had a four-day opening in its schedule.

The meeting, originally planned for Nov. 5-9, was rescheduled for Dec. 10-14.

This just in from InterContinental Hotel Group:

Individual and group cancellation fees should be waived by IHG hotels in New Orleans and by other hotels extensively damaged by Hurricane Katrina for stays through December 31, 2005.

Cancellations by those individuals and groups traveling out of highly impacted areas will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Some articles of interest from hotel-online:
MGM MIRAGE Comes to the Aid of 3,400 Beau Rivage Emloyees: “MGM MIRAGE announced today that plans for recovery and rebuilding its Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, MS are underway. As the assessment process has begun, the company will commit to rebuild the resort, utilize employees in recovery and reconstruction wherever possible and aid impacted employees.”

Harrah’s Stepping Up Efforts to Help 8,000 Harrah’s Employees; Opens Gulfport Assistance Center with On-site Primary Health Care Services

And my favorite, a story about the Astor Crowne Plaza in New Orleans from the Toronto Star: Hotel a 5-star oasis of grace and humanity. A snip:

“If we’d been in charge of the city, New Orleans wouldn’t be in such a mess,” observed Hector Garcia, the systems administrator who did yeoman work until finally pulling up stakes with his wife and two young children, bound for Houston on one of the 10 evacuation buses privately chartered by [manager Peter] Ambros.