As the pandemic continues to keep many event facilities closed or under-utilized, convention centers across the U.S. are finding new life and purpose by transforming their empty exhibit halls into mass state-run COVID-19 vaccinations sites. Here are several major facilities that are providing this valuable community service, helping to save lives and return the country — including the meetings and convention industry — to pre-pandemic times as quickly as possible.

In cities across the United States, as well as south of the border, hotels and resorts are under construction, coming online or completing remodel projects. The work comes just in time to start luring group business as the hospitality industry begins its recovery. Take a look:

In December, Indianapolis welcomed the Bottleworks Hotel, a new 139-key boutique property occupying the top two floors of the historic Coca-Cola Bottling Co. administration building in the city’s downtown.

If any destination knows about comebacks, it’s Puerto Rico.

“We have a Pd.D. in recovery,” joked Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico. “We’ve seen this movie before.”

Since the pandemic took hold in the U.S. last Spring, more and more convention centers have been demonstrating their commitment to protecting health and safety in the “new abnormal” by achieving GBAC STAR, a cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention accreditation program designed for facilities of all types and sizes.

Let’s face it: Not everything about meetings is great. But after the way 2020 played out, event professionals are yearning for even the awkward stuff.

Rather than mope about all the good, bad and ugly of face-to-face gatherings we’ve missed, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is having some fun with it.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has acquired the assets of the Las Vegas Monorail Company to preserve an important transportation option along the Las Vegas Strip. The transaction was finalized on Dec. 9, following approval of the sale by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Nov. 24.

The company was purchased for more than $24 million, according to LVCVA officials.

It isn’t easy being green, but convention centers that remain steadfast in their commitment to sustainability can certainly reap the rewards from time to time. Case in point: Detroit’s TCF Center, which received a 2020 U.S. Green Building Council Leadership Award during the closing event of the annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, held Nov.

With winter approaching, the appeal of holding meetings in the Desert Southwest only increases — especially for groups wanting to take advantage of the area’s abundant sunshine to host outdoor gatherings. Even better for event planners, a number of hotels and resorts in the desert region that runs from Southern California to Arizona to New Mexico have recently completed major renovations or in other ways added to their offerings for groups.

Greater Palm Springs, California

With its convention center expansion on track for completion by the end of the year and hotels continuing to open, Las Vegas keeps improving its ability to host events. This fall, the city debuted two adults-only properties, Circa Resort & Casino and The Cromwell, with the new Virgin Hotels Las Vegas scheduled to open in January. Here’s what to expect from each.

The Puerto Rico Convention Center hosted its first event since achieving GBAC STAR accreditation — the only Caribbean facility to do so — last month. The meeting of the Puerto Rico Chapter of the Association of General Contractors of America (AGC) on Oct. 17 featured a debate among local governorship candidates as well as the organization’s annual convention.