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Vanity Fair and Bloomberg Team Up: The economy may have Vanity Fair and Bloomberg News down, but they’re not out. Instead of canceling their respective White House Correspondents’ Association dinner after-parties, the media brands will join forces for a cohosted party at the residence of French Ambassador Pierre Vimont. In the past several years, Bloomberg had hosted the most prominent after-party, while Vanity Fair was a more recent entry. The duo will now divvy up 300 invites, making it one of the more exclusive events after the May 9 dinner. [Politico]

Auto Show Attendees Get Nasty: Attendees at the New York International Auto Show are venting their frustrations with the economy, and they’re taking it out on some unexpected parties. Presenters, who aren’t even full-time employees of the carmakers, have been heckled on the show floor since it opened to the public last week. Largely contract representatives for bail-out recipients General Motors and Chrysler, the put-upon presenters have been accused of putting out bad product, waiting until the 11th hour to be eco-conscious, and in one case, even responsibility for the war in Iraq. [NYT] MORE >>

Vanity Fair, Bloomberg News, White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, White House Easter Egg Roll, Desirée Rogers, Barack Obama, Fergie, New York International Auto Show, General Motors, Chrysler, The Masters, Citigroup

Q & A 01.29.09 11:17 AM

Jerry Cizek Is Working to Build Consumer Confidence at the Chicago Auto Show

Jerry Cizek
Photo: Courtesy of Jerry Cizek

FROM CHICAGO Keeping consumers interested in buying cars is always a priority for Jerry H. Cizek III, president of the Chicago Automobile Trade Association and general manager of the Chicago Auto Show—possibly now more than ever, in this challenging economy. Scheduled for February 12 through 22, this year's Chicago Auto Show will see 1,000 cars spread across 1.3 million square feet of McCormick Place. We recently spoke with Cizek about marketing the event and how the automotive industry's current crisis may affect this year's show.

How did you get Nissan to exhibit at the show, after the company had made plans to pull out?
Nissan and the dealers got together and realized that the purpose of an auto show is to sell cars. And this is a very strong market for Nissan. Their dealers and regional office felt that it was a beneficial thing for them to be in our show. Frankly, we never received any type of an official notification that they were not going to be in the show. We’ve seen what their displays are going to be in 2009, and they’re more active in the displays than they were in previous years. They’ll have local salespeople on the show floor who can talk about actual attributes of the vehicles, instead of product specialists as in previous years [employees who travel from show to show]. But Chicago is a great auto market, and it’s good to have people at the show who can relate to the Chicago customers. MORE >>

Chrysler, Nissan, Dodge, Jeep, Disney

EVENT REPORT 09.08.08 8:00 AM

AARP Expo Offers Games, Freebies, and Massages From 400 Exhibitors

The DirecTV display at the AARP expo
Photo: BizBash

The AARP Life @50+ National Event & Expo opened at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Thursday. The three-day convention offered the usual fare—educational sessions and mixers—in addition to concerts and appearances from personalities such as Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones, Gene Simmons, and Paul Simon. At the expo, some 400 exhibitors—from Microsoft to Sam's Club to Walgreens—set up shop to spread their corporate message to the 25,000-person crowd, using relaxation stations, interactive games, and loads of freebies. Here's a look at some of the stand-out exhibits. MORE >>

Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones, Gene Simmons, Paul Simon, Microsoft, Sam's Club, Walgreens, Verizon, Nintendo, Chrysler, N.A.S.A., DirecTV, Amtrak, H.P.

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