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Rise in Virtual Trade Shows Predicted: A lengthy feature in the October issue of Wired highlights the many ways people and businesses are using technology to get satisfactory results with minimal budgets. One trend on the rise is virtual trade shows, where vendors send avatars into cyberspace to meet with potential clients and customers. It's not a new concept, but analysts expect 5,000 online expos in 2010, a 500 percent increase from 2009. [Wired]

Planners Still Favor Person-to-Person: Virtual trade shows, meetings, and conferences may be on the rise, but they are facing a bit of resistance from industry professionals. At the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International's recent Affordable Meetings National and Event Technology Expo, attendees in a poll said they used technology for marketing efforts and presentations but still avoided virtual meetings. Among the key conference elements they thought got lost in translation were spontaneous networking, identifying attendees, and a free and open dialogue between all parties. Many also noted that the available technologies still weren't up to snuff to hold a seamless virtual event. [Reuters] MORE >>

Virtual Meetings, Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, Oprah Winfrey, Lady Gaga, Fashion Week, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, MTV Video Music Awards

EVENT REPORT 05.26.09 3:46 PM

U.S. Dream Academy Hosts Booze-Free Gala With Smaller Budget

ABC News weekend anchor Cynne Simpson at the U.S. Dream Academy gala
Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination Photography for BizBash

Despite receiving a $3.8 million three-year commitment from Oprah Winfrey last year, the U.S. Dream Academy, which provides after-school programs for children of incarcerated parents, saw its budget for the “Power of a Dream Gala” drop from $220,000 to $200,000 this year. Another challenge: The guest list grew to 500 from last year’s 450. U.S. Dream Academy director of development Angela Bonitto was thus forced to stretch her dollars for the eighth annual gala, held at the Ritz-Carlton on Thursday.

The top budgetary priority: An event planner who could make sure the gala ran smoothly and that donors had a chance to meet the nonprofit’s leadership. “Last year was very hectic,” said Bonitto, who enlisted Kyle Hutchinson of Hutchinson Design Group for this year’s gala. “It’s important for donors to be able make connections to your organization. They need to understand your mission.” Bonitto also spent money on top-notch audiovisual vendors. “Audiovisual is very important. You’ve got to have the right people if things go wrong,” she said. MORE >>

U.S. Dream Academy, Oprah Winfrey, Grammys

NEWS 11.21.08 3:05 PM

As Planners Search for Inauguration Venues, More Parties Take Shape

Washington is only so big, and the demand for inauguration party venues is getting cutthroat, despite (or possibly because of) the lack of an inauguration schedule from President-elect Barack Obama's team. The Washington Post reported this morning that the search for space on January 20 keeps getting tougher for planners, and the few unclaimed venues left have already increased fees to make the most of the refreshingly competitive market.

Media outlets, nonprofits, and countless other private institutions looking to host parties have showed up unannounced at venues and dropped money on the spot to not be left high and dry. Harman Center for the Arts director of booking and partnerships Kay Williams told The Post that “all hell broke loose” the day after the election. “The first group came through the building, looked around and said, 'We want it,'" she said of Creative Coalition, which, as we reported earlier, picked Harman for its ball. "We told them we would put it on hold until we had the deposit. They said okay, picked up the phone and called their office and asked for a wire transfer. They walked out and 10 minutes later, another person with a check came in and I had to say they missed it." MORE >>

Inauguration 2009, Dionne Warwick, Oprah Winfrey, Creative Coalition, Human Rights Campaign Foundation

NEWS 11.05.08 12:06 PM

Grant Park Rally Sees Lines, a JumboTron, and Camaraderie Among Vendors

Obama's Grant Park rally
Photo: Anthony Jacobs/Getty Images

FROM CHICAGO Lines stretched for seemingly endless blocks outside Grant Park last night as rally attendees waited to hear Barack Obama speak. "Well, I'll see a speck and call it a president," said one woman, taking her crowded surroundings into account.

Though some guests found standing room close to the stage where Obama spoke—television coverage showed Oprah Winfrey and Reverend Jesse Jackson there—catching a glimpse of the next president proved difficult in much of the tightly packed park. Instead, most attendees trained their eyes on a giant JumboTron stationed at the southern end of Hutchinson Field, which C3 Presents erected to broadcast news from CNN throughout the evening and showcase Obama's speech. MORE >>

Barack Obama, Election '08, Oprah Winfrey

THE WALKTHROUGH 09.25.08 12:56 PM

Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel Opens Art Smith Restaurant

Art and Soul's dining room
Photo: Courtesy of Liaison Capitol Hill

Following its April debut after a multimillion dollar renovation, the Liaison Capitol Hill on Monday opened Art and Soul, its new restaurant, and ArtBar, an adjoining lounge. Managed by Denihan Hospitality Group under the company’s Affinia brand umbrella, the 343-room hotel joins the expanding Affinia brand with locations in New York and Chicago.

The property offers a combined 10,000 square feet of meeting space comprised of 10 rooms, most of which are located on the lobby level. The 4,400-square-foot Metropolitan ballroom can be divided into three rooms and accommodates as many as 500 guests theater style or for receptions. The second largest ballroom, the Hill, is 1,600 square feet and can be combined with two other meeting rooms. The entire space—which includes three additional meeting rooms, and a centralized pre-function area—can be combined to accommodate as many as 800 people. The second-floor meeting space offers three executive boardrooms, each with a flat-screen TV, kitchenette, and private bathroom. MORE >>

Affinia Hotels, Art Smith, Oprah Winfrey

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