1. HOW THE ESPY AWARDS MADE IT TO 20 YEARS: Building the credibility of the ESPY Awards among top athletes took about a decade, according to executive producer Maura Mandt. She talked about how the show has grown and her goals for the event, which include having its first female host. Hollywood Reporter: "Since they premiered two decades ago, the ESPYs have evolved from a sleepy taped affair to an A-list event that manages each year to attract Hollywood’s elite and the country’s top athletes—no easy feat, with constantly conflicting league schedules." http://bit.ly/12F7dHL
2. BELK REPLACES LORD & TAYLOR AS 'PROJECT RUNWAY' SPONSOR: The department store chain Belk is sponsoring the 12th season of Project Runway, replacing Lord & Taylor. With stores across 16 Southern states, Belk is seeking a higher national profile. Women's Wear Daily: "As part of the deal, Belk pulled together an accessory wall with more than 200 looks that will be incorporated into the contestants’ runway looks during the season. In addition, Belk will challenge the designer contestants to create a collection inspired by Belk’s lifestyle marketing campaign, “Modern. Southern. Style.” For that design challenge, John Thomas, Belk’s executive vice president of private brands, will be a guest judge on the show. The winner will have the opportunity to design and sell an exclusive line at Belk." http://wwd.us/12dnqQ1
3. SAFETY SCARE CLOSES CONEY ISLAND: Heading into a busy holiday weekend, city engineers are inspecting the Astrotower for structural stability after it began swaying in high winds Tuesday, forcing the closure of Luna Park and iconic attractions the Cyclone and Wonder Wheel. New York Times: http://nyti.ms/12lotyg
4. JETBLUE JUMPS ON CRAFT BEER TREND: JetBlue Airways will sell Boston Beer Company's canned beer on nationwide flights through the company's new "Sam Can." Huffington Post: "Looking forward, Boston Beer said it hopes the new can will open doors for its products, perhaps to places where glass is impractical or disallowed." http://huff.to/121t09n
* LOCAL NEWS *
BOSTON: Sherman Cafe and Sherman Market, located in Union Square, are undergoing renovations to connect their spaces to offer more seating, a bigger kitchen, and two entrances. Eater: http://bit.ly/12c6nxZ
CHICAGO: Bombay Sapphire and Food & Wine will host a happy hour July 10 to honor People's Best New Chefs nominee Jason Vincent. The public event will be held at Vincent's restaurant, Nightwood, and will offer gin cocktails and food pairings.
Birchbox will host a cocktail hour and advance screening of the third-season premiere of Suits at Public Hotel on July 11. The event will include cocktails, appetizers, grooming from John Allan's, and a bun and wave bar from Kerastase.
LAS VEGAS: Las Vegas Sun: "The two fiercest rivals in Mexican soccer will play at Sam Boyd Stadium this week in a game that is expected to draw 20,000 fans—and, more importantly, show whether Las Vegas can muster enough enthusiasm to host its own Major League Soccer team." http://bit.ly/11Xzny2
Eve will perform at Bagatelle Beach to kick off the venue's July 4 weekend events.
Steve Martorano is partnering with Paris Las Vegas to bring his restaurant to the Strip sometime next year. It will be the Italian-American cook's second Vegas location.
LOS ANGELES: Variety announced the honorees for its seventh annual Power of Youth event presented by Hasbro at Universal Studios July 27.
Pacific Coast Entertainment hosted its third open house on Tuesday at its new headquarters in Huntington Beach.
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Sarahi House of Fashion is hosting a runway show and cocktail reception Friday at the Viceroy Hotel to benefit victims of the tornadoes in Oklahoma and the Hope for the Lost foundation.
NEW YORK: Minus5 Ice Bar opens Monday at the New York Hilton Midtown. Everything in the bar is made completely of ice including a mini ice Central Park, furniture, and drink glasses.
Voss Foundation Benefit is hosting a cocktail party, sit-down dinner, and after-party tonight at Georgica Restaurant in East Hampton. Sponsors are: SevJet, Uber, Voss, Vita Coco, Jack Wills, Onion Crunch, Starr African Rum, Heineken, Barry's Bootcamp, and Salon Bar.
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO: Today Legoland Florida opens a new expansion called Lego World of Chima. The new area of the park will include a watercraft ride called "the Quest for CHI," a 4-D movie experience, and more. OrlandoWeekly: http://bit.ly/17FAh3b
SAN FRANCISCO: Wine Country Party & Events has been acquired by John Moran and Mike Bjornstad, former C.E.O. and C.O.O., respectively, of Classic Party Rentals.
TORONTO: The Toronto Urban Roots Festival is Thursday to Sunday at Fort York and will include music performances from Belle & Sebastian, Yo La Tengo, the Sadies, and more.
WASHINGTON: Washington Post: "A start-up sports and entertainment company has proposed building what its founders say would be the Washington’s area’s largest athletics complex on what is now Hensley Park in southern Alexandria. … The complex would cater to a variety of popular sports, including, for instance, six indoor tennis courts, four batting cages, two N.H.L.-size hockey rinks, and an 80,000-square-foot multipurpose field house." http://wapo.st/11g5sTh
YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected].
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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Haley Holton, Beth Kormanik, Lauren Matthews, and Anna Sekula in New York.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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