January 9, 2015: Boston Chosen to Compete for 2024 Olympics, ‘Sports Illustrated’ Announces Swimsuit Issue Festival, Why C.E.S. Loses the Buzz Battle to Apple

1. BOSTON CHOSEN TO COMPETE FOR 2024 OLYMPICS: The United States Olympic Committee has selected Boston to bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, beating out San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington. Boston Globe: “The organizing group must in coming months fill in the details of bare-bones Olympic venue and transportation plans, galvanize public support, and convince a chorus of skeptics that Boston can effectively pull off the world’s most prestigious international sports festival—without relying on taxpayers’ money—nine years from now. … Olympic experts said they believe any US bid starts out as a very strong contender, due in part to the long period of time—22 years by the time the 2024 Games begin—since the last Olympics in the United States.”  http://bit.ly/1ANqRCj

2. 'SPORTS ILLUSTRATED' ANNOUNCES SWIMSUIT ISSUE FESTIVAL: To promote its legendary swimsuit issue, and to generate a new source of revenue, Sports Illustrated will host a two-day event called the Swimville Fan Festival in Nashville on February 11-12. Advertising Age: “The two-day Swimsuit Issue event will feature free concerts from emerging Nashville musicians and activities around the city's vaunted food scene. The year's Swimsuit Issue models will also be in attendance. Certain aspects of the festival—such as the Kings of Leon concert—will cost money to attend. … It's only the second time Sports Illustrated has hosted a public event around the swimsuit issue, now its 51st year.” http://bit.ly/1FyTOpO

3. WHY C.E.S. LOSES THE BUZZ BATTLE TO APPLE: At International C.E.S., the sheer number of products and the time it takes for them to reach the market hamper its ability to create the kind of consumer frenzy from a single Apple product launch. Vox: “The public has greeted the show with a yawn. … Apple gets more buzz than anyone else in the technology business because Apple understands that people get more excited about products than technologies, and that they're more interested in products they can buy now than ones that will be available at some undefined point in the future. And Apple is better able to exploit these insights because it takes a unique approach to technology development that help them to tell compelling stories about its products.” http://bit.ly/1xY2DDc

* LOCAL NEWS *

BALTIMORE:  The International Association of Exhibitions and Events announced its Expo! Expo! event will be held December 1-3 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

BOSTON:  For last night’s inauguration gala for governor-elect Charlie Baker, Montillo’s Baking Company created a 480-pound cake shaped like the State House. Boston Herald: http://bit.ly/1AMwVLl

The New England Auto Show will take place at the Boston Convention & Event Center January 15-19. Features of this year’s event include an exotic car showcase, more than 100 alternative-fuel vehicles, and ride and drives from Kia, Ford, and more.

CHICAGO:  Good Stuff Eatery will open near Millennium Park this winter. The casual restaurant has a catering menu with hamburgers, wedge salads, and sides. It will also host private and semiprivate events.

LAS VEGAS:  Sarah Lantzer and Nick Taylor have been named sales managers for Delano Las Vegas.

LOS ANGELES:  Actor Anthony Anderson will host the 46th annual N.A.A.C.P. Image Awards, which air live on TV One on February 6.

Matthew Kenney Cuisine is slated to open its new flagship restaurant, Plant Food and Wine, on Abbot Kinney early this year, with a selection of locally sourced fare plus an extensive wine list of organic and biodynamic varietals.

Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Slow Food Miami will host its sixth annual Ark of Taste Benefit Dinner January 27 at Paraiso Bay, with chefs from the Genuine Hospitality Group restaurants designing the menu. Proceeds will benefit Slow Food Miami’s Edible School Garden Program.

NEW YORK:  The National Retail Federation’s 104th annual Convention & Expo runs Sunday through Wednesday at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

The Harlem EatUp Festival, a debut food event co-founded by chef Marcus Samuelsson, is scheduled for May 14-17 at venues throughout the neighborhood.

Westminster Week is February 14-17, culminating in the Westminster Dog Show.

Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

TORONTO:  A new three-day music festival is coming to Burl’s Creek Event Grounds July 24-26. The festival, which is as yet unnamed, will have four stages, a farmer's market, food concessions, and art installations.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The Sugar & Champagne Affair, the annual Washington Humane Society dessert and champagne reception, is February 4 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. The event includes a general reception, V.I.P. reception, and 50-person dessert-making session with chef Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray.

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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, and Anna Sekula in New York.

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