October 28, 2015: How to Spot a Party Crasher, Why Chefs Take the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List Seriously, Inside a Political Convention That Wants to Be Like Comic-Con

1. HOW TO SPOT A PARTY CRASHER: Not everyone abides by the guest list, and some of New York’s party crashers have become well known to publicists and event planners who guard the door. The New York Times: “Our clients hire us to craft the perfect guest list of people for their event, and curate the right crowd for their brand,” said Kelly Brady, owner of public relations firm Brandsway Creative, in an email. “Party crashers are the ones who act the most entitled at the door, by trying to pass themselves off as a reporter from some bogus website. And if they do weasel their way into a party, they are the ones who drink too much, follow the trays of passed hors d’oeuvres, and hoard the gift bags at the end of the night.” http://nyti.ms/1P4zuiX

2. WHY CHEFS TAKE THE WORLD’S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS LIST SERIOUSLY: Chefs, restauranteurs, and journalists all criticize the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants—and its founders at the British trade magazine Restaurant admitted it began as a onetime stunt—but it has endured and gained respectability. Part of its success came from an event designed to celebrate the first honorees. The New Yorker: “The editors figured the list was a good excuse for a party. They sent out invitations, anticipating a tepid response; almost all of the honorees accepted. … Because the chefs came, the list mattered, and because the list mattered the chefs came. It was a question of reputation, but also of profit. Even if the majority of the world’s restaurants have no interest in—or chance of—getting on the list, for the most ambitious ones inclusion can be the difference between obscurity and renown.” nyer.cm/sc8KzrC

3. INSIDE A POLITICAL CONVENTION THAT WANTS TO BE LIKE COMIC-CON: From its name, Politicon has designs on becoming the Comic-Con of the political world. In reality, according to one first-time visitor there to judge a political stand-up competition, it has a long way to go. And not just by stepping up its costume game. Grantland: “When I noticed that the publicity material for Politicon was encouraging people to come in costume, visions of teenagers dressed as Bernie Sanders and Carly Fiorina began dancing arrhythmically in my head. Unfortunately it was instantly apparent that the dominant costume of choice for Politicon was ‘pudgy white registered voter.’ I did see five guys in powdered wigs riding an escalator, but they turned out to be part of some kind of a comedy troupe.” gran.tl/1XkA9Q2

* LOCAL NEWS *

AUSTIN:  Southern Asian food truck and restaurant business the Peached Tortilla will open its first event space on North Lamar in summer 2016. The 4,000-square-foot venue, called Peached Social House, will host weddings, meetings, parties, pop-up dinners, community events, and classes. Eater: http://bit.ly/1k7LjsH

BOSTON:  Boston’s Widett Circle neighborhood is poised for a major redevelopment, which would include hotels. BetaBoston: http://bit.ly/1P3nYEv

CHARLESTON, S.C.:  Lipton celebrated its 125th anniversary with its inaugural Be More Tea Festival on October 24 at Riverfront Park at Naval Yard. Performers included Passion Pit, the Roots, and St. Lucia.

CHICAGO:  Imperial Lamian will open in River North this winter. The restaurant will serve modern Chinese fare in an open-kitchen environment; dishes will include savory dumplings and fresh noodles.

LAS VEGAS:  Metro will outsource aerial video for big events in the city, including New Year’s Eve. Las Vegas Review-Journal: http://bit.ly/208QOZf

Event design and production firm Fresh Wata is slated to open the doors to a 50,000-square-foot studio, office, warehouse, and showroom on November 3.

LOS ANGELES:  The annual British Academy Britannia Awards, produced by Done & Dusted and BAFTA Los Angeles, will take place Friday. The event will recognize achievements of actors including Meryl Streep, Orlando Bloom, Amy Schumer, and Harrison Ford.

Jane Lynch will host the 2016 People’s Choice Awards, slated to air live from the Microsoft Theater L.A. Live on CBS on January 6.

Hospitality company Sbe has announced the launch of Hyde Hotel & Residences in Coachella Valley. The resort, which is set to open in early 2017, will have meeting and event facilities and 350 guest rooms.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Design and Architecture Senior High presents the eighth annual Taste of Design to be on November 14 at the Moore Building.

Shiftgig, which handles staffing for one-time or short-term jobs including events, has expanded to Miami. The company can help staff events at venues including sports arenas, festivals, and hotels.

NEW YORK:  Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill that will allow people to bring their dogs to outdoor areas of restaurants. New York Post: http://bit.ly/1GvvnuY

The National Alliance on Mental Illness’s 2015 Seeds of Hope Gala will take place November 5 at the Metropolitan Building in Chelsea.

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  The Florida Department of Health will host its sixth annual event in recognition of World AIDS Day on December 2 at Donnelly Park in downtown Mount Dora.

PHILADELPHIA:  The Pyramid Club on top of 1735 Market Street is slated to get between $2 million to $3 million in renovations. Philadelphia Business Journal: http://bit.ly/1GvWBBQ

SAN DIEGO:  Koncept Events, a global event planning, meeting management, and brand marketing agency celebrates its eighth anniversary with the launch of a new West Coast division in San Diego.

SAN FRANCISCO:  Local seafood supplier Water2Table will open a Mediterranean restaurant in North Beach. The restaurant will be 1,300-square-feet and will replace the Original US Restaurant. SFGate: http://bit.ly/1P3gjGd

TORONTO:  BlogTO reports from inside the light saber battle that took place at Nathan Philips Square on Saturday. http://bit.ly/1N3jE83

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  D.C.’s first “fusion caviar lounge,” Odessa, is slated to open in Northwest later this fall. The restaurant will have a glass-enclosed caviar room reserved for an eight-to-10 course caviar tasting menu. Washington City Paper: http://bit.ly/1ieoRNw

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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, Anna Sekula, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.

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