1. HOW COUPLES ARE ELEVATING WEDDING COCKTAILS: More couples are putting creative, customized touches on cocktails at their weddings to elevate the beverage experience for guests. One of the more recent examples is serving cocktails with printed images on edible paper, through services like SipMi. The New York Times: “’Fifteen years ago, if there was a cocktail served at an event, it was a mojito or a spicy margarita,’ said Talmadge Lowe, the founder of Pharmacie, a specialty bar and cocktail company, also in Los Angeles. ‘That was the extent of the creativity. Now, cocktails are a must. They have grown from the familiar and classic to the custom and creative.’ … Alcohol has long fueled dance parties and wedding shenanigans, but the experience of sipping an elegant drink gives guests an opportunity to converse with one another and bond while enjoying the beverage, much like a cocktail party. It’s another form of entertainment. Bobby Brown, a founder of Craft Cartel Cocktail Catering in Boynton Beach, Florida, explained that couples know more about cocktails than before, thanks to the mainstream cocktail craze, and use that knowledge to put playful spins on their wedding beverages. ‘People don’t want cool, craft drinks anymore,’ Mr. Brown said. ‘They want engagement.’ For Mr. Brown, this has led to alcohol-infused adult ice pops as welcome drinks and slushy drinks like a frozen Aperol spritz. At receptions, his team offers a wheel that guests can spin to determine which custom cocktail to order. He has cheekily named drinks, such as the Dalé Lama, for a yerba maté-infused, Kashmiri chili cocktail for an Indian wedding with South American touches. He has even matched the hue of a mocktail to a National Football League player’s team color. ‘The bar is often the focal point of any celebration,’ he added. ‘A proper drink can galvanize that.’” https://nyti.ms/2N3IEng
2. BRANDS USE FASHION WEEK TO ENGAGE WITH INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE: Brands including Visa, Maybelline, and Lexus have partnered with New York Fashion Week producer I.M.G. this year to deliver interactive activations and specific messages in an effort to connect with a global audience. Adweek: "Leslie Russo, I.M.G.’s E.V.P. of fashion partnerships and marketing, said that NYFW continues to capture the attention of brands because 'all eyes worldwide are on fashion during this time,' Russo said. 'It’s everyone you want to reach: influencers, international press, consumers.' This year, Visa, a new partner for N.Y.F.W., will serve as the event’s first official payment technology partner. At Spring Studios, Visa is running contactless 'vending machines,' which carry limited-edition items from female designers like Rebecca Minkoff, Venessa Arizaga, and Neely & Chloe, and fittingly, the proceeds from these sales will benefit Women’s World Banking, a nonprofit that supports low-income women entrepreneurs around [the world]. ... Russo also added that as fashion magazines—traditionally the go-to way for brands to reach style savvy consumers—have declined over the last few years, events like NYFW are even more important for brands. 'Live experiences matched with talent have become a very successful formula for brands to reach the right audience,' Russo said. 'That’s our exact sweet spot. We have events, we represent talent and when you put all those things together, that backdrop becomes a very powerful place where the consumer lives.' And in that powerful place, brands are able to connect with consumers oftentimes by focusing on a specific message. Maybelline, an NYFW partner since 2009, for example, uses the moment to demonstrate the importance of offering a wide variety of product shades to promote inclusivity in beauty. They partner with several designers each season—this fall, that number is 12 (including Carolina Herrera and Opening Ceremony)." https://bit.ly/2MpMIZU
3. APPLE TO LIVE STREAM IPHONE EVENT ON TWITTER FOR THE FIRST TIME: Apple will live stream its iPhone press event today on Twitter for the first time. In the past, the company has only streamed the event on Safari, Apple TV, and Microsoft Edge on Windows 10. TechCrunch: “Many had been speculating the event would live stream on Twitter, due to the wording Apple is using in its latest promoted Tweet about the event. The tweet asks users to sign up for ‘updates’ on event day and follow the action on Twitter via the #AppleEvent hashtag. While Apple has run Twitter ads before, including to those that remind users to tune in and watch, the tweet’s wording this time had hinted that the action may be live streamed on Twitter. … The event kicks off at 10 AM PDT and can also be streamed via Apple TV and Apple’s Events site on the web, as usual. Apple confirmed the Twitter live stream to TechCrunch this morning. Expanding the live stream to Twitter isn’t an unusual choice for Apple, as of late. The company has been making it possible for more people to watch its live events online in recent months. For example, this year’s WWDC keynote was the first one Apple allowed Chrome and Firefox users to live stream, too.” https://tcrn.ch/2x1EDpx
* LOCAL NEWS *
CHICAGO: Contemporary Japanese restaurant Yūgen is slated to open this fall in the West Loop. The restaurant is managed by Morgan Olszewski and will feature two tasting menus helmed by executive chef Mari Katsumura. The main dining room will seat 68 guests while a private dining room will seat 12 guests.
LOS ANGELES: The 28th annual Sherman Oaks Chamber Street Fair will take place October 21. Billed as the largest fair in the San Fernando Valley, the event will feature more than 250 vendors and exhibits.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MEMPHIS: The second annual Mempho Music Festival will take place October 6-7 at Shelby Farms Park. Produced by Big River Presents, the event will be headlined by Post Malone, Janelle Monáe, Beck, and Nas.
NEW YORK: The Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce will hold its Latin America, Spain and the United States in the Global Economy Forum September 21 at the Paley Center for Media.
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s annual symposium and award luncheon will take place October 25 at the New York Hilton Midtown. The event will honor Mary Dillon, C.E.O. of Ulta Beauty, and Hedvig Hricak of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Housing Works’s fund-raising event Fashion for Action will take place November 8-11 at Chelsea Thrift Shop.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: J. Cole’s inaugural Dreamville Festival has been cancelled due to the impending landfall of Hurricane Florence. The festival was slated to take place Saturday, with headliners such as SZA, Big Sean, and Nelly.
SAN FRANCISCO: Event supplier Arena Group has acquired Stuart Event Rentals.
TORONTO: Luminato has named Naomi Campbell its new artistic director. Campbell joined Luminato as company manager in 2011, and most recently served as deputy artistic director in 2017.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A back-to-school performance of American Scoreboard’s dramatic reading of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s Senate confirmation hearing will take place September 17 at Arena Stage. Created by Broadway producers Fran Kirmser and Chris Burney, American Scoreboard is an ongoing series that reflects issues involving the current White House administration and the American people.
The All Things Go Fall Classic music and food festival will take place October 6-7 at Union Market. Headliners will include Carly Rae Jepsen, Betty Who, and Maggie Rogers, and food vendors will include Shake Shack, Bun’d Up, Timber Pizza Co., and Sweetgreen.
YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected].
JOB BOARD: Post a job or find a job: http://jobs.bizbash.com
With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, and Ian Zelaya in New York.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
Feed the Sheet: [email protected]
Subscribe: www.bizbash.com/bizbashdaily
Advertise with BizBash: [email protected]
More in Beverages
Most Popular
