July 5, 2018: Dating Apps Are Now a Part of Weddings, Cartoon Network to Sponsor New York Fashion Week: Men's, Safety Concerns Prompting One Major Convention to Leave San Francisco

1. DATING APPS ARE NOW A PART OF WEDDINGS: One of the latest wedding trends involves couples including the dating site responsible for their meeting—be it Tinder, Bumble, or OKCupid—at the actual ceremony. The New York Times: "Some like the Walshes address invitations to company offices. Tinder estimates it gets 50 notes a week; Bumble said it receives them daily. Others ask the startups to make their offices available for proposals (it is the closest place resembling where the couple met); to sponsor parts of the wedding (imagine a Tinder-branded photo booth); even to officiate ceremonies. 'I’ve been asked to marry people so many times, I got ordained to do it,' said Alex Williamson, the head of brand for Bumble. 'I don’t really find it so weird. It’s exciting to be part of a brand that people are proud of. They met the love of their life on it.' ... Dating platforms are currently trying to navigate this demand from users. 'We do not take the invitations lightly,' said Rosette Pambakian, head of brand marketing and communications for Tinder. 'We send Champagne, we send personalized gifts. The stories are moving, so we selectively do what we can.' Bumble has two staff members whose duties include responding to engaged couples who reach out. The company may send wine flutes, flowers, or gifts from registries. It also has a budget to give select users extravagant wedding-related experiences. Bumble recently planned and paid for a proposal in Brooklyn that involved bringing the woman into a winter-themed warehouse and pelting her with fake snowballs from behind trees planted for the event." https://nyti.ms/2z9kph6

2. CARTOON NETWORK TO SPONSOR NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: MEN'S: The Council of Fashion Designers of America has formed a new partnership with Cartoon Network that consumers will see starting this month at New York Fashion Week: Men's. Women's Wear Daily: "The network will provide support for the shows and the CFDA connected the company with Ryohei Kawanishi of Landlord, who will design a capsule collection based on 'Adventure Time,' a popular animated series. Instead of just producing a one-off capsule collection, Kawanishi said he has also integrated themes from the series into his main line, which will show during NYFW: Men’s on July 9. 'I wanted to make a mental connection with what’s going on in the cartoons,' said Kawanishi, who usually designs based on distinct themes ranging from Rastafarianism to southern hip-hop. Cartoon Network has played in the fashion space before via collaborations with brands including Moschino, Champion and Rook, but Pete Yoder, vice president of Cartoon Network Enterprises, North America, said these collaborations have become a bigger focus for the company, which is why it has partnered with the CFDA. 'It’s a huge priority for us because we want to address our fan base with the more traditional licensed product that’s more accessible, but we also want to give our super fans something special that they can call their own,' Yoder said." https://bit.ly/2MK1niZ

3. SAFETY CONCERNS PROMPTING ONE MAJOR CONVENTION TO LEAVE SAN FRANCISCO: A major medical convention is leaving San Francisco because of safety concerns, according to the head of the city's convention bureau. Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO of S.F. Travel, declined to name the group but said it has brought a 15,000-person event to the city on a rotating basis since the 1980s. His organization sent a delegation to try to win the business back and working with city officials to take other steps. San Francisco Chronicle: “'There was a time when the biggest obstacle to having a convention here was that it can be expensive, but now we have this new factor,'” D’Alessandro said. In recent years, conventions have hired uniformed off-duty police and private security officers to patrol around Moscone and the nearby hotels. ... In the meanwhile, D’Alessandro said, the rumbling of discontent continues from a number of conventions—'even from local tech companies who hold some of our biggest annual events.'" https://bit.ly/2IMEd9n

* LOCAL NEWS *

DALLAS/FORT WORTH:  Esports production company Egency Global and Southern Methodist University Guildhall have partnered with GameStop to host O.P. (Over Powered) Live Dallas September 22-23 at Irving Convention Center. The event will have esports competitions, pro esports player meet and greets, a video game art exhibition, and video games created by S.M.U. Guildhall students and alumni. 

LONDON:  EventsTag, a London-based event tech and live experience platform that can integrate with social media platforms, has acquired Excelerated Apps, an R.F.I.D. event tech company that provides services for planners to track and measure their live events. 

LOS ANGELES:  The Venice Beach Music Fest, a free music and arts festival, will take place August 25 at the Venice Beach boardwalk. The event will kick off with a samba parade at Windward Plaza. 

Event designer Rrivre Davies has retired from his event design and rental company Rrivre Works. Davies, who designed events for brands including California Wedding Day, Ceremony Magazine, and the Knot, will share his rentals and designs through an auction July 28-29. 

For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Miami New Times's 11th annual Iron Fork will take place October 4 at Hyatt Regency Miami. The event will showcase more than 60 South Florida restaurants, including Amore de Miami, Toro Toro, and Mason. 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade’s 12th annual Wild About Kids Gala will take place November 10 at the JW Marriot Marquis Miami. The event, presented by Norwegian Cruise Line, will have a “A Night in Havana” theme.  

NEW YORK:  Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation’s 14th annual the Hamptons Happening will take place July 14. The event will have tastings from vendors including Five Senses Catering, Magnolia Bakery, South Fork Bakery, and Thyme & Again Catering. 

Dudes Against Violence Against Women: Because Duh, an ongoing comedy show series presented by human rights nonprofit Breakthrough, will take place July 18 at Gotham Comedy Club. Performers will include Roy Wood Jr., Josh Gondelman, and Jordan Carlos. 

NY Now, a home, decor, and lifestyle products trade show, will take place August 12-15 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

The Saratoga Wine and Food Festival will take place September 7-9 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Chef David Burke, chef Todd English, and former Boston Red Sox baseball player David Ortiz will headline the event. 

For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

TORONTO:  Air Canada Centre has officially rebranded as the Scotiabank Arena. 

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With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Ian Zelaya, and Kristine Liao in New York.

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