November 11, 2014: What the Made in America Festival Cost L.A. Taxpayers, Investment Conference Books Paul McCartney and Carrie Underwood, Does New York Need a Better Flower Market?

1. WHAT THE MADE IN AMERICA FESTIVAL COST L.A. TAXPAYERS: Made in America, the two-day music festival held this summer in Los Angeles for the first time, has cost taxpayers about $170,000, according to city officials, who defended the sum. Los Angeles Times: “Held in downtown's Grand Park, it drew tens of thousands of people and was restricted to those who bought tickets or received complimentary passes. On Monday, the mayor argued the event provided a benefit to the city that exceeded any unreimbursed expenses. ‘We will absolutely net more as a city than we would’ if it hadn't happened, [Mayor Eric Garcetti] said. ‘I’m confident of that.’” http://lat.ms/1oG1IWN

2. INVESTMENT CONFERENCE BOOKS PAUL MCCARTNEY AND CARRIE UNDERWOOD: More than 4,000 people came to the Baron Capital’s investors meeting, held last week at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, to hear from C.E.O.s—and also some top-shelf entertainment from Paul McCartney, Carrie Underwood, and Vanessa Williams and the cast of Show Boat. New York Post: “A source said, ’It would have cost $2 million to get both McCartney and Underwood, and that’s before you’ve paid for their bands.’ While the artists’ reps declined to comment, a spokesman for Baron Capital said, ‘The entire event was paid for by Baron Capital. It was fabulous. Paul McCartney put on a great show. There was not one person sitting down in the whole place.’” http://pge.sx/1oG39V6

3. DOES NEW YORK NEED A BETTER FLOWER MARKET?: Known for his elaborate and stunning floral creations, event designer Preston Bailey writes in his blog that New York’s wholesale flower market is “underwhelming” and pales compared to markets in Los Angeles and Miami: “This is an unfortunate side-effect of the high rents charged here in the city. Many wholesalers have been pushed out of the area and replaced by hotels and other types of businesses. Bottom Line: When it comes to our flower market, we New Yorkers are way behind. It is such a shame that the wholesalers did not get one of our larger piers on the water when they were being developed. Maybe it’s not too late to get one of them.” http://bit.ly/1B0VcPR

* LOCAL NEWS *

LAS VEGAS:  Latin Grammy Week will kick off with the second annual “En La Mezcla” event at the Palms on November 18.

LOS ANGELES:  iHeartMedia has announced the "iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina La Villita, Presented by Chase," the official, free pre-event for the first iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, slated for November 22 at the Forum.

The J. Paul Getty Trust awarded the second annual J. Paul Getty Medal to Lord Jacob Rothschild at a gathering of international arts leaders. The event was held at the Getty Center on Sunday with actress Gwyneth Paltrow introducing the honoree.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Thom Filicia will design Architectural Digest's AD Oasis at the James Royal Palm hotel. This year marks the fourth edition of the lounge, which is open December 4-6 to coincide with Art Basel Miami Beach and Design Miami.

Patricia Yeo is the new executive chef at the Southeast Asian-inspired Miami Beach restaurant Khong River House.

NEW ORLEANS:  Omni Hotels & Resorts is now managing the Wyndham Riverfront New Orleans, its third property in the area, under the new name Omni Riverfront Hotel. The 202-room property just finished an $8 million renovation.

NEW YORK:  Art Market Productions, the producers of Miami Project, announced a new art fair called Paper to take place at Pier 26 March 5-8. Work in the 70 exhibiting galleries will somehow be influenced by the medium of paper. Partners in the fair are the Hudson River Park and Brooklyn Museum.

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

TAMPA:  Conceptbait Global Events and Floral Design Group will lead planning, design, and production for the Blue Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit, a weeklong event that takes place in St. Petersburg in even years and Monaco in odd years.

TORONTO:  The Globe and Mail: "Entrepreneur Michael Wekerle announced that he has bought the landmark El Mocambo rock club and will preserve it as a live music venue." http://bit.ly/13S4ChU

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The National Museum of Women in the Arts will reopen its Mezzanine Café in collaboration with Union Kitchen and DS Deli, beginning November 17. Union Kitchen can also provide full-service catering for museum events.

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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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