April 11, 2013: Restaurants Redefine Fine Dining, New Way to Book Athletes for Events, Using Tech to Connect at Trade Shows

1. RESTAURANTS REDEFINING FINE DINING: The concept of luxury restaurants is changing, a trend seen at two new Houston hotspots, Oxheart and Underbelly. New York Times: "Ambitious restaurants are less concerned with comforting the comfortable than they used to be. What the comfortable want, what even those of us who merely aspire to be a little less uncomfortable want, is an experience that feels authentic." http://nyti.ms/YbmGdr

2. NEW WAY TO BOOK ATHLETES FOR EVENTS: A start-up is specializing in booking retired athletes for special events for experiences such as a basketball lesson or cameo at a fantasy draft. Former N.F.L. star Tiki Barber co-founded the service, which has enlisted 300 athletes and is looking to include entertainers and other celebrities. Mashable: "'We want to facilitate personal interactions like shooting hoops with someone or actually hanging out with them, as opposed to going to a meet and greet event with 500 other people to get an autograph,' C.E.O. Glenn Laumeister said." http://on.mash.to/16SRbsg

3. USING TECH TO CONNECT AT TRADE SHOWS: At the Specialty Coffee Association's annual event in Boston, Breville will display its coffee and tea makers, as well as a slate of digital wares created just for the event. Adweek: The Barista Bootcamp Notebook "entails instructional videos, how-to content, and tips about using its slate of products. … The interactive notebooks can be embedded in Web and social media properties of the brand—as well as the digital destinations of the distributors it may connect with this weekend." http://bit.ly/10VE3iM

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON: Altieri Events is now AE Events.

The Catered Affair at the Boston Public Library will host a Mother's Day Tea on May 11. The menu will include tea sandwiches, scones, petit fours, and teas.

Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro will offer a four-course prix-fixe menu in celebration of Earth Week, April 22-28. Featured dishes will include beet terrine with an upland cress salad with Granny Smith apples and a buttermilk thyme vinaigrette, collard greens, and saffron risotto. All dishes will be made with local and sustainable ingredients and a portion of the proceeds will go to Chefs Collaborative.

CHICAGO: Tonight is the fifth-anniversary party for Michelle Durpetti Events. Held at River North's new event space Loft 644, the event will offer specialty drinks from Femme du Coupe, snacks from Jewell Events Catering and Phil Stefani Signature Events, sweets from Sugar Chic Designs, flowers from Stemline, a Shutterbooth photo booth, and more.

The American Heart Association's Heart Ball is Saturday at Navy Pier's Grand ballroom. The event will offer heart-healthy fare, music from Lynne Jordan and the Shivers, and silent and live auctions. Some 800 guests are expected.

Facing History and Ourselves' Chicago Benefit Dinner will take place at the Hyatt Regency Chicago May 16. Actress Sonja Sohn of The Wire will be the featured speaker, and the evening will also include cocktails and dinner.

LAS VEGAS: The 10th annual Las Vegas Crawfish Festival is April 27 at Tommy Rockers. Entertainment will include live music, and crawfish will be flown in from Louisiana. All funds raised will go the L.S.U. Alumni Scholarship Fund. http://bit.ly/16S9vC1

LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Ballet Rubies Gala 2013 is April 20 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel ballroom. The evening will honor Nigel Lythgoe and Linda Duttenhaver and will feature a preview performance of Balanchine Festival RED.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Solé on the Ocean is throwing a Reggae Beach Bowl concert on the sand Saturday. N.F.L. greats Antonio Brown and Amhad Bradshaw and current Miami Dolphins Lamar Miller and Olivier Vernon will host with a performance by Junior Marvin and One Love of Bob Marley and the Wailers. Executive Chef Ralph Pagano of Alba Seaside Italian will serve island favorites such as jerk chicken and pork while guests sip on rum punch and other beverages.

NEW YORK: Frieze Fair will return this year May 10-13 in Randall's Island Park. The event will feature contemporary art and artists from around the world and food vendors such as Roberta's, the Fat Radish, Mission Chinese Food, and more. The festival will take place under a custom-designed structure. http://bit.ly/10TFlfU

The Village Voice's 58th annual Obie Awards are May 20 at Webster Hall. The Obies will be co-hosted by Jessica Hecht and Jeremy Shamos, who currently star together in the Broadway production of The Assembled Parties. Meryl Streep will present a lifetime achievement award to Lois Smith and Frances Sternhagen.

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

ORLANDO: The New Smyrna Beach Balloon & Sky Fest took place April 5-7 at the New Smyrna Municipal Airport. The weekend featured air shows, live music, a carnival, more than 100 vendors, balloon rides, and more. The event was organized by the Balloon & Sky Fest Foundation, a nonprofit that works to promote a family-friendly community. http://bit.ly/12Jp5mD

PHOENIX: PRO EM Party & Event Rentals will coordinate operations for Florence's Country Thunder for the seventh year in a row. The music festival is April 11-14 and will feature 22 country music performances from Lady Antebellum, Toby Keith, and others, as well as rides and music product vendors. PRO EM will supply the tents, tables, catering equipment, security, and more.

AV Concepts announced Anthony Stevens as its new vice president of business development.

SAN FRANCISCO: Madrone Studios, a San Francisco production venue that has hosted product launches for GoPro, Microsoft, Slacker, and Epic Games, has launched Madrone Creative, a full-service production agency specializing in immersive live events, digital art, and interactive technologies.

TORONTO: The Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research will host "Our Future Without AIDS" on April 27. At the Burroughs, the benefit will offer an art auction and a live art experience.

The TFI New Labels event, presented by Target, will take place at the Carlu May 10. Hosted by TV star Dina Pugliese, the event will include a cocktail reception, seated dinner, and runway show.

WASHINGTON: Grammy-winner Jennifer Hudson will be recognized as the Grammys on the Hill honoree April 15 at the Hamilton. The event, which brings together celebrities and politicians, will feature performances from Hudson and other artists, as well as a cocktail reception and awards presentation. Proceeds will go to Sesac, a performing rights organization.

Nourish Events by Sodexo, the official on-site caterer of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, has launched an event planning services for events at the zoo including at the new event space in the Elephant Community Center.

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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Jenna Berris, Beth Kormanik, Lauren Matthews, and Anna Sekula in New York.

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