March 19, 2014: See Lady Gaga’s Crazy New Concert Stage, White House Pastry Chef Resigns, Why Experience Marketing Is Here to Stay

1. SEE LADY GAGA’S CRAZY NEW CONCERT STAGE: Lady Gaga tweeted a rendering of the stage for her 58-date ArtRave: the Artpop Ball Tour, which kicks off May 4. The Lucite stage includes a runway that forks into several directions and will allow fans to dance underneath it. See the image at Popcrush: http://bit.ly/1gzJf3d

2. WHITE HOUSE PASTRY CHEF RESIGNS: Bill Yosses, who has served as the White House pastry chef for the past two administrations, announced a new direction in his career: Instead of elaborate desserts, he will teach children and adults about healthful eating. While his high points include novel takes on traditional desserts—strudel for the 2011 state dinner for Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and a gingerbread version of the White House—he already had started creating lower-fat treats at the direction of the health-conscious Michelle Obama. New York Times: “Mr. Yosses began experimenting with alternatives to what he called ‘the usual blitzkrieg’ of butter and cream. Now, he said, ‘we replace butter with fruit purée, which gives some body.’ He often uses honey and agave in place of sugar, has added whole grains to desserts and is considering heirloom varieties of whole wheat without the bitterness of wheat bran and germ in modern whole-wheat flour.” http://bit.ly/1ehJp2K

3. WHY EXPERIENCE MARKETING IS HERE TO STAY: Responding to an op-ed that said experience marketing was merely a trend that is on its way out, Eric Murphy, head of the music marketing agency Pop2Life, writes that the practice is here to stay. “These are experiences that draw consumers into an environment that feels authentic and disarming. They accept (and welcome) the underlying marketing message because it’s not thrown in their face—it’s integrated into an experience that they are enjoying. These experiences break down walls between the brand and consumer. These experiences turn weary consumers into an army of loyal  fans dying to brag about it to their friends.” Mediabistro: http://bit.ly/1fW7E7F

* LOCAL NEWS *

COAST TO COAST:  The Sperry Top-Sider Vacationland College Tour will return for its second iteration this spring. The brand estimates its experiential activities will reach 75,000 students from March 27-April 8 with stops at the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, the University of Tennessee, and Wake Forest University.

Airstream 2 Go, a travel company, will market its fleet of premium Airstream travel trailers and GMC Yukon Denali tow vehicles to event planners for corporate, private, and other special events beginning in April.

BOSTON:  Marcou Transportation Group, which owns BostonCoach, has added Dav El to its existing slate of brands.

CHICAGO:  Chicago Tribune: “The lineup for Lollapalooza’s 10th year Aug. 1-3 in Grant Park won’t be announced until next week, but industry sources confirm that the headliners will include Eminem, Skrillex, Kings of Leon and Arctic Monkeys. Lollapalooza, which last year drew a capacity audience of 300,000 to the three-day festival, will mark return visits for all four bands.  Additional headliners and the complete lineup will be announced next week.” http://bit.ly/1ehJp2K

Hotel Lincoln is now hosting "Moonshine & Monet" painting classes for corporate groups. Held in the second-floor Clark room, the classes let participants drink, snack, and paint a Chicago-theme image such as the city skyline or a picture of Abraham Lincoln.

LAS VEGAS:  The Cowabunga Bay Water Park, slated to open this summer, will include more than 25 waterslides and attractions.

Jimmy Kimmel will host the third annual "An Evening With Dave Rice” fund-raiser to benefit the Dave Rice Foundation on May 17 inside the MGM Grand.

Hanley Wood Exhibitions announced that a record-setting audience of 9,568 participated in the 2014 International Roofing Expo at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center February 26-28. Attendance for the show represented a 13 percent increase over the 2013 event. Press release: http://bit.ly/1lKUKd2

LOS ANGELES:  This year’s MOCA gala will celebrate the museum’s 35th anniversary and will welcome the museum’s new director, Philippe Vergne, on the opening of the exhibition "Mike Kelley." The gala is March 29 at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.

Alison Bossert’s last day as senior vice president running the event department at Sony Pictures Entertainment is March 21. She has yet to announce her next move.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Hotel Indigo announced its third Miami property with a 140-room hotel in Brickell is set to open in late 2016. The new-build, $48 million property will have about 2,000 square feet of meeting space, a full restaurant, a fitness center, and an outdoor pool with a bar and grill.

NEW YORK:  The Outsider Art Fair will take place in a new venue, Chelsea’s Center 548, for its run May 8-11.

Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin will be presented with the New-York Historical Society’s Women in Public Life award at the annual Strawberry Festival benefit luncheon April 29 at the New-York Historical Society.

MobileWeek 2014, April 11-17, will encompass more than 15 tech events including a one-day conference and expo, a hackathon, a hiring mixer, and a dozen citywide partner events hosted by companies such as Spotify, StackOverflow, and Appssavvy.

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

ORLANDO:  The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, has appointed David Serus as executive chef.

SAN FRANCISCO:  The Merola Opera Program's Spring Benefit is April 12 at the Fairmont Hotel. The theme is "A Night in New Orleans."

TORONTO:  The stars of Day of Our Lives attended a book signing and photo event at Chapters Queensway earlier this week. The event promoted the new Day of Our Lives Better Living book, which provides healthy-lifestyle tips from cast members.

WASHINGTON:  Richard Sandoval will open the newest outpost of his Toro Toro pan-Latin steak house March 31. LW Design Group L.L.C. of Dubai is responsible for designing the 12,400-square-foot space, which draws inspiration from Japanese and Latin interior design elements. For private dining and events, the restaurant holds 50 guests for dinner upstairs or 200 for a cocktail reception with dancing downstairs. The restaurant is available for buyouts and holds 600 people for a reception. 

YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Jill Menze, and Anna Sekula in New York.

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

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