September 8, 2014: The Surprising Place Techies Go to Network, How Bud Light Will Use Event Technology at "Whatever, USA" Event, See a Billboard Made of Cake

1. THE SURPRISING PLACE TECHIES GO TO NETWORK: Taking the familiar tropes of summer camp—tug-of-war, campfires, and canoes—and adding in networking time, lectures, and after-parties, the shared office space WeWork organized its own summer camp for adults. The New York Times: “Summer Camp is a perk WeWork offers for the 1,475 people who boarded the buses in the pursuit of sharing business plans, networking and drinking shots. It may best be described as Coachella meets Allen & Company’s Sun Valley meets ‘Meatballs.’ Despite a whole lot of drinking, attendees said they knew they got much more than a bad hangover from attending. For instance, while wakeboarding, [one attendee] said that he met someone who runs a digital marketing agency he may call upon professionally. ‘It felt so much more organic than going to a conference,’ he said. ‘I shared something with this guy that went beyond business networking. Now I feel like I know him on a personal level because we did some back flips and shared some beers.’” http://nyti.ms/1pGLo1B

2. HOW BUD LIGHT WILL USE EVENT TECHNOLOGY AT "WHATEVER, USA" EVENT: St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Anheuser-Busch’s use of technology at its ‘Whatever, USA’ event this weekend in Crested Butte, Colo., will set a new bar for the brewer and its marketing efforts, with drones, RFID wristbands and LED jackets all on tap for the event. … At an electronic dance music (EDM) concert, attendees will wear LED jackets, creating a user-generated light show. A-B will use multiple drones to record the events to be used in its advertising and shared on social media. Attendees also will wear RFID wristbands that can be scanned by photographers and by wearers snapping selfies at kiosks.” http://bit.ly/1rTinaH

3. SEE A BILLBOARD MADE OF CAKE: British sweets brand Mr. Kipling, along with agency JWT London, mixed product sampling with outdoor advertising with a billboard made of cake. Adweek: “Making a billboard out of 13,360 cakes is a feat that takes grand vision and steely perseverance—approximately seven hours worth of grueling cake assembly alone, even with the help of a professional food artist like Michelle Wibowo, whose credentials also include making a portrait of Prince William and Prince George out of 16,074 triangle pieces of Toblerone chocolate.” http://bit.ly/1uoEWSk

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  The International Special Events Society New England chapter will meet at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology Tuesday. The event will include a presentation from Brit Bertino on "High End Event Management."

CHICAGO:  Urbanbelly restaurants have introduced "Belly Kits.” Suited for groups of 10 or more, the kits let guests assemble their own Asian dishes at buffets stocked with items such as olive-oil-poached shrimp, lemongrass chicken, and steamed buns. The cost is $35 per person, and the kits can be delivered to homes, offices, or event spaces.

The Orion Ensemble's 22nd anniversary benefit performance and party is November 15 at the Eagle Brook Country Club in Geneva.

LAS VEGAS:  The Dave Austin Memorial Poker Run is September 27, beginning and ending at the Boulevard Brew Fest at the MGM Resort Festival Village.

For its Labor Day events featuring DJs Alesso and Carl Cox, Light nightclub used high-powered colored lasers from LaserNet.

LOS ANGELES:  The first Forever Never Land festival is September 13-14 at Avila Beach with headliners including Everclear and Vertical Horizon. The 21-and-over event also includes activities such as a 200-foot-drop water slide, a zip line, a paint party, a foam pit, beach volleyball, slip and slides, bounce castles, and more.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Hyatt Pier 66 Marina is undergoing its first renovation since its launch more than 50 years ago. The first phase of the project has finished, with the rest scheduled to wrap up in October in time for the 2014 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, for which the new marina will serve as one of the host locations.

Taste for the Arts Dinner, part of the Copperbridge Foundation's Copper Fest, is Wednesday at the District Miami. The meal from chef Horacio Rivadero will be served on plates created for the event by ceramic artist Carlos Alberto Rodriguez. Guests can preview and select their plate beforehand.

NEW YORK:  Min's Media Advertising Summit is September 30 at the Yale Club. Kim Matlock, senior director of digital marketing and CRM at Hard Rock International, is the keynote speaker.

The first Astoria, Queens, restaurant week, Eat in Astoria, is September 19-28, with a kickoff food festival September 16 sponsored and hosted by Astoria Bank.

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

ORLANDO:  Westgate River Ranch is now offering a half-day cattle drive as a new outdoor teambuilding activity for groups of at least four people. The experience starts at $299 a person and includes breakfast, a scenic horseback ride, cattle herding, and lunch. Additional options include singing cowboys and glamping accommodations.

SAN FRANCISCO:  Electronic Arts and EA Sports founder Trip Hawkins will keynote Digital Kids Summit, which takes place October 21-22 at the Children’s Creativity Museum.

TORONTO:  New to Kensington Market, the Toronto Popcorn Company pops up the treat in 100 flavors, including cinnamon toast and black cherry. The company can provide gift bags and catering.

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 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.

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

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