October 21, 2016: Marketers Give Instagram Stories Feature Mixed Reviews, Al Smith Charity Dinner Gets Awkward With Clinton and Trump in Attendance, N.B.A. to Stream a Live Game Weekly in Virtual Reality

1. MARKETERS GIVE INSTAGRAM STORIES FEATURE MIXED REVIEWS: Instagram's Snapchat-inspired Stories feature has offered users a new way to capture events in real-time, but many marketers aren't totally sold on its effectiveness. Digiday: "Like any new platform feature, brands are still in test-and-learn mode, using it for everything from rough-and-ready coverage of live events to brand video. But while some see momentum, many marketers struggle with getting much scale from their efforts or solid metrics to justify spending money (and time) on yet another new way to push out content. Kerry Perse, U.S. director of Omnicom subsidiary OMD Word, said her agency has used Stories for a handful of clients, which are mostly in retail. Clients have used Stories about once a week and they have been structured around live events and 'retail moments' such as when a celebrity visits a store or a product debuts. Engagement for Stories has been similar to what OMD has seen on other live platforms like Facebook Live and Periscope, Perse said. Another agency said that if a Story runs at the same time as a related standard static Instagram photo, the related photo tends to see its views increase by a few percentage points compared to other regular Instagram photos. … Although a few agencies have seen promising engagement from Stories, the majority of agencies Digiday spoke with did not yet have plans to use the feature. One agency said clients 'are interested, but the majority are waiting for a paid product before they use it because a paid product is the only way to get the scale they’re looking for.'" http://bit.ly/2dQ1xo6

2. AL SMITH CHARITY DINNER GETS AWKWARD WITH CLINTON AND TRUMP IN ATTENDANCE: One day after facing off in the final presidential debate this election season, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump met again at the annual Aflred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner in New York on Thursday. While it’s customary for the candidates in attendance to tell jokes, some of Trump’s comments received boos from the crowd. Bloomberg: “Both candidates were, for the most part, good-natured yet tough on each other, but Trump apparently misread this particular audience gathered in his heavily Democratic hometown. Still, despite the booing spells, Trump got strong laughter from throughout the room at his best jokes. The loudest roar of approval came at the expense of his wife. … Just 24 hours after engaging in fierce verbal combat in their final debate in Las Vegas and refusing to shake hands, Clinton and Trump were nearly elbow to elbow again, seated at the same table at the ballroom in the Waldorf Astoria, at a charity dinner famous for its humorous speeches. If Wednesday's debate raised the question whether the two New Yorkers vying for the nation’s highest office could deliver a knock out blow or take a punch, Thursday’s encounter tested each’s ability to deliver a punchline and take a joke. Clinton, who spoke second, began with the self-deprecatory remarks and gracious gestures that have been the hallmarks of previous dinners. As has been the custom, the audience of 1,500 was dressed in white-tie formal attire. They paid $3,000 to $15,000 per person, raising about $6 million for Catholic charities that will give services to impoverished New York children, according to Joseph Zwilling, spokesman for New York’s archdiocese. They dined on a ‘seafood trio’ of king crab salad, lobster cocktail and lobster roll, followed by beef, ‘cheesy polenta’ and red cabbage and desserts that included red velvet cupcakes and dark chocolate praline. Clinton sipped chamomile tea and left a lipstick mark on her cup; Trump had glasses of Coke. Neither ate their desserts.” http://bloom.bg/2dEKmrQ

3. N.B.A. TO STREAM A LIVE GAME WEEKLY IN VIRTUAL REALITY: The N.B.A. has announced it will stream one live game per week in virtual reality for the entire season. The stream will be hosted by the NextVR app, which streams live sporting events on Oculus' and Samsung's GearVR. TechCrunch: "While NextVR and the NBA have worked together to stream a live game before, this will be the first time the league has offered a scheduled reoccurring VR stream of a game. In fact, it’s the first time any professional sports league has offered a reoccurring live VR broadcast. The VR stream will be made available as part of NBA League Pass, NBA Digital’s platform that lets users subscribe and stream every NBA game all season. League Pass subscribers will need to log into their account once inside the NextVR app to receive access to the stream. While League Pass is expensive at $199.99 a year, it essentially gives basketball fans access to stream over 1,000 games over the course of the season. … The downside is that it probably puts these streams out of the price range of VR fans that just want to try watching live sports in VR. But the upside is that it means the NBA is treating virtual reality as a real way for fans to watch the game, and not just a novelty. The VR broadcasts will be fully produced with dedicated announcers, multiple camera angles, and optimized VR graphics. Plus during game breaks the camera will show in-venue exclusive 360-degree content that you wouldn’t be able to see on a standard TV." http://tcrn.ch/2envVH7

* LOCAL NEWS *

COAST TO COAST:  AccorHotels has partnered with LinkedIn to launch a new feature, Business Check powered by LinkedIn, on the hotel group's mobile app. The feature will allow guests to create and facilitate business opportunities.

Dog Haus—the Pasadena, California-based gourmet hot dog, sausage, and burger concept—has reached an agreement with American Development Partners that will include the construction of more than 300 new Dog Haus franchise locations in 12 states over the next seven years.

AUSTIN:  Presidian Hotels has taken over management of the Highlander Hotel. The 84-room hotel, located in the Highland neighborhood, was acquired by new owners in late 2015.

BOSTON:  Restaurateur Nancy Batista-Caswell is slated to open her third restaurant, Oak & Rowan, on November 4 in Fort Point. The seafood and steak concept, helmed by chef Justin Shoults, was designed by Sousa Design and features 5,000 square feet of space.

CHICAGO:  Diffa's annual Dining by Design Chicago will take place November 3-4 at Merchandise Mart.

True Food Kitchen, a health-driven restaurant chain from Fox Restaurant Concepts, will open downtown on November 22 in River North. The 7,625-square-foot space includes a 480-square-foot outdoor patio space.

LAS VEGAS:  Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace has debuted its new Caviar Room, which offers new dishes as well as some of the Michelin-starred chef’s signatures.

LOS ANGELES:  The second annual InStyle Awards will take place October 24 at the Getty Center. Honorees include Nicole Kidman, Tom Ford, and Priyanka Chopra.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood is undergoing $100 million in renovations, and is set to open in January. The 1,000-room hotel, which is a member of Curio—A Collection by Hilton, has 50,000 square feet of meeting/event space and 10 culinary destinations.

Design and Architecture Senior High (DASH) Parent Teacher Student Association will present the Ninth Annual Taste of Design on November 12 at the Moore Building. The event is a fund-raiser for DASH students.

NEW YORK:  The second annual Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women's Filmmaker Program will take place October 25-27. The program, which is presented by Tribeca and Chanel in collaboration with Pulse Films, selected five emerging female filmmakers to receive project support and participate in workshops focused on a variety of filmmaking topics.

The sixth edition of the New Art Dealers Alliance will take place March 2-5, 2017 at Skylight Clarkson North.

At its New Establishment Summit on Thursday, Vanity Fair announced it will launch a new conference, Founders Fair, on April 20, 2017. Sponsored by Dell Technologies, the conference will focus on female entrepreneurs. 

Park South Hotel has undergone extensive renovations that include upgrades to the rooms, public spaces, library, and roof. The hotel has more than 1,200 square feet of meeting and event space, including an industrial meeting room, a semiprivate dining area in the hotel’s new restaurant Covina, and a private rooftop meeting space.

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  Construction has begun on a new 100,000-square-foot entertainment attraction and venue near the convention center. Andretti Indoor Karting & Games is expected to open in June 2017 and have a two-level race track, a ropes course, a rock wall, laser tag, and more, plus 10,000 square feet of event space.

Construction of the 54-room Delaney Hotel and 6,000-square-foot Delaney's Tavern is expected to be completed in May 2017. The project is being developed by 1405 South Orlando Partnership. The tavern's main dining room will seat 75, while the private dining room will accommodate as many as 100 people.

TORONTO:  The One of a Kind Show will take place November 24-December 3 at the Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place. The art, clothes, and crafts show will offer a variety of local, handmade items.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The Backroom at Kingbird Restaurant has opened at the Watergate Hotel. The hotel's executive chef Michael Santoro is overseeing the menu, which is inspired by modern French cuisine.

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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin and Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Carla Hay, Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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

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