BIZBASH CALL SHEET — #472 — Friday, 03.22.13
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Compiled today by Beth Kormanik in New York
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1. SXSW BEST PRACTICES: With brands large and small jostling to take part in South by Southwest, what are the marketing lessons from this year's activations? Alex Frias of New York-based Track Marketing Group shared his favorites with Forbes, including one his company created for HGTV. The network—not known as a favorite among the technorati—designed a "TV Control Room" for VEVO that "functioned as a music venue, an exclusive after-hours V.I.P. lounge, a beer garden and a hang-out spot with picnic tables, ping-pong, food, and beverages. Lesson: Maximize the power of your brand appropriately to ensure the highest R.O.I." http://onforb.es/YI0ZAG
2. CELEBRITY DATES: Ever think about asking a celebrity to be your plus-one? With everyone, including A-list stars on Twitter and Facebook, it's easier to reach out and have a reasonable expectation of a response. Or a clever-enough video, like the one of a Los Angeles teenager inviting Sports Illustrated cover model Kate Upton to prom, can go viral. Washington Post: "Should one invitation rise up out of the cluttered abyss of requests, the star who receives it is in a PR bind. You can’t say no without looking like a jerk, and you can’t really take credit for saying yes, because everyone knows you only said yes because you can’t say no without looking like a jerk (repeat until brain explodes)." http://wapo.st/WVZO6l
3. DESSERT ON THE HOUSE: Now this is a sweet stunt. Huffington Post: "A group of confectioners made dreams a reality on Thursday by transforming a London home into a pop-up 'cake hotel' filled with edible works of art. The stunt, a one-day-only event, was orchestrated by sugarcane brand Tate & Lyle Sugars to promote its new Taste Experience range of golden and brown cane sugars." http://huff.to/YctRb4
4. CHANNEL SURFING: Dish Network crafted one of the most buzzed-about marketing moves of 2005 when it renamed an entire town in Texas after itself. Years later, residents wonder whether the move was worth it. New York Times: "The renaming of Dish—its official name became DISH, to match the company’s all-caps style—did not turn the town into a household name, like Truth or Consequences, N.M., which named itself after the radio quiz show in 1950. Some residents have wondered how they have benefited from the 10-year arrangement." One half-joked: “I wished Jack Daniel’s would have looked us up.” http://nyti.ms/YuXVZI
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* 10 BEST IDEAS OF THE WEEK *
Here's a look at 10 steal-worthy ideas we spotted this week, including championship rings holding napkins at a Miami Heat benefit, Mylar balloons filling the step-and-repeat at a Vogue Eyewear launch in Los Angeles, wraparound projections at a Travel Channel event in New York, a pinball stage for boy band One Direction in London, and the Virgina Tourism Corporation's "Love Letters" on display at a Washington event. http://bit.ly/YfAMAg
* INTERNAL NEWS *
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* LOCAL NEWS *
BOSTON: New York City burger institution Shake Shack has arrived in Boston, offering its signature patties, dogs, crinkly fries, and frozen custard. The new outpost is located at the Street Chestnut Hill.
Curious to see what's on Boston Harbor Hotel's Easter brunch menu? Chef Daniel Bruce will prepare mint roasted leg of lamb with honey-rhubarb sauce, pastry-wrapped Atlantic salmon, and scallops with a saffron-lobster cream.
CHICAGO: Lottie's and the Pony are staging a fun April Fool's Day promotion. Locals can email their best prank ideas to [email protected], and the winner will receive help staging the prank at one of the two pubs on April Fool's Day.
Noah's Arc Foundation will host an event at Kabocha, a soon-to-open restaurant in the West Loop, on April 8. The foundation provides youth with opportunities that encourage them to make a positive impact in their communities through arts and sports programming; the event will showcase the foundation's programs and will offer cocktails and bites.
Chef Cleetus Friedman, owner of the recently closed catering company City Provisions, is now the chef at Fountainhead. His new menu will place more emphasis on local, sustainable fare, and the venue has a small private dining room.
LAS VEGAS: Las Vegas Sun: "Thousands of nightclub operators and bar owners from around the world arrive here this weekend to start festivities in advance of the three-day Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show starting Tuesday … But while on the Strip, they will be watching a possible changing of the guard as older nightclubs face incredible challenges from newcomers about to burst on the scene." http://bit.ly/WXycOk
USA Today: "Caesars Entertainment's betting that New York's splashy Gansevoort Hotel Group can work magic on the now-closed Las Vegas Strip institution Bill's Gamblin' Hall. The Old West-style casino hotel, which closed last month, will reopen in January as the Gansevoort Las Vegas, with rates starting at $249 a night." http://usat.ly/WH8uLI
LOS ANGELES: On Wednesday, BlackBerry hosted a launch event for its Z10 Smartphone at Cecconi's West Hollywood.
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Miami Gardens’ eighth annual Jazz in the Gardens music festival at Sun Life Stadium set a new record for two-day attendance with more than 63,000 fans who came to see performances by Ne-Yo, Earth, Wind & Fire, New Edition, Monica, Fantasia, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, and others.
Tracy Mourning will host "To Her With Love," a spoken-word experience March 27 at the Bohemia Room. The women's history month event will benefit Honey Shine Mentoring Program.
NEW YORK: Tuesday the Paramount Hotel debuted its yearlong $40 million renovation. The redesigned hotel features a two-story lobby, four new event spaces, a new restaurant and boutique, and more. The hotel's nightclub, Diamond Horseshoe, is slated to open in the fall.
The fifth annual New York Culinary Experience is May 4 and 5 at the International Culinary Center. The weekend will include hands-on master cooking classes—and a ticket price of $1,395, which includes all classes, some meals, and a cocktail reception each day.
Ballet Hispanico's 2013 Spring Gala is April 8 at the Plaza Hotel's Grand Ballroom. The event will celebrate the School of Dance, and Univision Communications President and C.E.O. Randy Falco will receive the Civic Inspiration Award. Entertainment will include cocktails, dinner, live music from the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and more.
Local event listings from Masterplanner:
http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO: Spring Fiesta in the Park at Lake Eola is April 6 and 7 and will include displays from more than 300 artists and craftspeople.
TORONTO: World Master Card Fashion Week events on Thursday included the Toronto fashion incubator press and buyer brunch, a runway show for UNTTLD, and another show for Soia & Kyo. The twice-annual IMG event focuses on Canadian fashion designers and aims to put their work into the global spotlight. Sponsors were Maybelline New York, Barbie, and Joe Fresh.
Fastion Art Toronto's Arts & Fashion Week returns April 23 to 27. The week will showcase work from rising designers and will include runway shows, performances, fashion films, photography exhibits, and art installations.
Fight for Independence, a fund-raiser for Sick Kids and Nazareth House, will take place at Kool Haus May 2. The event has a roaring '20s theme and will feel like an underground boxing event.
WASHINGTON: Here's a list of this year's RAMMY Award finalists; the winners will be announced at a gala June 23. Washington Post: http://wapo.st/WCeipG
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 Jenna Berris, Beth Kormanik, Lauren Matthews, and Anna Sekula in New York.
BizBash Call Sheet is the must-read daily digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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