June 27, 2014: Uber Gay Marriage Stunt Draws Criticism, Buzzed-About Fashion at the N.B.A. Draft, the 100 Best Wine Restaurants in the U.S.

1. UBER GAY MARRIAGE STUNT DRAWS CRITICISM: For Pride weekend in San Francisco, Uber is offering customers a “wedding on demand,” in which the company offers transportation to the ceremony, help with the paperwork, and music, cupcakes, and champagne—all sponsored—at the ceremony. TechCrunch: “In other words, Uber won’t have to pay for much. But the stunt will get even more people looking at the Uber app during the middle of the hectic Pride weekend when the company stands to make UberSUV-load of cash on surge pricing. … Uber has delivered barbecue, mariachi bands, and ice cream, but this is different. It seems ill-advised to muscle in on Pride week with marketing schtick that’s tone-deaf to the significance marriage has to some people.” http://bit.ly/1mkQ37H

2. THE BUZZED-ABOUT FASHION AT THE N.B.A. DRAFT: While the fashion world’s attention has been on Men’s Fashion Week in Milan, Americans seem more captivated by the styles of the N.B.A. draft. The star of the event, which took place Thursday night at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center, was overall No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins, who wore a black tuxedo jacket with white floral-like lines. ESPN goes over the top looks at the draft: http://es.pn/1vd7BrP

3. THE 100 BEST WINE RESTAURANTS IN THE U.S.: Wine Enthusiast magazine named its list of America’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants. “From an obsessive collection of Champagne in Chicago to an eatery in New York City where it's free to BYOB (as long as you're in a sharing mood), there's something to sate every wine lover.” http://bit.ly/1qJ73w2

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  The Sheraton Boston Hotel has opened Green Tangerine Spa & Salon as part of its major renovation. The spa is 5,500 square feet and offers services such as manicures and massages.

CHICAGO:  Taste of River North is July 18-20. The event will feature restaurant tasting stations, live music, and a new healthy cooking stage, sponsored by Walmart.

Pippin the musical is coming to Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre July 28-August 9. Group tickets are now available through Broadway in Chicago.

LAS VEGAS:  Las Vegas Weekly: "Another Electric Daisy Carnival has come and gone. ... And while the 2013 edition was superbly executed and rewrote the rule book on music festival and Las Vegas event production, last weekend’s celebration ran less smoothly, the daily capacity increase to 140,000 surely contributing.” bit.ly/1iJLn0l

LOS ANGELES:  The Josh Hutcherson Celebrity Basketball game benefiting Straight But Not Narrow will once again kick off the Nike Basketball 3ON3 Tournament at L.A. Live presented by NBC4 Southern California on August 8.

Actor Terry Crews will host the Television Critics Association Awards July 19 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Three home cooks from across the nation will compete in front of a live audience Saturday at Santa Monica Place to win a cash prize of $25,000 in the sixth annual National Cook-Off, sponsored by Dole.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Umami South Beach, a branch of the California-based burger chain, has closed. Eater: bit.ly/1nHXJn1

NEW YORK:  According to NYC & Company, the number of meetings and convention delegates traveling to the city has increased to 5.9 million in 2013—up from 5.6 million in 2012—and delegate spending is estimated at $5 billion, compared to $4.7 billion in 2012.

New York Post: "Legendary Chelsea club The Roxy will make a return Sunday as a Gay Pride pop-up. The original closed in 2007, but will be channeled at the Best Buy Theater." http://pge.sx/1pTnPXB

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

ORLANDO:  Hilton Orlando has hired Isa Lee as southeast senior sales manager, John Cullinane as northeast and mid-Atlantic senior sales manager, and Jenny Bacca as business development manager.

TORONTO:  Bud Light Digital Dreams is June 28-29. The festival will feature four stages, 70 acts, and 20 food trucks; organizers expect 80,000 guests.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Washingtonian reports that the annual Fort Reno concert series in Tenleytown’s Fort Reno Park has been canceled because of a new requirement by National Park Service that the fest pay for an officer to be posted on site at each concert, which organizers say would double the budget of the series. http://bit.ly/1qyHCuO

JBC Events is planning its second Le White Party, a pre-Independence Day event July 3 at Malmaison in Georgetown.

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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