October 2, 2017: Las Vegas Music Festival Shooting Kills More than 50, Why More Brands Are Doing Experiential Marketing, JetBlue Launches Hurricane Relief Plan for Puerto Rico

1. LAS VEGAS MUSIC FESTIVAL SHOOTING KILLS MORE THAN 50: A gunman firing from a Las Vegas hotel sent people attending an outdoor country music festival fleeing on Sunday night. The gunman, who was eventually killed by S.W.A.T. units, killed more than 50 and wounded more than 200 people attending the festival, making the attack one of the deadliest mass shootings in United States history. The New York Times: "Online video of the attack outside the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino showed the country singer Jason Aldean performing outside at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, a three-day country music event, interrupted by the sound of automatic gunfire. The music stopped, and concertgoers ducked for cover. 'Get down,' one shouted. 'Stay down,' screamed another. Several SWAT teams were sent to the hotel immediately after the first reports of the shooting at 10:08 p.m., and officers overheard on police radio reported being pinned down by gunfire. Shortly before midnight the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reported that 'one suspect is down,' and soon thereafter the police said they did not believe there were any more active gunmen. Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of Clark County told reporters early Monday morning that more than 50 people were killed and more than 200 injured. He identified the gunman as Stephen Paddock, 64. He said the police were seeking 'a companion' named Marilou Danley, a woman he described as Asian and 4-foot-11. ... The Route 91 Harvest Festival bills itself as 'three days of country music on the Vegas Strip,' and Sunday night’s performance was the last of the festival. The site of the concert, the Las Vegas Village and Festival Grounds, run by MGM Resorts, sprawls over 15 acres and has a capacity of 40,000 people. The festival’s website said this year’s three-day concert was sold out." http://nyti.ms/2x9D9eU

2. WHY MORE BRANDS ARE DOING EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING: With more people blocking out ads and getting rid of cable, more brands are delving into experiential marketing in an effort to directly connect with consumers. M&Ms, Jaguar, and Mastercard are just a few brands that have are opting for live experiences. Adweek: "'I like to say, ‘What takes traditional advertising weeks, months or years to do, we can do in a moment,’ says Bryan Icenhower, president of WME’s experiential agency IMG Live, which works with brands like Marriott, Subway and Budweiser. 'Experiential is a uniquely fast and effective way to build brand awareness through one-to-one connections with consumers. It engages all five senses, sparking emotions that form lasting memories which have been shown to drive brand loyalty.' With a promise like that, it’s easy to see why marketers are shifting dollars into experiential marketing. According to the Freeman Global Brand Experience Study, which was released in May by brand experience agency Freeman and data company SSI, one in three CMOs is expected to allocate between 21 and 50 percent of their budget to brand experience marketing over the next three to five years. ... Just last week at Advertising Week in New York, Mastercard showed off proof of its belief that experiential can drive sales, unveiling a new virtual reality e-commerce experience with Swarovski. Using a VR headset, consumers can see what Swarovski chandeliers look like in various spaces, and if they decide to purchase one, can do so directly through the headset using Mastercard’s Masterpass. In May, M&M’s kicked off the launch of its new caramel flavor with an experience in Times Square that used augmented reality. Called M&M’S ARcade, the brand transformed a dozen billboards into an AR arcade that people could access via their mobile phones. The effort resulted in 26,000 consumer impressions from just the passersby in Times Square that day. M&M’S hashtag, #UnsquareCaramel, was used more than 2, 200 times on Twitter, and garnered over 6 million earned social impressions. The brand’s earned media outreach resulted in more than 147 million impressions, and the effort overall generated 466 million impressions to date." http://bit.ly/2yjd6Ce

3. JETBLUE LAUNCHES HURRICANE RELIEF PLAN FOR PUERTO RICO: JetBlue has launched a new program to support short- and long-term relief for victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Businesswire: "100x35JetBlue outlines the airline’s commitment to launching 35 initiatives over the next 100 days – and beyond – to support the needs of crewmembers, customers, and communities in Puerto Rico. Honoring the popular reference to Puerto Rico’s 100x35 mile size, the effort will roll out programs across the island to provide airlift support, relief pricing, awareness and fundraising, people deployment, unmet needs, and rebuilding efforts. JetBlue is currently operating six daily flights in Puerto Rico with more to come as infrastructure allows. Since Hurricane Maria made landfall, JetBlue has continued to serve those in Puerto Rico by donating $1 million in supplies, airlifting more than 3,000 customers over 21 flights from San Juan and Aguadilla through Sept. 27, and transporting more than 100,000 pounds of supplies to the island. JetBlue’s support has also touched hurricane-impacted areas across the Caribbean, South Florida, and Texas. ... The airline will invite customers onboard every JetBlue flight to donate to JetBlue’s campaign at GlobalGiving benefitting hurricane impacted areas throughout the U.S. and Caribbean, with a $1 million goal. Customers can also contribute at GlobalGiving.org/jetblue. JetBlue has committed to match donations to its GlobalGiving campaign dollar-for-dollar up to $500,000 through Nov. 15." http://bit.ly/2ws9yc6

* LOCAL NEWS *

CHICAGO:  The annual scarecrow-decorating event D.I.Y. Scarecrow Day will take place October 14 at the Towner Green in Long Grove. 

LOS ANGELES:  The Good Foundation will hold its second annual Halloween Bash on October 22 at the Culver Studios. Hosted by Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld, the kid-friendly festival will raise money for Los Angeles families living in poverty.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Due to Hurricane Irma, the GLBX Council of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber has rescheduled the fourth annual Artopia, presented by JM Lexus, for November 2 at the Galleria at Fort Lauderdale. New York nightlife icon Susanne Bartsch and pop singer Wrabel will headline the main stage at the event, which also will feature short film presentations as part of Outshine Film Festival and choral performances by the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida. 

NEW YORK:  The Knot’s annual Knot Gala will take place October 9 at the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. This year’s theme is “Met by Moonlight.” 

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

PHILADELPHIA:  The Philadelphia Music Alliance Afternoon Induction Ceremony & Stellar Evening Gala will take place October 4 at the Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts. Inductees include Jill Scott, Sister Sledge, and Labelle. 

SAN FRANCISCO:  Live event marketing platform DoubleDutch has acquired event registration provider Eventgrid. DoubleDutch also has promoted Bryan Parker from C.O.O. to C.E.O. Current C.E.O. and co-founder Lawerence Coburn will serve as chief strategy officer. 

TORONTO:  The former College Street Bar will reopen as a live music venue in November. BlogTO: http://bit.ly/2ydwDEa

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Adams Morgan PorchFest returns October 7 with more than 30 local bands participating in the music festival. Adams Morgan residents and businesses turn more than a dozen porches, patios, and stoops into stages for the day, with each location hosting three 45-minute afternoon sets. The event is sponsored by Cultural Tourism DC, Lyft, and Lars Etzkorn Law. 

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

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With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, Rayna Katz, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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