September 27, 2018: Are Instagram Pop-Up 'Museums' Meaningless?, Disney World's New Ticketing System Irritates Parkgoers, Alibaba to Launch Hotel Room Service Robots

1. ARE INSTAGRAM POP-UP 'MUSEUMS' MEANINGLESS?: In 2018, there seems to be an endless number of pop-up experiences and "museums" that are deemed to be "immersive"—whether it's a pop-up centered around ice cream, pizza, rosé, candy, or more recently, dogs. But do these experiences have any true significance? A writer toured as many of these pop-ups as she could, to find that most of them are devoid of any important message—but they do work for getting likes on an Instagram selfie. The New York Times: "By classifying these places as experiences, their creators seem to imply that something happens there. But what? Most human experiences don’t have to announce themselves as such. They just do what they do. A film tells a story. A museum facilitates meaning between the viewer and a work of art. Even a basic carnival ride produces pleasing physical sensations. The central experience delivered at all these places is one of waiting. At the Color Factory, I first waited for half an hour past my ticket time, outside in the 90-degree heat. Then I waited inside the lobby, just outside a roped-off area. After being allowed inside the roped-off area, I was offered mochi ice cream while I waited. Then I was shown an orientation video and ushered into a rainbow-painted hallway, which turned out to be another line in disguise. What are we waiting for? Places that are themselves reminiscent of lines. At 29Rooms, a pop-up from the women’s site Refinery29, I waited outside big white tents to get into makeshift rooms like 'Star Matter,' a space curated in collaboration with Nicole Richie, which features big fake rocks, little fake stars, and a hanging red orb. The aesthetic recalls the line for Disneyland’s Splash Mountain, except in here, Fleetwood Mac was playing. One of the features of the Rosé Mansion is a fake gold throne that you can sit on while wearing a fake gold crown, an event akin to hanging out in the lobby of the New Jersey Medieval Times. Each of these experiences culminates in a ball pit—filled with 'marshmallows' at Candytopia, 'champagne bubbles' at the Rosé Mansion, and blue-colored balls at Color Factory—a feature pioneered by the McDonald’s PlayPlace. Yet these line-adjacent experiences are pitched as somehow transformative. ... These places are often described as 'Instagram Museums,' and the real experience plays out only after we post photographic evidence on social media. The internet is an increasingly visual space, and these museums, with their enormous pools of candy and gargantuan emoji props, are designed to fit the shrunken-down Instagram grid. What’s the point of anything else?'" https://nyti.ms/2xEaGw3

2. DISNEY WORLD'S NEW TICKETING SYSTEM IRRITATES PARKGOERS: In an effort to reduce crowds, Walt Disney World recently announced a new ticketing system that will launch October 16, in the form of an “interactive online calendar.” One-day tickets to the parks will now be divided into three tiers—value, regular, and peak—and multi-day passes for two days or more will be offered at a flat rate. The new structure isn't sitting well with Disney World's diehard fans. New York Post: "The current price for a one-day ticket ranges $102 to $129; as of Oct. 16, it will span $109 to $129. After Oct. 16, the price for a typical park visit could increase, decrease, or remain the same depending on the length of the visit and its dates. Under the new regime, not only will you have to know the number of days you plan on spending in the parks—including the Magic Kingdom and Epcot—you’ll need to know the first date you want to visit them in order to even see pricing. The Oct. 16 launch will also debut a feature to show what dates are best for budget-friendly tickets. It’s an update that adds an additional layer of thought to a system that already favors advance planners. For instance, FastPasses—which help reduce wait times for popular Disney attractions—can be booked up to 60 days in advance, forcing you to know which park you’ll be patronizing and when. Disney diehards were critical of the announcement. 'For a company with an amazing reputation in hospitality, they’ve really gone out of their way to make a visit to one of their parks infinitely more complicated than it needs to be,' wrote a commenter on Theme Park Insider. ... Another change involves uniform pricing for single-day tickets to all of Disney’s parks. CNN Money notes it’ll now cost the same to all the parks as to visit Magic Kingdom (currently $129/day), while admission to Epcot and Hollywood Studios has historically been $5 cheaper. For its part, Disney said in a statement: 'Introducing date-based tickets and pricing will allow us to better distribute attendance throughout the year so that we can continue to improve and deliver a great experience.'" https://nyp.st/2xHkIMR

3. ALIBABA TO LAUNCH HOTEL ROOM SERVICE ROBOTS: Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba announced that it will introduce a robot for the hospitality industries, which will be available for room service and other guest needs. The robot was developed by Alibaba A.I. Labs, the company’s consumer A.I. products division. Adweek: “The Alibaba robot will be deployed in October to deliver food and laundry to hotel guests, but the announcement did not specify where exactly. Guests can place orders via the Tmall Genie speaker or a tablet. When the robot arrives with a drink order, it flips open its top and a can pops up. (It was not immediately clear how food and laundry arrive.) The robot is slightly under one meter (about 3.3 feet) tall and moves at a speed of up to one meter per second (about 2.3 miles per hour). It houses a semantic map, an autonomous navigation system to identify and dodge obstacles, a communications system to control elevators, and facial recognition technology for ID verification. Guests can interact with the robot using voice commands, as well as touch and hand gestures. Responses are powered by Alibaba’s personal assistant, AliGenie. After the trial, A.I. Labs said it will determine whether it’s suitable for hospitals, restaurants, and offices. Hospitality is one of the first industries to really embrace robots in customer-facing roles, but they are also in use in sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and logistics.” https://bit.ly/2OQxwXG

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  The 13th annual MedTech Conference, which targets the medical technology industry, will be held September 23-25, 2019, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. This year's edition, which drew 3,000 attendees, took place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia and included Q&A sessions with former President George W. Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

CHICAGO:  The Gynecology Institute of Chicago and Dr. Nicole Williams will host Sex, Wine & Chocolate on October 17. The event will feature four speakers discussing topics such as pelvic health and wine. 

The Rose Hotel Chicago/O’Hare, Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel will open in Rosemont in November. The property will have 165 guest rooms and 6,000 square feet of meeting space. 

DALLAS/FORT WORTH:  Dallas-based retailer Forty Five Ten has opened a pop-up shop at its flagship location to celebrate the Two x Two for Aids and Art gala. The pop-up shop, which features pieces donated by notable designer brands, will be open through October 27, which is when the gala will take place at the Rachofsky House. The gala benefits the Dallas Museum of Art and Amfar, the Foundation for AIDS Research. 

LOS ANGELES:  Woofstock 90210 will take place November 4 at Roxbury Park. The event will have 35 pet-related vendors, a pet parade and talent show, and pets up for adoption. 

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The sixth edition of III Points will take place February 15-17 in the Wynwood Arts District. The event will have more than 100 musical performers, including SZA, Erykah Badu, Blood Orange, and James Blake. 

NEW YORK:  P&G, in partnership with Global Citizen and the Association of National Advertisers’ #SeeHer movement, will host the first-ever #SheIsEqual Summit on Friday at Playstation Theater. The event, which is meant to inspire action for gender equality, will feature speakers including Reese Witherspoon, Katie Couric, and Bozoma Saint John. 

At-home genetic testing kit brand 23andMe will host a free, interactive pop-up event October 12-13 at EZ Studios. The pop-up will have curated rooms highlighting information found in the brand’s health and ancestry services. 

Vangeline Theater and New York Butoh Institute will hold the New York Butoh Institute Festival October 12-23. The festival will feature 14 female artists who specialize in Butoh, a form of Japanese dance theater. 

The 45th annual Village Halloween Parade will take place October 31 along Sixth Avenue from Spring Street to 16th Street. The event’s theme will be “I AM a Robot!” spotlighting artificial intelligence. 

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

SAN FRANCISCO:  Treasure Island Music Festival will take place October 13-14 at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland. The event will be headlined by Tame Impala, A$AP Rocky, Santigold, and Pusha T. 

TORONTO:  SickKids Foundation will hold its first-ever SickKids GetLoud, a fund-raising march and festival on Saturday. The event, which is slated to draw more than 3,500 attendees, will kick off with the premiere screening of a new SickKids V.S. commercial, followed by a march that starts at Coronation Park. The post-march celebration will take place at Fort York and feature musical performances by Barenaked Ladies, Magic!, and more. 

VANCOUVER:  Vancouver Convention Centre will open a café and wine bar on Friday. Overlooking Jack Poole Plaza, the space will serve baked goods and breakfast sandwiches, tapas and Neapolitan-style pizzas, and coffee made with Moja Coffee. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The All Things Go Fall Classic, taking place October 6-7 at Union Market, has announced new programming. On October 5, the music and food festival will host two free panels at the Eaton Hotel, where female musicians and entrepreneurs will talk about their industries. The festival has also partnered with the Women’s March to hold a Power to the Polls activation that will offer onsite national voter registration. 

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With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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