BIZBASH CALL SHEET — #121 — Thursday, 10.13.11
Compiled today by Chad Kaydo and Jana Schiowitz in New York
Feed the Sheet: [email protected]
Subscribe: http://info.bizbash.com/callsheet.html
* INCOMING *
1. IMEX AMERICA HIGHLIGHTS: From west coast editor Alesandra Dubin, reporting from Las Vegas: On the second official day of of the giant meeting industry powwow at the Sands Expo, the show floor continued to buzz with a thick international and enthusiastic crowd, whose road-weariness wasn't yet showing. Among the day's topics in the classrooms and discussions were hybrid meetings, budgets, and advocacy of the meetings industry at large. Some sound bites:
Roger Rickard, partner, Revent L.L.C., on advocating for the meetings industry: "We all know that we had a perfect storm two years ago. Yes, there was a recession, yes, things hit our industry. But for the first time, government attacked us. We were told 'Don’t go to Las Vegas, meetings are boondoggles.' We were not prepared at that time to stand up and protect ourselves. Not shame on them, but shame on us for not being able to do that."
Michael Doyle, executive director, Virtual Edge Institute, on hybrid meetings, and how they can boost face-to-face meetings: "When television first came to the sporting industry, it was not well received. The owners, the people who ran the stadiums, tried to keep [TV] out. They were very afraid that people would not come to the games if they had the option to watch at home. But broadcast actually allowed the industry to mushroom. So 90,000 people go to the physical Super Bowl, but 90 million participate. So that’s the analogy that we’re headed toward with the B2B event industry."
Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes, vice president and chief account strategist, Marketing Design Group, on maximizing marketing budgets: "Whatever strategy you employ, make time at the beginning for research, analysis, strategic-planning sessions, etc. Do your best to look at everything from a completely fresh perspective, otherwise you fall into the trap of 'because we’ve always done it this way' for your next event."
2. L.A. FOOD & WINE FEST DEBUT: Also from Dubin: The first Los Angeles Food & Wine fest runs today through October 16.I It kicks off with a red carpet premiere tonight at Nokia Plaza at L.A. Live, bringing out entertainment and culinary celebs. Guests will sample food from 30 chefs and wine from 200 global wineries. The Canyons will perform, as will DJ Randy Jackson. During the course of the festival, more than 100 big-name chefs will lead demos, seminars, meals, and after-hours events, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the L.A. chapters of Meals On Wheels. American Express Publishing is the presenting sponsor.
http://bit.ly/fZCIpZ
3. COSTUME INSTITUTE: Following the record-breaking Alexander McQueen show as the Metropolitan Museum of Art's 2012 Costume Institute exhibition is "Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion," running May 10-August 19. Film director Baz Luhrmann will be the exhibit's creative consultant and Nathan Crowley, the production designer. Luhrmann and Crowley, along with Raul Avila, will design the Costume Institute gala May 7. Amazon is the lead sponsor.
http://bit.ly/pLEh8H
4. COMIC CON KICK OFF: From senior editor Anna Sekula: Ever-expanding since its launch in 2006, New York Comic Con kicks off today and is expected bring as many as—if not more than—last year's 96,000-strong attendance to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center for the four-day marathon of panels, merchandise exhibitions, and movie previews. Run by ReedPop—a division of Reed Exhibitions—his year's convention will launch White Space, an invitation-only think tank focused on the business side of pop culture, and Marvel Studios will debut footage from its new film "The Avengers."
http://bit.ly/b6DOD
5. TOP TRAVEL RANKINGS: Conde Nast Traveler announced the results of its 2011 Readers' Choice Awards Tuesday. More than 28,000 readers voted on the best cities, islands, cruise lines, airlines, hotels, and resorts. Charleston, South Carolina, took the #1 spot for the top city in the U.S. and Chicago's Elysian Hotel was named top hotel in the U.S.
http://bit.ly/pA5HOO
6. FOUR-STAR SERVICE: Earlier this week outgoing New York Times restaurant critic Sam Sifton called Per Se "the best restaurant in New York City": "Its synthesis of culinary art and exquisite service is now complete. It represents the ideal of an American high-culture luxury restaurant."
But now we point you to something Sifton wrote for the Diner's Journal blog, with a great example of personal customer service. It's hard to summarize here, but worth reading:
http://nyti.ms/pPNycQ
There's also a slide show with photos of Per Se's plating:
http://nyti.ms/nhbRWE
And here's Sifton's four-star review:
http://nyti.ms/mRDeFQ
* DEPT. OF CLARIFICATION *
In our IMEX America item yesterday, we quoted John Nawn on the concept of meeting design‚ "It's the purposeful shaping of the form and content of a meeting to deliver on crucial organizational objectives." That definition originally came from the marketing consultant and author Mary Boone; Nawn mentioned her when we was speaking, but we neglected to do so here.
* LOCAL NEWS *
BOSTON: Steve Forbes, chairman and editor in chief of Forbes Media, will address the Hult International Business School October 19 at the State Room, as part of the Hult Executive Speaker Series.
http://bit.ly/qqyIgX
CHICAGO: Yesterday we incorrectly listed the date for the Chicago History Museum's Costume Council ball. The event is October 21.
Days Inn Chicago will once again be the official hotel sponsor for the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. Presented by Facets Multi-Media, the ten-day festival begins October 21 and will showcase more than 200 films from 42 countries to more than 20,000 attendees.
LAS VEGAS: The DaGeDar Presents Stand Up for Skateparks fund-raiser is November 5 at the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa.
http://yhoo.it/puedKW
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is expecting large crowds to come into town for several new sporting events this weekend. The Izod IndyCar World Championships along with the Nascar Camping World Truck Series will be at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway; the BMX Dew Tour Championship will be at the Hard Rock Hotel; and the Supercross Monster Energy Cup will be at Sam Boyd Stadium.
http://bit.ly/q7rZ5c
LOS ANGELES: On Saturday, more than 480 people gathered for an event that grossed more than $1 million for Voices for Children. The ninth annual "Starry, Starry Night: Turn on Your Heartlight!" was the agency’s most successful event in its 30-year history.
The Museum of Contemporary Art announced Wednesday that Deborah Harry will perform at its gala, with artistic direction from Marina Abramovic. The event is November 12 at MOCA Grand Avenue.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 15th annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards, presented by Starz Entertainment, will honor George Clooney with its 2011 Hollywood Actor Award at the Beverly Hilton October 24.
http://bit.ly/q8ABjX
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Grovetoberfest is Saturday at Peacock Park. More than 100 beers will be featured and chefs from STK at the Gansevoort, the Local, and Miami Heat will host the Kitchen Lab, a beer and food pairing demo.
http://bit.ly/qYtK7U
NEW YORK: From contributor Jim Shi: After a summer-long marketing blitz to promote the opening of two new Midtown flagships, Uniqlo will finally celebrate the debut of the biggest tonight with a bash. The Japanese clothing brand is expecting more than 1,000 guests, including big names in fashion and art, as well as live performances by the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Sharon Jones and Santigold, and a DJ set by LCD Soundsystem' James Murphy. On board to help Uniqlo pull off the launch 89,000-square-foot Fifth Avenue store are producer Josh Woods and public relations firms Agentry PR and Nadine Johnson.
Last night, Ome Caterers and Restaurant Associates kicked off their new partnership with a private party at the Mansion at Natirar, an event site within the 90-acre resort in New Jersey. The collaboration is designed to extend the hospitality offerings of the property, which sits on an estate with a 15-acre garden, culinary center, and guest cottages.
ORLANDO: Harriet's Park Avenue Fashion Week is underway in Winter Park. The main event is a runway show Saturday night inside a 16,000-square-foot air-conditioned tent from Karl's Event Services. Fleming's, Luma on Park, Peroni, Van Gogh Vodka, ICrave Catering, Winter Park Fish Company, Tolla's, and Peterbrooke Chocolates are some of the vendors providing food and beverages inside the V.I.P. lounge and for the after-party.
The sixth annual Festivals of Speed, which was cancelled Sunday due to rain, has been rescheduled for November 13 at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes.
TORONTO: Mercedes-Benz Canada, the FDCC, and IMG announced the finalists for the Mercedes-Benz Start Up. They will participate in a group fashion show October 18 during LG Fashion Week. One winner will be chosen from the group and will win a feature in Fashion Magazine and their own runway show for Fall/Winter 2012.
More than 2,000 guests attended the Bell event Wednesday at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The fund-raising gala raised 1.2 million for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
http://bit.ly/nMK2gR
The Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlisted authors will be honoured at a gala November 8 at the Four Seasons Hotel, hosted by CBC's Jian Ghomeshi.
http://bit.ly/nIr3yG
YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected].
With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, Carla Warrilow in Toronto, and Jana Schiowitz, Anna Sekula, and Courtney Thompson in New York.
BizBash Call Sheet is the must-read daily digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
Feed the Sheet: [email protected]
Subscribe: http://info.bizbash.com/callsheet.html
