Call Sheet #233: How Wrestlemania Went Social, Nicki Minaj to Push Pepsi, Traffic Problems for New Marlins Ballpark

BIZBASH CALL SHEET — #233 — Monday, 04.02.12

++ Sponsored by Event Leadership Institute ++

Compiled today by Anna Sekula and Chad Kaydo in New York
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THIS WEEK’S CALENDAR:
WEDNESDAY: Miami Marlins opening day game at new Marlins Park
FRIDAY: New York International Auto Show opens to the public

* INCOMING *

1. WRESTLING'S SOCIAL ARM: The execs at W.W.E. hoped to make Sunday's Wrestlemania the "social media event of the year." Interactive efforts included simulcasting the preshow and the press conference on YouTube, Facebook, and wwe.com; having the W.W.E. Divas tweet live on perezhilton.com; making Mike Tyson the social media ambassador; and, through Twitter hashtags, involving fans in the main contest between the Rock and John Cena. Results of how the endeavor fared with fans are still pending, but one commentator deemed the live-streaming of the "dark match" preshow a "smart move." Mashable: http://on.mash.to/HdYHkg

2. PITCHING POP: Nicki Minaj will help PepsiCo launch its first global marketing campaign this month. Official events have yet to be announced; the company canceled a planned promotional stunt with Minaj in Times Square slated for this month. The Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/HlWWDd

3. FIELDING TRAFFIC: The Florida Marlins' $634 million new home, Marlins Ballpark, officially debuts Wednesday, but there are already some snags with parking. City commissioners are planning to turn lots into parking spaces for local residents, but the funding will not come from the city nor, as it turns out, from the baseball team. City Commissioner Frank Carollo "personally appealed to the Marlins for the money, and was surprised to get a flat-out no from the team’s president, David Samson." The local police union is planning to protest the opening-day game. Miami Herald: http://bit.ly/H2GUlZ

Although handling traffic around the new stadium remains an unresolved issue, there will be plenty of spaces for events within the sports arena, including a poolside entertainment venue and restaurant known as the Clevelander at Marlins Ballpark. Read our report here: http://bizba.sh/uNITUn

4. TEASING THE DRAFT: To more actively promote the draft, today the N.F.L. will officially open its first New York pop-up. The 10,000-square-foot retail space in Manhattan will showcase new partnerships between the league and sportswear companies like Nike and Under Armour as well as sell exclusive merchandise. N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell will participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning, before working the register for an hour.

5. BANNER ADS: According to Marcus Fischer, the C.E.O. of Space150, the agency that helped Forever 21 stage holographic fashion shows last year, new technology from signage companies is changing the way brands engage with consumers on the street. Citing a staff-free promotion from German dog-food company GranataPet, the digital marketer advocates for the new communication medium, which may have implications for experiential events. Ad Age: http://bit.ly/HtuT7k

6. DEMYSTIFYING MOBILE: Marketing communications agency JWT shares its report—culled from the panels, keynotes, and exhibitors of last month's Mobile World Congress—on 15 ways mobile technology is changing the way we live: http://slidesha.re/GHqcUd

++ A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: EVENT LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE ++

The Event Leadership Institute is proud to provide the most progressive training and education for event planners in the industry, through on-demand video classes, biweekly webinars, white papers as well as interviews with industry leaders. www.eventleadershipinstitute.com

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON: Towne Stove and Spirits is retooling the beverage program of its second-level Uptowne bar to focus on scotch. The venue is adjacent to the Hynes Convention Center and has private dining options.

Restaurant Beehive is offering a more hands-on take of the farm-to-table concept by allowing people to grow their own food. To participate, customers are encouraged to purchase seeds, plant and care for them, and, once harvested, clean and ship the crops to the restaurant to be prepared.

CHICAGO: A kickoff party for Azumah Student Association Program's annual fund-raiser takes place at Studio Paris on Wednesday. DJ Rock City will spin and Grey Goose will serve specialty cocktails.

Street Food Artistry takes place August 12 at Zhou B. Art Center. Time Out Chicago is a sponsor and partners include Coca-Cola, SmartWater, Fuze, and Beam Global.

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Michelle Boone, commissioner of the city's department of cultural affairs and special events, discussed her goals for Chicago. This includes a citywide arts festival, cultural events at local parks and libraries, and 50 million annual visitors by 2020. http://trib.in/H3tCp7

The organizers of Occupy Festival, a two-day, music-focused festival that was scheduled to take place in Union Park May 12-13, have postponed the event. According to a news release, organizers are retooling the format "to ensure the event is done in a way that is consistent with the principles of the [Occupy] movement." Changes include a reduced admission fee, a new name, and 100 percent of proceeds going to the movement. Huffington Post: http://huff.to/HeaNOL

LAS VEGAS: Las Vegas Sun: "During the three-day Electric Daisy Carnival last year, officials estimate ravers poured more than $130 million into the southern Nevada economy. The success of the music fest at Las Vegas Motor Speedway surprised many. ... However, now it’s the alleged criminal activity of one of the festival organizers that has prompted questions about this year’s festival, scheduled for June 8-10. About 74,000 tickets have already been sold." http://bit.ly/H29UJh

Wynn Las Vegas and Encore announced on Friday that Pradeep Raman has joined the company as senior vice president of fine dining.

LOS ANGELES/SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: M.P.I.'s Orange County Chapter and Site SoCal will host a joint dinner meeting on April 3 at the Hilton Waterfront Huntington Beach Resort

TripAdvisor announced it will host a free master class event at the InterContinental Los Angeles Century City April 19, offering hotel industry professionals strategies for maintaining a positive online reputation and encouraging more direct bookings. Hospitality Net: http://bit.ly/Hqpteb

MIAMI: Groupon will sponsor this year's Volvo Ocean Race, which will be held May 6-20 at the Downtown Miami Village in Bicentennial Park. Press release: http://bit.ly/HztXMC

The Foundation of Debbie's Dream will host its third annual Dream Makers Gala at the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood April 21.

NEW YORK: What was once a potential bidding war between several high-profile restaurateurs, the 20-year license to operate Central Park's famed Tavern on the Green is now down to two interested parties. Beau Monde and Legends Hospitality Management put in a bid Friday with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. The New York Times: http://nyti.ms/HmnpAl

New York State approved funding for War of 1812 bicentennial events, which are in the works and to be held in several locations where battles were fought, including Plattsburgh, the Buffalo-Niagara region, and Sackets Harbor. Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/HB3Zve

The New York Post provides a virtual tour of the new NoMad Hotel, which it describes as "grand," "sumptuous," and "worth checking in—or out." http://nyp.st/GWTmjk

ORLANDO: Coverings, an international expo and conference for the ceramic tile and natural stone industries, will be held at the Orange County Convention Center April 17-20. New this year, the show floor will include a 1,500-square-foot area called Coverings Central, a technology hub offering seminars on social media techniques, networking opportunities, computer work stations, and a live feed of Twitter comments.

TORONTO: The Spring Cottage Life Show ended on Sunday at the International Centre in Mississauga. More than 475 exhibitors showed off their summer products.

Popular restaurant and bar Parts and Labour will launch a catering division on Wednesday. P&L Catering will specialize in global street food.

WASHINGTON: Bayou Boys food truck launches today, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Menu items include jambalaya, fried alligator po’ boys, and fried soft-shell crab. The yellow truck, with silhouetted jazz musicians designed by ArtWorks, is available to cater events.

Georgetown Theatre Company and Women in Film and Video hosted the fifth annual SWAN Day Saturday. The international festival celebrates women artists and includes events at several Georgetown venues. The opening reception featured a concert at Baked and Wired.

The 25th annual Leukemia Ball took place Saturday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Entertainment was provided by the band Foreigner and comedian Sinbad, and Hargrove decorated it for the 25th consecutive year.

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 Rose Chevalier, Beth Kormanik, 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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