Call Sheet #244: Coachella's Brand Activations, Eating Brooklynishly, More to G.S.A. Scandal?

BIZBASH CALL SHEET — #244 — Tuesday, 04.17.12

++ Sponsored by Event Leadership Institute ++

Compiled today by Chad Kaydo in New York.
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* INCOMING *

1. COACHELLA REPORT: From West Coast editor Alesandra Dubin: It was an unusual weekend in the Southern California desert for Goldenvoice's annual shindig, with significant rain and wind on Friday and temperatures so unseasonably cool as to change the entire character of the pool parties so many brands had organized—the format of choice on the festival event landscape. Among the buzziest over the weekend were parties for Lacoste and Nylon with Hugo Boss, which kept its residential address secret until the night before.

On Saturday night, a massive throng of guests bundled up with jackets instead of bikini tops—the day was mercifully dry, but windy—at the highest-profile of all the weekend's parties: the Armani Exchange and T-Mobile Neon Carnival at a remote airplane hangar. They took their turns down a giant slide, a bumper car track, and thrill rides that sent screams (and showers of unsecured cocktails and Red Bulls) throughout the outdoor space.

By Sunday, the weather had warmed to the 80s, and the first weekend of concerts wrapped with a performance by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, who were on the bill, on a main stage that also included a slew of others who weren't: Eminem, 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, and a holographic version of Tupac—a widely heard rumor that actually, ahem, materialized. The festival continues next weekend.

Our full report, with photos of brand activations: http://bit.ly/J3ZZ2O

2. MORE TO G.S.A. SCANDAL? Yesterday was the first day of a hearing about at the General Services Administration. The Washington Post: "Inspector General Brian Miller told a congressional committee scrutinizing an $823,000 Las Vegas conference that his office has asked the Justice Department to investigate 'all sorts of improprieties' surrounding the 2010 event, 'including bribes, including possible kickbacks.'" http://wapo.st/HP0mAa

Federal Times: "Acting GSA administrator Dan Tangherlini said at a hearing Monday the agency sent letters April 13 to former Public Buildings Service Commissioner Bob Peck, Region 9 Public Buildings Commissioner Jeff Neely and Region 9 Public Buildings Chief of Staff Robert Shepard asking for [repayments of $5,600 spent on three parties during the Las Vegas conference]." http://bit.ly/HZd7JG

National Review editor Rich Lowry: "A few (but not enough) heads have rolled at the agency that threw itself an infamous Las Vegas conference that could have been planned by former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski before he went to jail." http://bit.ly/IVyxFl

3. THE BROOKLYN INFLUENCE: This week's New York magazine cover story asks, "Is artisanal Brooklyn a step forward for food or a sign of the apocalypse?"

"There is the twee comedy of eating Brooklynishly, and then there’s the twee sincerity of producing Brooklynishly: wide-eyed entrepreneurs slogging through the nitty-gritty of business-building. The word artisan, shopworn as it may be, is usually not, actually, an affectation." http://bit.ly/HMPQgv

4. BUSINESS TRAVEL TRENDS: Workers are traveling less frequently, forcing them to stay longer to get more work done. A Global Business Travel Association study reports "business trips have declined 22.7 percent from 2000 to 2011, but spending on business trips has increased 3.3 percent." UPI: http://bit.ly/HPJr2Y

5. JACK WHITE PLAYS FOR AMEX: He'll kick off the credit card company's Unstaged concert series at Webster Hall in New York April 27. The Webcast will be directed by actor Gary Oldman. Adweek: http://bit.ly/IO3fVB

More on Amex's experiential concert platform and other event strategies, from our report on the 10 most innovative event brands: http://bizba.sh/wNKtZL

++ 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

* INTERNAL NEWS: FLORIDA EXPO IS TOMORROW *

Our show is Wednesday at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center, with a keynote presentation from Barton G. Weiss and an event technology panel in the afternoon. Editor in chief Chad Kaydo, senior editor Beth Kormanik, and Orlando bureau chief Mitra Sorrells are heading to town tonight. See you there?

You can still register here: www.bizbashfloridaexpo.com/

* INTERNAL NEWS: LOS ANGELES READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS *

Nominations for the BizBash Los Angeles Readers' Choice Awards opened yesterday. There are 12 categories, including Corporate Event Planner of the Year, Fund-Raising Event Planner of the Year, Entertainment Act of the Year, and more. Nominations will be accepted through May 6. Voting opens May 28 and ends June 10. Winners will be revealed at BizBash IdeaFest Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 13. All information for the nominations and voting portions of these awards, as well as category descriptions and nominations criteria, is here: www.bizbash.com/lavotes

* LOCAL NEWS *

COAST TO COAST: Red Bull's flugtag event will hit Chicago and Philadelphia in September, Miami and San Francisco in November. http://win.gs/J3A9vQ

BOSTON: Poland Spring has been supporting the Boston Marathon since 2008 and was the exclusive water supplied at both the start and finish lines at the race yesterday. The product was also available along the course at official hydration stations, including the Poland Spring Hydration Station at Mile 19, where Poland Spring provided cups of water and live DJ entertainment. Market Watch: http://on.mktw.net/IrWUdC

CHICAGO: On Wednesday, Red Bull will host "Thre3style" at the Mid. The DJ battle pits six regional DJs against one another in a contest; each contestant's 15-minute set must contain at least three different musical genres.

Diane Keaton will be the guest speaker at Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation's fall benefit October 17.

The Green Festival returns to Navy Pier May 5-6. The event will include speakers, an organic beer, meat, and wine pavilion, a marketplace showcasing more than 350 eco-friendly businesses, and a kids' area.

Zed451 won the award for Best Presentation for its cake-pops display at Baconfest over the weekend. Executive pastry chef Kate Milashus created bacon pancake pops in a bourbon glaze for the occasion.

The Chicago Gold Coast Film Festival, presented by Greg Schroer, Mark Rewey, Potenza Productions, and Boka Restaurant Group, is April 21 with cocktails, fashion, and low budget films.

LAS VEGAS: Mike Tyson hosted a grand-opening event for his one-man show, "Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth—Live on Stage," at MGM Grand’s Hollywood Theatre on Saturday.

Bon Appétit editor in chief Adam Rapoport and Wolfgang Puck will co-host a four-course, wine-pairing lunch to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Spago at the Forum Shops at Caesars May 10.

LOS ANGELES: The Tadasana Festival will take to Santa Monica for three days this weekend. It bills itself as the largest yoga festival to happen in town, and will include 75-plus classes, musical performances, and lectures. It's a no-waste event.

Design powerhouse Kreiss will celebrate its 75th anniversary this Thursday at its Melrose location. Hosted by Maria Menounos and Martyn Lawrence Bullard, the event will benefit the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Foundation.

Today at noon, Wolfgang Puck will do a live Web stream demo and Q&A about his newly available iPhone app at livestream.com/wolfgangpuck.

MIAMI: The SLS Hotel South Beach is set to open next month, with 140 guest rooms and 28,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space.

The National Hotel will host its annual Appleton Estate Rum Renaissance party April 21 with signature cocktails, guest bartenders, and a live reggae performance.

The Youth Power Movement first annual Humanitarian Awards will be held at the Shoppes at the Waterways in Aventura April 21. Hosted by WSVN's Donovan Campbell, the evening will feature musical entertainment, artwork, and a silent auction.

NEW YORK: The New York Post: "Super-luxury hotel Baccarat, long a dream of Starwood Capital founder Barry Sternlicht, is coming to New York. The 45-story hotel/condo tower being developed by Sternlicht and Tribeca Associates will be flagged with the 5-star name, according to a persuasive source—a city Department of Environmental Protection permit at the site that calls the project 'Baccarat.' In the past few weeks, the Buildings Department also gave final approval to the tower at 20 W. 53rd St., across from MoMA, with some 120 hotel rooms on floors 4 to 12 and luxury condos above them." http://nyp.st/I2TRdP

The National Stationery Show is May 20-23 at the Javits Center and includes TED-style talks at the Future Conference and the Greeting Card Association LOUIE Awards gala at Espace May 20. Press release: http://bit.ly/HMdF2m

Formerly known as the Hotel Roger Williams, the Roger will undergo a $10 million renovation that will update the 194-room property and add a new restaurant and lounge to be operated by Steven Kamali.

The annual Ailey at the Apollo gala is May 8 with music from DJ Ruckus. This year the event for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is sponsored by the FedEx Corporation and Toni Braxton will serve as honorary chair.

ORLANDO: The space that used to be City Fire Restaurant on Sand Lake Road will re-open in June as a sports bar. Orlando Sentinel: http://bit.ly/HFJbAk

TORONTO: The Polaris Music Prize is hosting salons in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal this month in advance of its Long List announcement June 14. The Toronto salon panel discussion is Tuesday at the Drake Hotel.

WASHINGTON: The National Cherry Blossom Festival Centennial Celebration Parade Saturday featured a debut float from Events DC, the city's convention and sports authority. In another first, the parade will be nationally syndicated for the first time after being shown live on television.

Tickets are on sale for A Taste of Italy May 17 at the Italian Embassy.

Green Bay Packers player Charles Woodson will host a wine dinner at Assaggi Mozzarella Bar in Bethesda April 26. The evening includes a cocktail reception, silent auction with signed football memorabilia and a four-course meal with wine pairings. Proceeds will support the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital for pediatric research.

The 15th annual A Vintage Affair is Saturday at the Embassy of Italy, benefitting the Children’s National hospital.

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 Anna Sekula, Beth Kormanik, and Rose Chevalier in New York.

BizBash Call Sheet is the must-read daily digest of event industry news from BizBash.com. 

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