Call Sheet #247: Marketing 4/20, NBC Streams Olympics, New Espy Host

BIZBASH CALL SHEET — #247 — Friday, 04.20.12

++ Sponsored by Event Leadership Institute ++

Compiled today by Beth Kormanik and Chad Kaydo in New York.
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* THIS WEEKEND'S CALENDAR *
FRIDAY: Fenway Park 100th anniversary's pregame ceremony in Boston; Coachella continues in Indio, California; Corcoran Ball in Washington
SATURDAY: U.S. Travel Association's International Pow Wow begins in Los Angeles
SUNDAY: The Green Meeting Industry Council's Sustainable Meetings Conference begins in Montreal

* INCOMING *

1. MAINSTREAM MARIJUANA: With the unofficial pot holiday of "4/20" falling on a Friday, marketers are trying to capture some of the buzz to promote concerts, films, and other events, such as the unveiling of an eight-foot bronze statue of country musician and cannabis fan Willie Nelson. The day also attracts antidrug advocates. The Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/JbhuSm

2. LIFESTYLE HOTEL AD PUSH: Marriott's Renaissance brand and the new Atlantic Beach resort Revel have launched lifestyle campaigns to market to young, affluent guests. The New York Times: "Renaissance hired Anomaly—an outfit based in New York that is controlled by MDC Partners and has worked with Converse, Budweiser and Diageo—instead of the New York office of McGarryBowen, an agency that is part of Dentsu and employed by most other Marriott brands. Revel hired Mother New York, which has worked with Stella Artois, Tanqueray and Target, because it wanted 'someone not tied to hospitality, gaming, who would bring a fresh approach,' said Sid Yu, Revel’s senior vice president for brand and revenue." http://nyti.ms/HXzRKk

3. SUMMER STREAMING: For the first time, NBC will live-stream all Olympic events at nbcolympics.com, including the medal ceremonies. The Washington Post: "Here’s the catch: Some of the featured competitions (read: glam derbies) will not be archived until after they’ve aired on NBC. So if you don’t get up at 2 a.m. to watch, say, the women’s beach volleyball prelims, you’ll still have to wait until NBC airs it in prime time that night. The choice is now yours." http://wapo.st/Jklhcr

4. BALLOON BRANDING: The latest promotional trend seems to be a literal launch—of helium balloons. Third Man Records attached flexi-disc records of Jack White's new album, "Freedom at 21," to 1,000 biodegradable balloons and released them in Nashville. Ad Age: "Custom postcards were also attached with instructions for the finders to submit photos, the discovery location and the date on which the record was found." The results are posted on a map online. http://bit.ly/Jo8mcv

5. HIRING TIME: Event planners made U.S. News and World Report’s list of six booming business jobs. "The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects employment growth of 43.7 percent for event planners by 2020." http://bit.ly/HVQBUp

6. ESPYS HOST: Former Daily Show correspondent Rob Riggle will host the sports awards July 11 the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live. The Hollywood Reporter: http://bit.ly/HUQzvd

++ 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

* ABOUT LAST NIGHT *

From news editor Anna Sekula: With New York in the thick of upfront season, the month has already been packed with formal events from TV networks. But last night's Univision Deportes Network launch party was anything but stuffy, with guests in suits sitting a picnic tables, drinking cans of beer pulled from a cooler, and snacking on tacos served out of VW vans. Markus Daly Ryan produced the low-key affair at Industria Superstudio, styling it after Mexican soccer tailgate parties. Favorite part of the night? Kicking a ball at the soccer simulation station set up in the corner of the space.

More from upfront season:
Cartoon Network: http://bizba.sh/HcpeiU
Discovery: http://bizba.sh/ICtQz5
Bravo: http://bizba.sh/I9T9ua

* TWEETED *

Editor in Chief Chad Kaydo participated in an #eventprofs Twitter chat yesterday about event industry PR. A Storify archive of the chat is here: http://sfy.co/pIU

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON: Boston Comic-Con is this weekend at the Hynes Convention Center and new this year is a film festival, which showcases shorts, features, and music videos. Enterprise News: http://bit.ly/HWhOpJ

CHICAGO: Jennifer Hudson, Chaka Khan, Death Cab for Cutie, and Dierks Bentley will be the headline musical acts at Taste of Chicago, July 11-15.

From Facebook: Femme du Coupe is hiring an event sales manager/social media coordinator. Send resumes to [email protected].

Time Out Chicago’s annual Eat Out Awards event on Monday night featured sponsor activations by Infiniti, Fiji Water, and the Chicago Blogger Network, as well as drinks by Goose Island, RedStreak, and Don Sebastiani & Sons.

LAS VEGAS: BlogWorld announced its West Coast show will move from Los Angeles back to Vegas—and will also move from the fall to January 6-8 at the Rio Convention Center.

The Animal Foundation’s ninth annual “Best in Show" dog show will take to the Orleans Arena April 22. Magician Nathan Burton will host the event, and 50 contestants from the foundation's Lied Animal Shelter will participate.

Tickets for Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appétit are hot commodities; nine events for the May program have already sold out.

Carlos 'n Charlie's inside the Flamingo Las Vegas will have a grand opening on May 15.

Tropfest, which bills itself as the world’s largest short-film festival, Thursday announced the 16 films that will compete in its inaugural “All-Star Competition" hosted by Rob Corddry during a weekend of free, mostly outdoor events at the Cosmopolitan June 1-3.

The National Association of Home Builders signed a memorandum of understanding with a major Chinese trade association, China Building Ceramics & Sanitaryware Association, that will bring a large number of manufacturers and products to the International Builders' Show in Las Vegas in January.

Ranch House Kitchen is slated to open in Town Square in May. The 15,000-square-foot restaurant and bar will also have a 3,000-square-foot patio.

Chef Gordon Ramsay announced Thursday that Gordon Ramsay Steak, his first restaurant in town, will open May 11 at Paris Las Vegas. 

LOS ANGELES: Stephane Lacroix is the new director of food and beverage for Dorchester Collection’s recently reopened Hotel Bel-Air.

The SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills announced it will begin installation of a new lighting scheme developed by photographer and filmmaker Matthew Rolston, with input from hotel guests. The new lighting will be included in all 297 guest rooms.

Lauren Urband left Starworks Group for a new position as managing director at HL Group.

Richie Sambora will be honored at the 12th annual Golden Heart awards to support the Midnight Mission at the Beverly Wilshire May 7.

The Helping Hand of Los Angeles will host the 83rd anniversary Mother’s Day luncheon and fashion show, including Kevan Hall's designs, at the Beverly Hills Hotel May 11.

The B3 charity bike ride has been rescheduled to June 16.

"Unforgettable Evening" benefiting the Entertainment Industry Foundation Women’s Cancer Research Fund celebrated the 15th anniversary of the fund at the Beverly Hilton Wednesday night. The event included a performance by Rihanna, and brought in $2 million.

MIAMI: The Miami Heat announced a partnership with Los Angeles-based hospitality company SBE Entertainment Group to develop Hyde American Airlines Arena, a posh lounge. The Miami Herald: http://bit.ly/J9OElg

On April 23, local top chefs will help fill boxes with food for the hungry at Feeding South Florida in Pembroke Park to kick off this year's Great American Bake Sale. Food trucks will sell lunch and Nespresso will provide free coffee.

NEW YORK: New York house DJ Danny Tenaglia announced he is quitting the business. The Grammy-nominated producer said on his Facebook page that his final performance would be at Pacha New York April 28.

SoHo residents are complaining about the events venue 82 Mercer, comparing it to living beside the Javits Center. The Villager: "Shows held inside the two-level event space attract as many as 500 people at a time, who queue on the street and obstruct entrances to adjacent buildings. Trucks loading and unloading equipment for 82Mercer clog up the street, and cars of 82 Mercer’s clients often take up precious parking spaces." http://bit.ly/JTSdsa

ORLANDO: The Green Meeting Industry Council's Sustainable Meetings Conference takes place Sunday through Wednesday at the Hilton Montreal Bonaventure. The conference program is focused on measurement techniques, reporting methods, sustainable supply chain management, hybrid meeting technologies, and the significance of sustainability strategy on a global level.

The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Orlando, Grande Lakes, has appointed Nathan Stith director of golf.

TORONTO: Mayor Rob Ford will not attend the Pride parade again this year. Pressure has mounted for him to attend at least one event during the 10-day festival, which runs from June 22 to July 1. http://bit.ly/JfOlXt

WASHINGTON: The Event Planners Association is expanding with a D.C. Metro Chapter. A launch event, “Spring in D.C.,” will be held Monday at Top of the Town.

The spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank are taking place through Sunday. With street closures throughout the city, it may make driving and parking difficult. 

National Italian American Foundation is hosting a free author talk and book signing by Piero Rivolta May 3 at the foundation's headquarters with wine and Italian food catered by Casa Nonna.

The International Trademark Association has scheduled its 134th annual meeting at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center May 5-9 with keynote speaker Leonard A. Lauder, chairman emeritus of the Estée Lauder Companies.

The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade will announce its 40th annual sofi Awards June 18 at the Summer Fancy Food Show here. Chef José Andrés will host the event.

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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