January 12, 2015: Golden Globes Strike Somber Tone, Brands Line Up for College Football Play-Offs, Tips for Standout Keynote Presentations

1. GOLDEN GLOBES STRIKE SOMBER TONE: Golden Globes hosts Tiny Fey and Amy Poehler, who will give up the gig following this year, went out on an edgy note, with jokes that took aim at Bill Cosby and allegations of sexual abuse and North Korea. Several presenters used the evening to defend free speech and offer solidarity in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris. New York Times: “The Golden Globes ceremony usually comes off as a fun, frivolous alternative to the Academy Awards: the naughty Oscars. It’s supposed to be a boozy night that jumbles television and film awards, puts stars around a table and champagne glasses in their hands, and everyone is supposed to be livelier and more outré. But much of the evening, the mood was uncharacteristically serious.” http://nyti.ms/1spGQoC

2. BRANDS LINE UP FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAY-OFFS: The first College Football Playoff National Championship game tonight in the Dallas area will see Ohio State and Oregon battle for the title, and brands are buying into the new format for the event and hosting their own tailgates, concerts, and other gatherings. Advertising Age: “For the 15 major sponsors, which include AT&T, Taco Bell and Dr Pepper, this means on-the-ground events and retail partnerships. … The high price-tag for a sponsorship, especially for a first-time event, may have given some advertisers pause, according to [a] media buyer. Aside from the $1 million price tag, sponsorship fees are also believed to have nearly doubled from the now-defunct Bowl Championship Series.” http://bit.ly/1spDMZr

3. TIPS FOR STANDOUT KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS: The pressure is on for keynote speakers at International C.E.S. to deliver captivating presentations. But the successful speeches by C.E.O.s from Ford, Intel, and Samsung have lessons for speakers from any industry, from using effective product demonstrations to telling compelling stories without boring slides. Forbes: “When you’re telling a story to set up the theme of your presentation, there’s no reason to overload the audience with words and text. Try this. Limit the number of words you use on your first 10 slides to no more than 40. It will force you to tell a story using pictures, which are nearly always more impactful than text-heavy slides.” http://onforb.es/1AAULuQ

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  The Hyatt Boston Harbor Hotel is undergoing a $10 million renovation set to wrap up this month. New perks will include additional outlets to charge laptops and phones.

CHICAGO:  The Grant Park Music Festival’s 2015 season is June 17 to August 22 at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Highlights will include a “Sondheim Celebration” to mark the composer’s 85th birthday.

LAS VEGAS:  Splash Studios, a paint-your-own pottery studio, has opened in Southwest Las Vegas. The venue offers a colorful space with nearly 3,000 square feet of ceramic painting areas, two private rooms, a game room with air hockey, a lounge with a flat-screen TV, and a karaoke stage.

LOS ANGELES:  The Factory Kitchen has launched a new bar concept known as the Factory Bar, offering smaller plates, cocktails, and wine.

SBE Events & Catering provided catering for the Art of Elysium’s Heaven Gala on Saturday at Hangar 8 in Santa Monica. Several of its brands, including Katsuya, Cleo, and Bazaar, served dishes.

Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  NaiYaRa, a Thai restaurant in Miami Beach from chef Piyarat Arreeratn, known as chef Bee, is expected to be completed in the first quarter of this year. Amicon Construction is managing the build out.

NEW YORK:  The Clinton Foundation will host its annual gala March 4; Carole King will perform.

Culinary has taken over for Aramark to provide food service for the United Nations cafeteria, Vienna Cafe, and Delegates Dining Room and Lounge. Inner City Press: http://bit.ly/1w9A5CI

Eventi, a Kimpton Hotel, hosted a viewing party for the Golden Globe awards; its Big Screen Plaza 30-foot HD screen showed the broadcast.

C.F.D.A. has promoted Sophie Marx to senior manager of events and projects.

Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

PHOENIX:  DirecTV will host a three-day "Super Fan Festival" to coincide with the Super Bowl January 28-30. Held in Glendale, Arizona, the music festival will feature performances from Imagine Dragons, Zac Brown Band, Snoop Dogg, and others.

TORONTO:  The Gladstone Hotel’s alternative design event, “Come Up to my Room,” runs January 16-23. This year’s show has been newly extended to run 10 days, and it also offers new programming, a band night, and a symposium.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Singer Josh Groban will perform at the fifth annual Standing Ovation for DC Teachers tonight at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. More than 1,000 teachers are expected to attend the sold-out event.

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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, and Anna Sekula in New York.

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