March 23, 2015: the Big Business of Music Festivals, Inside the Luxe World of a Watch Trade Show, Why a Pop Star Is Planning a Tech Festival

1. THE BIG BUSINESS OF MUSIC FESTIVALS: The top five music festivals based on ticket sales reveal some surprises: Together they pulled in some $183 million in ticket sales, and three of the top five take place in California, including the top festival, Coachella. Forbes: “Last year, the [Coachella] festival brought in an incredible $78 million. That’s an enormous figure, especially considering that they runner up, Texas’ Austin City Limits, only brought in just over $38 million. That’s certainly a respectable amount for a festival, but it is telling that the next rung up on the ladder is almost double what ACL brought in.” http://onforb.es/1xcLyIC

2. INSIDE THE LUXE WORLD OF A WATCH TRADE SHOW: Baselworld, a trade show for the watch industry, runs through Thursday in Switzerland, and will have to factor in the impact of Apple Watch—a launch that happened before the event. Bloomberg Business: “The ornate three-story booths that clutter the hall are built by brands like Patek Philippe and Rolex, with their marble floors and on-demand espresso. They get all the attention, but in addition to makers of high-end luxury watches there are vendors selling loud CNC machines, cheap plastic bracelet links, and every other little bit of the supply chain needed to make watches from the elaborate to the utilitarian. Thousands of new watches are unveiled in a single week, some unceremoniously placed in a vitrine, others announced in massive press conferences by celebrity ambassadors.” http://bloom.bg/1GKrqxB

3. WHY A POP STAR IS PLANNING A TECH FESTIVAL: The Swedish pop star Robyn is planning a tech festival geared toward girls ages 11 to 18 to encourage them to pursue careers in science and math. The Verge: “The festival is being thrown in partnership with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, which awarded Robyn its Great Prize in 2013. Recipients are required to hold a seminar at the university, but Robyn is instead choosing to throw this day-long event. … Called Tekla, the festival will be held in Sweden's capital and include workshops on programming, robotics, 3D printing, game development, electronic music, and more.” http://bit.ly/1If0o2B

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  StarChefs.com will host its Rising Stars of Boston gala on April 16 at the Colonnade Hotel. The evening will begin with an award ceremony and will also offer a walk-around tasting.

CHICAGO:  Singer Sarah McLachlan will headline the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Corporate Night on June 16.

LAS VEGAS:  Two beer festivals—the Great Vegas Festival of Beer and Vegas Beer & Music Festival—are planned for April. Los Angeles Times: http://lat.ms/1CKfmgD

LOS ANGELES:  The culinary competition Cochon 555 is Sunday at Viceroy Santa Monica, with lead-up events happening on Friday and Saturday.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The second annual eMerge Americas, a technology conference, is May 1-5 and will draw more than 10,000 attendees to the Miami Beach Convention Center. Miami Herald: http://bit.ly/1HoW4MU

NEW YORK:  The Fragrance Foundation Awards will take place June 17 at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. Actor Alec Baldwin will host the event.

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

TORONTO:  The Love Art Fair will be held at Heritage Court at the Direct Energy Centre April 17-19. More than 45 galleries will showcase paintings, prints, sculptures, and photographs; the fair will also offer hands-on workshops and talks.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles attended a private dinner for 100 people in Washington, part of the couple’s visit to the United States. New York Post: “Cellphones were deposited upon entry into plastic bags and picked up later on a silver trays, along with red and blue M&Ms emblazoned the with ‘the Prince of Wales feathers.’” http://pge.sx/19eRxBo

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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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