July 22, 2015: Why High-Profile Events Are Coming to Philadelphia, Meet the Micro Celebrities of VidCon, Inside the Party That Is Tales of the Cocktail

1. WHY HIGH-PROFILE EVENTS ARE COMING TO PHILADELPHIA: From the World Meeting of Families this September—which will bring Pope Francis of town—to the Democratic National Convention in 2016, Philadelphia is on a winning streak attracting major events. NJ.com: “Cities inherently offer more entertainment options than your average suburban neighborhood but it's the seemingly ceaseless list of big-name events that begs the question: Why are they coming to Philadelphia?” http://bit.ly/1HOzugw

2. MEET THE MICRO CELEBRITIES OF VIDCON: About 18,000 people will attend VidCon, which begins Thursday in Anaheim, California. But unless you’re a teenager, you might not recognize the stars of the show. That’s because they’re micro celebrities known only to people devoted to their social media channel. The New York Times: “When VidCon began, there were 1,400 people in attendance, and almost all the video creators shared their shows on YouTube. Back then, most of those clips were viewed on a laptop. Now, five years later, the number of attendees has grown by 1,200 percent, and while YouTube is still insanely popular for video stars, clips are now created and watched on apps like YouNow, Snapchat, Periscope, Vine, Meerkat and Keek, not to mention new video features from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.” http://nyti.ms/1TPPmXE

3. INSIDE THE PARTY THAT IS TALES OF THE COCKTAIL: Bartenders and spirits industry professionals descended on New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail last week. The Guardian: “Brand managers with corporate credit cards offered an economic boost in the city’s hottest, and slowest, time of the year. The most lavish of the week’s parties were thrown on Thursday night by Diageo and Pernod-Ricard, who between them own most of the liquor brands you’re regularly drinking. (Diageo – sellers of Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky, Tanqueray Gin, Captain Morgan rum and George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey among so many others – booked an 80s cover band despite, as one disgruntled local so rightly put it: ‘You can throw a stick in this town and hit a world-class brass band.’)” http://bit.ly/1OkXbkd

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum and Boston’s Old South Meeting House will present the 242nd Boston Tea Party reenactment on December 16.

CHICAGO:  Red Frog Events has laid off 29 employees. Chicago Business: http://bit.ly/1COmquU

The American Society of Interior Designers will host its Design Gala on September 18 at the Ivy Room.

LAS VEGAS:  The ancient Japanese art of Kabuki will debut on the Las Vegas Strip August 14-16. The Fountains of Bellagio will be transformed into a Kabuki-style battle scene with animations and water choreography on a 165-foot stage.

LOS ANGELES:  Viceroy Hotel Group announced that L’Ermitage Beverly Hills is undergoing a renovation by luxury design firm Smith/Firestone Associates. The all-suite property on Burton Way is slated to unveil its 117 new suites, public areas, and restaurant later this year.

BuzzFeed senior entertainment editor Jarett Wieselman will moderate a panel with cast members and the creators of the Lifetime show UnReal on July 30 at the Paley Center. The panel will also include a preview screening of the season one finale.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Miami-Dade County's parks department will host a free fitness dance party on Saturday at Tropical Park. Miami Herald: http://hrld.us/1HHnKyr

NEW YORK:  The Weeknd, Skrillex, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne are headlining the inaugural Billboard Hot 100 Music Festival, which will take place August 22-23 at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater.

New York's Board of Regents approved a five-year provisional charter for a museum that would focus on climate change. The New York Times: http://nyti.ms/1CMPQtx

Super Saturday, the designer shopping event that supports the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, takes place Saturday at Nova's Ark Project in Water Mill. B Floral will have a booth at the event where guests can make a wearable floral creation.

Julian Miller has been appointed the new general manager of the Eventi Hotel.

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  Keynote speakers for the inaugural OrlandoiX, October 2-6 at the Orange County Convention Center, will include Michelle McKenna-Doyle, senior vice president and C.I.O. at the National Football League; Kimberly Gnatt, global group director for digital marketing at Coca-Cola; Jim Stikeleather, chief innovation officer at Dell; Matthew Knell, vice president of social media and community at About.com; Ted Murphy, founder, chairman, and C.E.O. at Izea; and Bob Allen, chief storytelling officer at Ideas. OrlandoiX will include a speaker series, gaming experience, start-up summit, and digital expo.

Swine & Sons Provisions will begin serving breakfast on July 27. The morning menu will feature hot egg sandwiches, quiches, pastries, cold-brew coffee, espresso drinks, and seasonal specials. It will also offer breakfast catering for local businesses and private events.

SAN FRANCISCO:  The annual AIDS Walk San Francisco, which attracted 20,000 people at Golden Gate Park on Sunday, raised nearly $2.3 million for Project Inform and other organizations. CBS News: http://cbsloc.al/1fZpuKF

TORONTO:  Some one million tickets have been sold to the Pan Am Games. Organizers estimate that more than 300,000 tickets were sold since the opening ceremonies on July 10. CBC News: http://bit.ly/1GyX6Uq

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery will hold its inaugural American Portrait Gala on November 15 in the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard with a goal of raising $1 million. The event will bestow the “Portrait of a Nation” prize to baseball great Henry “Hank” Aaron, U.S. Marine and Medal of Honor recipient Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, singer Aretha Franklin, fashion designer Carolina Herrera, and artist Maya Lin.

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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, Anna Sekula, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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