May 10, 2016: SBE To Acquire Morgans Hotel Group, Why Men Are Boycotting All-Male Panels at Events, Shocktop to Host Summer Camp for Adults

1. SBE TO ACQUIRE MORGANS HOTEL GROUP: After multiple discussions of a merger, Los Angeles-based hospitality company SBE Entertainment Group will acquire Morgans Hotel Group. SBE C.E.O. Sam Nazarian will be now be C.E.O. of the combined company, which will have an equity value of around $82 million. The Wall Street Journal: "Morgans owns or operates 13 boutique hotels, including New York’s Hudson, the Mondrian in Los Angeles and the Delano in Miami Beach. The combined company will own or operate 20 hotels, including properties under the flagship SLS brand. SBE and Morgans held extensive merger discussions last year but those talks collapsed in November after Mr. Burkle and Jason Kalisman, a Morgans board member whose investment firm represents the largest shareholding, clashed over terms of the deal. Merger and acquisition activity in the lodging sector heated up last year after a long dormant period. Hotel executives increasingly view scale as crucial in the digital age, whether it is for competing with online travel agents for bookings or attracting guests to their loyalty programs." http://on.wsj.com/1q9NhLY

2. WHY MEN ARE BOYCOTTING ALL-MALE PANELS AT EVENTS: To bring attention to the issue of all-male panels at events, some male professionals in their industries are boycotting panels until they become more diverse and gender-inclusive. Sree Sreenivasan, chief digital officer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, recently announced he would not attend all-male panels, while a group of tech-industry insiders in Australia recently launched a website with the same pledge. The Cut: “The death knell for the all-male panel has been growing louder for some time, yet companies like PayPal and big conferences like Davos still appear to be confused over what a panel should be (like, not an all-male panel on the issue of gender diversity, for starters). When women and people of color (also known as more than half of the world) don’t see anyone who looks like them presenting about issues that affect their careers, they get the message that the industry isn’t for them. As the saying goes, representation matters. But Sreenivasan was right to call diversifying panels a 'mini-movement,' instead of something much bigger. The bigger problem is more difficult to tackle and requires much more commitment than simply sitting out a conference. In order for women to sub in for men on panels, men have to work to get more women promoted into leadership positions in the first place.” http://thecut.io/23ElWih

3. SHOCKTOP TO HOST SUMMER CAMP FOR ADULTS: For grown millennials seeking to relive their summer camp days, Anheuser-Busch beer brand Shocktop has partnered with Camp No Counselors to host weekend summer camp experiences. The brand will bring the events to New York, Miami, Austin, and Los Angeles this summer, giving 1,000 fans the opportunity to sleep in cabins and participate in traditional camp activities. Adweek: "The experiential marketing effort from Anomaly serves as a way to bring the brand to life and perfectly embodies Shock Top's motto, 'Live life unfiltered,' according to Shock Top vp Jake Kirsch. 'Our audience is in that sweet spot of being an adult but wishing they didn't have to act like one,' said Kirsch, who noted the effort taps into millennials' love of nostalgia. … Shock Top's partnership with Camp No Counselors will also be evident at the company's other camp events across the country this year through things like Shock Top Slip'N Slides." http://bit.ly/1UNyW4w

* LOCAL NEWS *

ATLANTA:  The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee, has appointed Marissa Edwards as "Director of All Things Fun." Edwards will be in charge of planning education and recreation programs at the hotel, which is located 84 miles east of Atlanta.

AUSTIN:  The Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau has named Gene McMenamin as new board chair.

BOSTON:  Himmel Hospitality Group has appointed Nick Deutmeyer as executive chef of Post 390 in Back Bay.

CHICAGO:  The inaugural Reggae Fest Chicago will take place August 13 in Addams Medill Park. The event is curated by music venue Subterranean and will feature two stages of non-stop performances.

New event space Savage Smyth is slated to open on the fourth and fifth floors of 920 North Franklin this spring. The venue will have 8,000 square feet of indoor space and an 8,000-square-foot roof deck.

LAS VEGAS:  Tropicana Las Vegas has partnered with a Food Network celebrity chef for a new restaurant concept, which will be announced at a press conference at the hotel on May 16.

LOS ANGELES:  Lynda Carter will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 41st annual Gracie Awards Gala on May 24 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.

The grand marshall for this year’s L.A. Pride parade will be Jewel Thais-Williams. 

Glamour's 26th annual Women of the Year awards will take place in Los Angeles November 14. The event, which had previously taken place at New York's Carnegie Hall, will expand to a full day of programming that will be live streamed or broadcast.

For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The 17th annual Aqua Girl, an L.G.B.T. fund-raising event that benefits the Aqua Foundation for Women, will take place Wednesday through Sunday at various Miami Beach venues. Events include dance and pool parties, karaoke, and morning yoga.

NEW YORK:  NYC Parks' Brooklyn Senior Games run through Saturday at St. John's Recreation Center.

The Ultimate Bartender Championship, hosted by the U.S. Bartenders' Guild and whiskey brand Monkey Shoulder, will take place May 16 at American Whiskey. Bartenders from the New York area will compete in six challenges.

For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  Earls Kitchen & Bar will open late summer at the Mall at Millenia. The restaurant is open for lunch, dinner, and late-night dining. It takes over the space formerly occupied by Blue Martini, which has moved to Pointe Orlando.

PHILADELPHIA:  The Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee for the Democratic National Convention has announced event production firms for three events: The Volunteer Appreciation Party on July 21 will be planned by J.M. Best Entertainment and Access Philadelphia; the Media Party on July 23 will be planned by Cashman & Associates and AEC Partners; and the Delegate Welcome Party on July 24 will be planned by Stockton & Partners, Inc. and Perfection Events, Inc. Additionally, the committee announced that AgencyEA will design the convention credential badges.

SAN FRANCISCO:  This year's Outside Lands music and arts festival will take place August 5-7 at Golden Gate Park. The lineup includes Radiohead, Lionel Richie, and LCD Soundsystem.

TORONTO:  The eighth annual Toronto Comic Arts Festival, and vendor fair and art event that celebrates comics and graphic novels, will take place Saturday and Sunday at the Toronto Reference Library.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  L8 (pronounced “late”), a new downtown lounge, opens tonight. The 3,000-square-foot space can hold 200 guests and features a DJ booth, two bars, and futuristic design that includes fiber optic light fixtures.

YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

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

BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.

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