May 16, 2016: How Social Media Has Become a Live Event Curator, Why Cannes is Less Crowded This Year, Magnum Ice Cream Taps Fashion Figures to Promote Brand

1. HOW SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BECOME A LIVE EVENT CURATOR: Over the past few years, social media platforms have become news and entertainment curators. Platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat have formed editorial teams of their own, which include editors who bring live event coverage to users by reporting on site. The New York Times: “Snapchat said it has around 75 people who produce content, collecting and annotating videos and photos of live events and sometimes adding on-the-scene reporting themselves. Twitter employs just under a dozen people in the United States and around two dozen worldwide to collect and describe postings about notable topics. In some cases, these teams coexist with media professionals working elsewhere on the platform. Peter Hamby, a former CNN political reporter, oversees a team of six journalists within Snapchat, while media companies—including CNN —produce content for the company’s Discover feature. The novelty of these arrangements can obscure their straightforward influence. Such companies, with hundreds of millions of users, attract enormous amounts of human attention. People whose Snapchat videos are featured in a curated live event say they have had millions of views. A performer featured by Vine can expect a surge of new followers; a trend or meme given the same treatment can garner thousands of new responses from users.” http://nyti.ms/1R2PQVZ

2. WHY CANNES IS LESS CROWDED THIS YEAR: The first weekend of the Cannes film festival is usually known for drawing large crowds of producers, sellers, and distribution executives to areas including the Promenade de la Croisette, the Majestic, and the Cannes Market. But this year, the festival has been much quieter, probably because of lower budgets and security concerns. The Hollywood Reporter: “This year, it’s been easy for anyone to find a table at the Grand, or the Carlton, or at any of the Cannes beaches for lunch. ‘When can you actually find a place here? When can you have your choice of tables?’ asks L.A.-based attorney Greg Bernstein, who has been coming to Cannes for nearly 25 years. Bernstein says security fears—prompted by recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels — have kept some away, but market consolidation likely is as significant a factor in clearing out the Croisette. The Cannes Market, however, insists attendance this year is on par and even slightly above last year’s. Market executive director Jerome Paillard says attendance to date stands at 11,700, which is 2 percent above 2015 at the same point in the market. He insists there has not been a significant decline anywhere.” http://bit.ly/1V5X2rr

3. MAGNUM ICE CREAM TAPS FASHION FIGURES TO PROMOTE BRAND: One usually doesn’t associate an ice cream dipped in Belgian chocolate with the body image-focused fashion industry, but Unilever-owned Magnum ice cream is tapping fashion industry figures to promote its new products through a series of luxury ads. Fashionista: “The ice cream brand has tapped three of the modeling world's most popular faces—Kendall Jenner, Hailey Baldwin and Suki Waterhouse—as ambassadors. Jenner is the star of a Mert and Marcus-shot campaign for the Magnum Double bar, and to celebrate the partnership, she held court at a swanky party the company hosted in Cannes on Thursday night. Next Wednesday in New York, Baldwin will be the guest of honor at the opening of a new Magnum store in Soho, where she will create a customized bar from a list of ingredients that includes rose petals and gold flakes. Back in April, Waterhouse did her double-dipping duty as well, hosting an event for the brand in her native London, and appearing in some high-gloss campaign images, inspired by the slogan ‘release the beast.’” http://bit.ly/1TbDYn6

* LOCAL NEWS *

CHICAGO:  Chicago Market will host a barbecue-theme Co-Op Pop-Up on May 21 at the Swedish American Museum. The event will feature local meats and produce, sustainable fish, and knife sharpening.

LOS ANGELES:  Spike TV's 10th anniversary Guys Choice event will take place June 4 at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City. An airdate will be announced in the coming weeks.

Correction: The original version of this item listed an incorrect date for the event. 

The Beverly Hills Bar Association will honor California Supreme Court justices at the 62nd annual Supreme Court Luncheon, which will take place June 1 at the Beverly Hilton.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The International Multicultural & Heritage Tourism Summit & Trade Show will take place July 29-31 at Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay.

NEW YORK:  Liberty Science Center's fifth annual Genius Gala will take place Friday, with entertainment from Whoopi Goldberg and illusionist Marco Tempest.

The Nouveau Classical Project will host a pre-party for the Architectural Math Gala on Wednesday at the National Museum of Mathematics. The gala is slated for July 7. 

The New Equity Leadership Awards Luncheon will take place June 9 at the New York Hilton.

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  Walt Disney World’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival will run from September 14-November 14. Orlando Business Journal: http://bit.ly/1TUI9pn

SAN FRANCISCO:  The American Craft Council San Francisco Show will take place August 5-7 at Fort Mason Center's Festival Pavilion.

Event service and entertainment booking agency Innovative Entertainment has rebranded and launched a new website, which offers information on booking talent, entertainment, and production services for live meetings and events. 

TORONTO:  North Poke, Toronto's first Hawaiian poke restaurant, is slated to open this summer. blogTO: http://bit.ly/1TaXJAz

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The Children’s Inn gala, an An Evening for Hope, raised $890,000 for the National Institutes of Health. About 800 guests attended the May 7 event at the Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner. James Rosen, chief Washington correspondent for Fox News Channel, was the emcee of the event, and musician Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, formerly with the Doobie Brothers, began the program with an instrumental version of The Star-Spangled Banner.

Kimpton Hotel Palomar Washington DC has finished a multimillion-dollar redesign to its public spaces and 335 guest rooms, including the addition of a new bridal suite. The project builds on a renovation of the hotel’s 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space, as well as the restaurant Urbana Dining & Drinks. 

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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