May 18, 2016: Gaming Convention to Have More Female Than Male Speakers, Doping Athletes Could Face Rio Olympics Ban After Retests, How Fashion Brands Have Taken Over Cannes

1. GAMING CONVENTION TO HAVE MORE FEMALE THAN MALE SPEAKERS: In a major step toward gender equity in the gaming industry, Gen Con, one of the oldest and biggest gaming conventions, has announced that 13 of 25 speakers in the 2016 Industry Insider lineup are women. This is the first time the speakers are majority women at the convention, which will bring more than 60,000 gamers to Indianapolis in August. Washington Post: “It’s an especially favorable move after a panel at last year’s convention, titled, “Writing Women Friendly Comics,” caused an outcry when the panel lineup initially contained no women. Gen Con quickly added some female voices to the discussion, but a controversial moderator caused some women to walk out and even leave crying … selected speaker Anna Kreider wrote on her popular feminist blog ‘Go Make Me a Sandwich’ that based on an informal survey of some of the top gaming conventions in the country, Gen Con is one of the first to achieve gender parity across its honored guests. She echoed the observation others online had made that the lineup varied in age, experience and expertise, which will likely lead to more diverse conversation and debate. Elsewhere online, one blogger predicted attendance at Gen Con would plummet because of the speaker lineup, signaling the beginning of the end of the decades old convention. But others in the industry offered their full support, even male applicants who weren’t selected to be featured speakers this year.” http://wapo.st/1TjpxNM

2. DOPING ATHLETES COULD FACE RIO OLYMPICS BAN AFTER RETESTS: The International Olympic Committee has announced that as many as 31 athletes in six sports could face a Rio Olympics ban, after 454 doping samples were retested from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The I.O.C. has started proceedings with the athletes who tested positive, and 12 national Olympic Committees will be notified in the next few days. USA Today: “Samples from the London Olympics were also retested and 250 results will be announced shortly, the IOC said. ‘The aim is to stop any drugs cheats coming to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro,’ the release said. There will also be a wider retesting of samples from athletes who won medals in London and Beijing. And athletes who could be upgraded in medals after the disqualification of others will also be retested, the IOC said. The IOC announced it has asked WADA to investigate allegations surrounding state-sponsored doping by Russian athletes at the Sochi Olympics. Samples from athletes who competed in Sochi are being stored in a Lausanne lab and will be analyzed. The IOC has asked full cooperation from the Russian Olympic Committee in the WADA investigation. The latest news of widespread doping come at a perilous time in international sports . Russia’s track and field team has been suspended from international competition since November after WADA’s independent commission found systematic doping in the sport. The IAAF is set to decide on the team’s suspension on June 17.” http://usat.ly/1TkKDi8

3. HOW FASHION BRANDS HAVE TAKEN OVER CANNES: High-end fashion brands are getting involved with the Cannes Film Festival in more ways than ever before—be it with hotel suite takeovers, media events, or lavish dinner parties. The New York Times: "Indeed, although Cannes has long been the film festival with the most star power and glimmering parties, this year more than any other the power of the red-carpet economy has been on show for all to see in an ever-spinning carousel of premieres, news media junkets and high-wattage events. Charles Finch of Finch & Partners, a consultancy that advises brands on Hollywood partnerships, said that as the movie industry has shrunk, the big sponsorships that were once the province of major studios have been co-opted by major luxury houses instead, with the related transformation of the Croisette into a catwalk. … Megabrands such as Dior and Chopard spend millions of dollars on five-star hotel suites on this busy stretch of Mediterranean seafront, grooming, dressing and bejeweling starlets for a moment in the spotlight a stone’s throw away at the Palais. 'The studios came to Cannes for cultural gravitas and indie credentials that would give their movies added weight, spending a great deal of money doing so,' Mr. Finch said. The festival’s focus on international cinema meant a more global spotlight than American-centric award ceremonies, he said. 'Now, it’s the turn of big brands to step up and do the same thing.'" http://nyti.ms/22fptEl

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  The Adidas Boost Boston Games will take place June 17-18 on Charles Street.

CHICAGO:  The Gelato World Tour will take place May 27-29 at Millennium Park's South Promenade. The free event will feature 16 gelato artisans from North America and South America competing to create the country's best gelato flavor.

HOUSTON:  Hotel Granduca Houston has appointed Anne Janis as director of sales and marketing.

LAS VEGAS:  Speedvegas' 1.5-mile supercar track is now open. By this summer, the entire $30 million complex—including a multilevel welcome center, event center, café, and more—is slated to open.

LOS ANGELES:  The California Science Center's 18th annual Discovery Ball will take place Friday. The event will celebrate the arrival of ET-94, the last remaining external tank for the space shuttle Endeavor display at the future Samuel Oschin Pavilion Air and Space Center.

The Art for ALS fund-raiser and art auction will take place June 15 at Arena 1 Gallery at Santa Monica Art Gallery.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Organizers of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show announced a call for entries to design and produce the show's main entrance, located at the Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel. The winning design will be selected on August 1. The 57th annual edition of the show is set to take place November 3-7.

NEW YORK:  New York Comic Con producers ReedPop have created a new "fan verification" system, which will require all attendees to fill out a profile on the event website before obtaining tickets. The move is an attempt to fight ticket scalping and reselling for the convention, which takes place October 6-9 at the Javits Center. 

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  The Heart of Florida United Way's 24th annual Chef's Gala will take place Saturday at Epcot World Showcase.

SAN DIEGO:  AlliedPRA has promoted Gabrielle Spanton to vice president of global sales.

TORONTO:  World Wildlife Fund Canada will host its inaugural Pandamonium fund-raiser and party on June 23 at Andrew Richard Designs. The event will feature a performance by indie folk-rock group the Strumbellas, and an immersive multimedia experience from Moment Factory.

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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