January 12, 2018: Actresses and Women-Centric Shows Honored at Critics' Choice Awards; Misogynistic Culture Still Prevalent at C.E.S. Despite Diversity Controversy; Bitcoin Conference in Miami Stops Accepting Bitcoin

1. ACTRESSES AND WOMEN-CENTRIC SHOWS HONORED AT CRITICS' CHOICE AWARDS: Women-centric shows like Big Little Lies and The Handmaid's Tale won big at the Critics' Choice Awards on Thursday. The ceremony, which also awarded Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot with a special award for challenging gender stereotypes, celebrated women amidst new sexual misconduct allegations and equal pay controversies related to men in Hollywood. Associated Press: "Yet the industry’s ongoing sexual misconduct crisis remained an element of the ceremony as James Franco won an acting award early in the evening, hours after a report detailed new misconduct allegations against 'The Disaster Artist' star and director. Franco did not attend Thursday’s presentation at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, and his award was presented during a pre-telecast section broadcast only online. Franco won a similar award at the Golden Globes earlier in the week, where most women dressed in black to protest sexual harassment. More women dressed in color on Thursday, but their determination to end gender discrimination remained just as fierce. 'I want to share this award with all the women and men who stand for what’s right, standing for those who can’t stand or speak for themselves,' Gadot said as she accepted the second annual #SeeHer award. 'My promise to you is: I will never be silenced. We will continue to band together to make strides, uniting for equality.' ... Olivia Munn hosted the dinner ceremony, which was broadcast live on the CW network. The actress, who has spoken publicly about her own experiences with sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry, led the audience in a toast. Joined by actress Niecey Nash, they raised a glass 'to all the good guys in Hollywood,' who held meetings in conference rooms rather than hotel rooms. 'Congratulations for doing what you’re supposed to do!' Nash said." http://bit.ly/2D6eYkA

2. MISOGYNISTIC CULTURE STILL PREVALENT AT C.E.S. DESPITE DIVERSITY CONTROVERSY: C.E.S., which is taking place in Las Vegas through Sunday, recently came under fire for its lack of women keynote speakers. But despite criticism from marketers and executives, the tech trade show still has misogynistic culture—including booth babes—present at the event. Adweek: “But the scene inside the convention center still reflects tech’s misogynistic culture: Dozens of the thousands of companies exhibiting at CES pay scantily-clad models (aka booth babes) to pitch their companies, showing that the industry still has a long way to go in overcoming sexism.‘The booth babe thing is unfortunate and it would be ideal for CES to get rid of all of that—it’s totally unnecessary and people are here to do business,’ said Lorraine Twohill, Google’s CMO. ‘I think there’s still a lot of work to be done to make CES feel inclusive of women. If CES genuinely wants to have an event that feels welcoming to women, then you can’t have [booth babes.]’ … In addition, strip club Sapphire Las Vegas held an event on Monday night featuring ‘sex robots.’ While the event is not officially associated with CES, it quickly spread on Twitter and was meant to attract both men and women. According to Liz Gumbinner, co-publisher of Cool Mom Tech, brands’ desire to go viral is part of the reason why booth babes remain a staple at CES. With thousands of companies vying for attention, it can be hard for companies to cut through the clutter and make a splash. ‘Brands are looking for any opportunity to get attention and a visual spectacle is an understandable part of that,’ she said. ‘Hire a young women and dress her up as a cheerleader or sexy nurse and people will take photos with her—it’s far less expensive than hiring a celebrity.’” http://bit.ly/2ml9uap

3. BITCOIN CONFERENCE IN MIAMI STOPS ACCEPTING BITCOIN: Event organizers of the North American Bitcoin Conference, which takes place in Miami January 18-19, announced the event will no longer accept bitcoin payments for conference tickets because of congestion and network fees. Bitcoin: “Earlier this morning news.Bitcoin.com spoke with the Keynote Events-TNABC organizer, Moe Levin about the recent announcement concerning ticket purchases. Levin tells us in a conference call that his firm is ‘scrambling’ to get bitcoin cash or a digital asset with cheaper fees integrated into the ticketing system. ‘We have and will always accept cryptocurrencies,’ Levin tells us. ‘Up until fourteen days before the event, we accepted cryptocurrencies and manually processed all transactions which became labour intensive.’ Getting ticket service operators to integrate alternative cryptocurrencies is a difficult task for an event that’s taking place in two weeks. Keynote Events is trying its hardest to get another digital asset accepted for tickets and its hopeful businesses in the crypto-space can help issues like this in the future. ‘Ticket service providers like Eventbrite or others do not have crypto integrations yet. I think within a year companies like Coinpayments, and other payment providers will have better tools, and we will instantly integrate,’ Levin tells news.Bitcoin.com.” http://bit.ly/2D2lDMm

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  Upland Capital Corporation has acquired Harbor View Hotel on Martha’s Vineyard. The hotel will undergo a renovation starting in late 2018. 

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI:  Ronnie Burt, president and C.E.O. of Visit KC, has announced his resignation, which will go into effect January 31. 

LAS VEGAS:  Allied Esports, a network of esports properties and content production facilities, has announced that Esports Arena Las Vegas will open at Luxor Hotel and Casino March 22 with a series of events, which will include an invite-only, multi-day live-streamed tournament. Allied also announced that Harman Professional Solutions will provide audio, video, and lighting services for the venue. 

Palms Casino Resort will undergo a $485 million renovation, which will be completed by the end of the year. The renovation will include a new 73,000-square-foot pool club and nightclub from the Tao Group. 

LOS ANGELES:  The Women’s March Los Angeles will be held on January 20. Announced speakers include Scarlett Johansson, Laverne Cox, Larry Wilmore, and Alfre Woodard.

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

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY:  The U.S. Olympic Committee and Northstar Travel Group have announced that beginning this year, the annual Olympic SportsLink and National Governing Body Best Practices Seminar will be held in conjunction with SportsTravel magazine’s Teams Conference & Expo, which will take place October 1-4 in Louisville. The Olympic SportsLink gives U.S. Olympic and Paralympic organizations to network with destinations, venues, and other event suppliers looking to host sports-focused events. 

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The Little Lighthouse Foundation’s ninth annual Hearts & Stars Gala: Temple of Ra will take place March 17. The charity event will be produced by LiveIt Productions. 

NEW YORK:  The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center has launched Jake, an online portal for exhibitors to order products and services for upcoming events at the convention center. Using Jake, exhibitors can receive price quotes for services, review costs before placing orders, receive electronic receipts and order confirmations, and review their order histories for past events. 

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center will honor Lin-Manuel Miranda with the 18th Monte Cristo Award at a gala dinner on April 30 at the Edison Ballroom. 

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

TORONTO:  The Concierge Club’s five-year anniversary event will take place February 1 at the Globe and Mail Building. The event will feature a live art demonstration from Alec Monopoly and music by DJ Charlie B. 

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With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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