Call Sheet #239: Coachella Party Preview, Why Anniversaries Are Hot, Fox to Change Direction for 'Neighborhood Watch'

BIZBASH CALL SHEET — #239 — Tuesday, 04.10.12

++ Sponsored by Event Leadership Institute ++

Compiled today by Beth Kormanik and Anna Sekula in New York.
Feed the Sheet: [email protected]
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* INCOMING *

1. COACHELLA PREVIEW: From L.A. bureau chief Alesandra Dubin: Coachella festival producer Goldenvoice last year announced its decision to expand this year's festival from one weekend to two. The annual concert will now take to Empire Polo Club in Indio from April 13-15 and April 20-22. So what does that mean for the brands on board to market their wares? Most returnees and newbies alike plan to stick with a one-time presence during the festival's first weekend. Here’s what’s on tap for this weekend: bizba.sh/IsAdop

2. MILESTONE MARKETING: Brands are celebrating anniversaries as a new promotional strategy. The New York Times: "Anniversary campaigns are part of a trend inspired by the economy that could be called comfort marketing, as advertisers invoke misty, water-colored memories of the past to woo consumers into buying products in the present. A major aspect of comfort marketing is what brand managers call authenticity: reminding shoppers who seek value in the provenance of merchandise to suggest a product is worth buying because its quality has been tested for decades." http://nyti.ms/HXOjwQ

3. CAN YOU HEAR IT NOW? Looks like the new Lumia 900 smartphone is getting a big marketing push from all sides. Following Nokia’s concert and light show in Times Square on Friday night, Windows Phone put together an experiential promotion that hit cities yesterday. And, according to Ad Age, AT&T is spending an estimated $150 million to help launch the handset, more than the amount used to promote the iPhone. adage.com/article...

For more on Nokia’s launch and the effort from Microsoft, read our report: http://bizba.sh/HveFNxhttp://bizba.sh/HveFNx

4. BAD TIMING: Executives at 20th Century Fox are rethinking the multimillion-dollar marketing strategy of the alien comedy Neighborhood Watch in light of the shooting of Trayvon Martin. The New York Times: "An internal debate about timing continues at Fox: Is it better to accelerate the marketing plan with an immediate splash that brands Neighborhood Watch as an absurdist comedy about interplanetary threat? Or should the studio lie low for a while with its advance publicity, waiting for the passions around Mr. Martin’s death to cool, even if that means fewer weeks in which to sell a July picture?" http://nyti.ms/IhLvwM

5. FUNERAL FLAP: Whitney Houston's funeral, one of the biggest recent events in Newark, N.J., has come with a controversial price tag: $187,000 in police overtime, which according to CBS New York represents 5 percent of a $4 million budget. http://cbsloc.al/Hmv9HI

6. PREPPING FOR POW-WOW: The International Pow Wow, one of the nation's largest travel industry events, will head to the Los Angeles Convention Center April 21-25. The massive show is expected to generate big business—and also translate to a boon for local tourism. (The last time the show met in L.A. was in 2004, prior to construction of the huge L.A. Live multi-use development.) According to the L.A. Times, the show is "expected to attract more than 1,500 travel business operators and generate at least $10 million in spending during the event." http://lat.ms/IcVqUv

7. SITE SWAP: Citigroup is moving its annual shareholder meeting from New York to Dallas, a move that may be prompted by the city’s active Occupy protests and current negative perception of financial institutions. Crain’s New York: crainsnewyork.com...

8. KEYNOTE DUTIES: Professional speaker and author David Meerman Scott advises what meeting planners should ask of keynote speakers. Velvet Chainsaw: http://bit.ly/HXNpUt

++ A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: EVENT LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE ++

The Event Leadership Institute is proud to provide the most progressive training and education for event planners in the industry, through on-demand video classes, biweekly webinars, white papers as well as interviews with industry leaders. www.eventleadershipinstitute.com

* QUESTION FOR YOU *

From editor in chief Chad Kaydo: Finally saw The Hunger Games over the weekend, and as much fun as it is, it struck me as a giant missed opportunity. As Jacob Bernstein noted in The New York Times, the costumes are a dud (http://nyti.ms/ICJwSh), and to my eye the production design was a mishmash of influences, all things you had seen before, but not remixed with a cohesive vision. What did you think? And if this was a snore, what movies (new or classic) have been the most inspiring to you? Tell us: [email protected] .

* FROM THE EVENT LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE: DESIGN BUSINESS TRENDS *

E.L.I. published a white paper on business trends in event design Monday, based on insights from a roundtable with 15 event company creative directors. The key findings:

* "By far the most salient trend acknowledged by virtually everyone at the roundtable is the rise of a more informed client," due to the sharing of ideas on social media, reality TV shows, and other channels.
* Moving past the traditional model of defining their contribution purely based on "stuff"—flowers, sets, lighting, furniture—designers are now charging for their ideas and concepts.
* "During the recession of 2008-2009 numerous senior corporate event executives were let go, and their event responsibilities were passed on to their more junior counterparts. In many instances, dedicated event departments disappeared altogether, and event planning responsibility reverted back to the individual business units within companies. Add to that the trend of senior in­-house planners leaving on their own to join or start outside agencies, and you get a general client base that is collectively less experienced than they were five years ago."
* Pop culture trends are influencing events at a much faster rate. Participants estimated it could take as long as five years in 1990, but only a year now.

The full paper is here: eventleadershipin...

* LOCAL NEWS *

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA: Event management company Precision Meetings and Events announced that Tina Wehmeir has joined the company as president.

BOSTON: The Revere Hotel Boston Common will launch Wednesday with a vertical fashion show that will have climbers from Boston Rock Gym walking down the side of its 24-story facade. The climbers will model Mass Art-designed hotel uniforms and looks from Ted Baker London's spring/summer collection. A traditional runway presentation, with models and hotel staffers, will also take place on the ninth floor pool deck for invited guests.

The Island Creek Oyster Foundation will host its Friends for Haiti benefit at Duxbury Beach September 8; tickets go on sale May 4. The event will offer raw bars, passed hors d'oeuvres, and cocktails created by Jackson Cannon of the Hawthorne.

Boston Ballet presents Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote April 26-May 6 at The Boston Opera House. Group tickets are now on sale.

The Collective Intelligence conference takes place at M.I.T. April 18-20. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the conference addresses how companies and societies can solve problems more effectively.

Eater.com: "A new food-related show on Bravo called Around the World in 80 Plates has announced its lineup of contestants, which will include Steve Postal, a.k.a. 'Nookie,' the executive chef at Fenway Park. The show premieres May 9 at 10 p.m. and is hosted by Curtis Stone and Cat Cora." boston.eater.com/...

CHICAGO: The Steppenwolf Auxiliary Council's Red or White Ball is this Friday at Architectural Artifacts. V.I.P. tickets allow guests access to an early cocktail reception with tasting stations from Barrelhouse Flat, Fred's, Paris Club, and Zed 451.

Pinstripes signed a lease agreement with Sears Holdings in the northwest parking lot of Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook. The bistro, bowling, and bocce venue will begin construction this month and open for business and private events this fall.

The Kitchen & Bath Industry Show is April 24-26 at McCormick Place. Cottonelle, Decor Cabinets, D.P.H.A., and T.O.D.L. will host sponsored lounges.

The Chicago Bulls and Roka Akor Steak and Sushi will host "Hoops for Hunger," a benefit for the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Chicago Bulls Charities, April 23.

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago has opened registration for the AIDS Run & Walk Chicago, which is slated for September 29 at Soldier Field. Produced by AFC and Special Events Management, the event has a new starting location and logo, and an altered route.

LAS VEGAS: Las Vegas Sun: "Last week, county commissioners took steps toward issuing new ordinances that would make it significantly more difficult for street acts to perform in high-traffic public areas like the Strip and Fremont Street Experience." The Sun also offers a list of six street performers visitors might miss if the city cleans up the Strip. lasvegassun.com/n...

LOS ANGELES: Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop has plans to open its third Los Angeles-area venue, in Costa Mesa, April 30.

Gene Simmons’ new restaurant, Rock & Brews, will co-host the first “Waves of Grain Beerfest” April 22 at Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach.

ISES L.A. will host an education luncheon at the Parker Grill restaurant inside the InterContinental Hotel Monday. The session will bring green energy expert Alelia Parenteau.

Today "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" at Luxor will commemorate the centennial of the ship's launch and sinking with a presentation and candlelit vigil.

MIAMI: The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau announced this week that overnight visitors to Greater Miami and the Beaches grew 6.7 percent to a record-breaking 13.4 million overnight visitors in 2011.

The One Group will celebrate STK Miami’s two-year anniversary with an “S2K” party tomorrow. The event will have music from DJs Obscene and Danny Stern and a live performance by STK Miami’s “Bionic Ballerina.”

Club Blue Miami, Young Professionals for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade will host a networking event at Crave Restaurant in Coral Gables April 17.

Miami Herald: "China Grill, which has been one of South Beach’s landmark restaurants since 1995, is closing its doors April 28 in preparation for a move to Brickell Avenue later this year." miamiherald.com/2...

NEW YORK: The Songwriters Hall of Fame will honor R&B musician Ne-Yo with the Hal David Starlight award at its induction and awards dinner June 14 at the Marriott Marquis.

The Tao Group plans to open a 22,000 square-foot restaurant/lounge at the Maritime Hotel, larger than the original 12,000-square-foot Tao in Midtown. The iconic club will take over the space that once housed Matsuri and the Hiro Ballroom. New York Post: http://nyp.st/HqvG5G

This year the New York Photo Festival will showcase work from the public in an invitational at the Powerhouse Arena in Dumbo. Another first for the event, which is scheduled to take place May 16-20, is an open call for attendees to vote for their favorite piece in an award category dubbed Viewer Favorite.

Last Thursday, "Living Landmark" Sirio Maccioni celebrated his 80th birthday at Le Cirque. Former chefs Daniel Boulud and Alain Sailhac attended as well as Martha Stewart and New York Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly. Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/IojQ0W

ORLANDO: The Shores Resort & Spa has appointed Keith Keiser as sales manager and Liz McMunn as catering sales manager. Keiser will work with meeting planners in the social, military, educational, religious, and fraternal industries.

Cask & Larder, a new restaurant from the owners of Ravenous Pig, will open in Winter Park in August. The menu will focus on Southern artisanal food, hand-crafted beer, and local ingredients.

SAN FRANCISCO: The Association of Corporate Travel Executives will host its 2012 Global Education Conference at the Fairmont San Francisco April 22-24.

TORONTO: In honor of the 50th anniversary of James Bond, the TIFF Bell Lightbox will host an exhibition called "Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style" from October 26-January 20. Film programs will accompany the exhibition.

About 50,000 people attended the Toronto Beaches Lions Club Easter parade on Sunday. The parade started at Queen and Munro Park and ended at Woodbine Avenue. Lindt sponsored the 46th annual event.  

WASHINGTON: Joseph Cerione is the new general manager of the Blue Duck Tavern at the Park Hyatt Washington.

D.C. philanthropists George and Trish Vradenburg have cut their association with the National Alzheimer’s Gala. The Reliable Source: "The Vradenburgs are planning 'no-gala' galas, intimate dinners for high-dollar donors ($5,000 to $10,000 per person) with researchers and scientists. The first in D.C. is scheduled for May." The Alzheimer’s Association will continue its April 24 event without the couple with a scaled-down dinner with 600 guests and emcee Meredith Vieira. http://wapo.st/HBOwdO

The European horse show Apassionata will make its North American Tour Premiere at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., August 10-12.

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



With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, Carla Warrilow in Toronto, and Anna Sekula, Beth Kormanik, and Rose Chevalier in New York.

BizBash Call Sheet is the must-read daily digest of event industry news from BizBash.com. 

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