Dear Call Sheet readers,
I have more news about the Event Innovation Forum, the new conference that Howard Givner, executive director of the Event Leadership Institute, and I are curating at the BizBash IdeaFest at the Javits Center October 24.
Today we're announcing our first batch of presenters:
* Event designer and producer David Stark
* Scott Schenker of SAP
* Noelle Provencial of Groupon
* Karl Vontz of the Clios
* Robin Adelson of the Children's Book Council
* Howard Singer of Highline Capital
* John Schwartz of EventQuest
We think you'll come away from the conference informed and inspired. Here's more info—including session topics: bizba.sh/NIS3vt
Registration is open now: bizbash.com/ideafestny
See you there?
—Chad Kaydo, editor in chief, BizBash
BIZBASH CALL SHEET — #318 — Wednesday, 08.01.12
++ Sponsored by Event Leadership Institute ++
Compiled today by Beth Kormanik in New York
Feed the Sheet: [email protected]
Subscribe: info.bizbash.com/callsheet.html
* INCOMING *
1. THE WORLD ON SALE: Condé Nast Traveler is celebrating its 25th anniversary by selling more than 30 travel packages to destinations around the globe. New York Times: "The promotion, which is costing the magazine about $500,000, illustrates two trends that are changing the way Madison Avenue communicates. One, in response to the uncertain economy, is comfort marketing, which uses anniversaries and other aspects of brand history and heritage to suggest they have staying power and are therefore offering value. … The other trend is called experiential marketing, which engages consumers directly through real-world experiences, rather than indirectly through commercials or similar forms of advertising." http://nyti.ms/MaqDsH
2. DEBATE PREP: Three high school girls have asked the Commission on Presidential Debates to appoint a woman moderator for one of three 2012 U.S. presidential debates. The students started a petition that drew more than 130,000 signatures after learning a woman had not moderated the event since 1992. Said one of the students: "Visibility equals equality in many ways, and by supporting the call for a woman moderator, both presidential campaigns and the Commission can send a strong message that they value the input and wisdom of women." NJToday.net: http://bit.ly/PGPZ5H
3. AN APP FOR MITT: Instead of a traditional announcement, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney will announce his running mate through "Mitt's VP," an iPhone and Android app. AdWeek: "In 2008, the Obama campaign announced Joe Biden's VP nomination via text message, though the announcement was scooped by media outlets. Romney's investment in this spiffy app would indicate that the campaign is trying hard to stay in control of its message and break what may very well be the last news story it can control before election day." http://bit.ly/T32Dg4
4. CUPCAKE RECORD: A display at the Singapore Expo set a Guinness World Record for the largest cupcake mosaic, using 20,0000 cupcakes. The mosaic, honoring Singapore’s 47th birthday, "featured a green Merlion backdrop, over which a pair of hands enclosed the Singapore flag in a heart shape" and was designed by the School of the Arts. It shattered the previous record, set in the United States in 2009, which had used 5,900 cupcakes. SoShiok: http://bit.ly/LYXNjz
5. BLOGGING FOR WOMEN: The eighth annual BlogHer conference begins this week at the New York Hilton, drawing 5,000 female bloggers. Mashable interviews BlogHer's C.E.O. Lisa Stone: "We didn’t realize we were starting a new kind of media business." http://on.mash.to/R52gTy
BizBash named BlogHer one of the year's 15 most innovative meetings: http://bit.ly/MudrRu
++ A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: Event Leadership Institute ++
Check out our editor's collection of top-rated video chapters from our class library, and sharpen your event insight. Our Suggested Summer Learning compilation includes content from David Merrell, Jes Gordon, Mindy Weiss, Preston Bailey, Mary Wittenberg, Colja Dams and others. 41 minutes | 10 clips | lots of ideas
* INDUSTRY NEWS *
QuickMobile and event industry experts Corbin Ball and James Spellos launched TechSpec—a free iPhone and Android app designed to streamline the venue inspection process. Users can build detailed profiles, generate ratings for all venues, and share their findings with others.
* LOCAL NEWS *
BOSTON: The Chicago-based Oxford Capital Group has purchased an 11-story building in Downtown Crossing and has plans to convert it into a boutique hotel with around 250 rooms.
On August 15—what would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday—several area restaurants are serving special dinners to honor the legendary chef. Participating eateries include Harvest, Menton, Upstairs on the Square, and more.
CHICAGO: To celebrate its new "Shades of Summer Playlist"—a five-track CD with exclusive songs from artists such as Vacationer—Guess Eyewear will host an event at the Michigan Avenue Guess store Thursday evening. The event, timed to kick of Lollapalooza weekend, will offer a photo booth and musical guest the Knocks. The promotion also involves street teams who will hand out 3-D invitations to the event.
From the owners of Zak's Place, Two opened this week in West Town. Inspired by a butcher shop, the neighborhood bistro serves farm-to-table fare and can be bought out to host dinners for 65.
The National Chocolate Show and the Chicago Fine Chocolate Show will take place at Navy Pier November 16-18. The National Chocolate show is geared toward trade professionals while the Chicago Fine Chocolate Show is open to consumers.
Toyota Free Yr Radio, in partnership with WLUW-FM 88.7, will host three days of live broadcasts from Lollapalooza and a weeklong social media-driven fund-raising campaign to benefit independent radio in Chicago. Music fans are encouraged to Tweet why they support independent radio using the hashtag #ToyotaGiving. For every tagged Tweet or instagram photo, Toyota will donate $2 to WLUW up to $2,000.
Los Angeles chef Susan Feniger will celebrate her new cookbook Street Food with a special dinner at Terzo Piano on August 16. The $75 dinner will include a welcome reception and a three-course dinner with items such as Ukrainian spinach dumplings, Korean rice salad, and Thai tea pudding.
Artisan Table is now open at the Marriott Naperville. The 114-seat restaurant serves global fare made with local ingredients and honey culled from the hotel's rooftop hive.
Sarah Opple is the new SwissĂ´tel Chicago Director of Group Sales.
‎Revel Decor is seeking a full-time production coordinator to manage daily operations within their décor and floral event production studio. Floral design experience required.
LAS VEGAS: ezEvent, a new sub-division of TicketNetwork, unveiled an event management product at Ticket Summit in Las Vegas. MarketWatch: http://on.mktw.net/MQtsF6
Food & Wine All-Star Weekend will take over the Strip October 5-7. Following two years at Aria and Bellagio, this year’s roster of resorts has expanded to include MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, and the Mirage.
LOS ANGELES: A Catholic celebration honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe is expected to draw huge crowds Sunday. Organizers have been planning the event for more than a year. It will be be held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and has attracted more than 130,000 ticket requests. NBC Los Angeles: http://bit.ly/OHxU7o
The Secret Service won't pay Newport Beach for security at presidential fund-raisers held this year. L.A. Times: http://lat.ms/T2i2gI
The 17th annual Art Directors Guild Excellence in Production Design awards will take place February 2 at the Beverly Hilton.
YourBASH! has hired Ashley Dimond as event and business development manager. Also, Jessica Bilson was recently brought on as an event coordinator.
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI: The Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative won 10 awards at the 18th Annual Florida Festivals and Events Association Convention and Trade Show last week at the Delray Beach Marriott. It was honored for "On The Ave," a reinvented version of the city's signature event, Art & Jazz.
Miami Science Museum is hosting “Hurricane Andrew Remembrance Day” August 25 with sponsors State Farm, Florida International University, and WLRN Public Radio and Television. The event, marking 2o years since the storm, includes activities such as a planetarium show, a discussion of how hurricane forecasting has changed, and kids activities.
NEW ORLEANS: The Louisiana bicentennial military parade has been rescheduled for November 10
NEW YORK: Burson-Marsteller has named Jennifer Clark its new director of consumer and brand marketing.
David Beahm Design has brought on Christopher Confero, owner of Birmingham, Ala.-based Christopher Confero Design, as vice president. He will continue to work with existing clients under the name Christopher Confero for David Beahm Design. Beahm also brought on Andrew Jackson Litz as production manager; Litz joins Beahm from Barkley Kalpak Associates.
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO: Walk on Water boutique will host a gala to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital August 9 at Heathrow Country Club.
SAN DIEGO: Paradise Point hotel now offers electric cars for one-way or round-trip rental—a first for San Diego—with six charging stations.
The New Children's Museum hosts its annual gala August 18, with design by Eco Events and P.R. and catering by Campine Catering.
TORONTO: The ninth biennial Ashkenaz Festival—co-produced with Harbourfront Centre—is August 28-September 3, with more than 80 acts and 200 individual artists from more than a dozen countries.
WASHINGTON: The Guards restaurant, a 50-year mainstay on M Street NW in Georgetown, closed yesterday—at least temporarily—because of a rent dispute. Washington Post: http://wapo.st/M1KJKb
Food trucks Pi Truck and Peanut Butter Jelly Time both have shut down.
National Spa Week is scheduled for October 15-21, with a complete directory of participating spas posted to spaweek.com on September 10.
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, and Rose Chevalier, Beth Kormanik, and Anna Sekula in New York.
BizBash Call Sheet is the must-read daily digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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