1. GROUP CALLS ON CONVENTIONS TO BETTER SERVE ATTENDEES WITH DISABILITIES: Not all convention and meeting planners make their events accessible to people with disabilities, with injustices such as no access to the stage for speakers who use wheelchairs. But a group who attends and presents at science fiction and fantasy conventions is taking a stand for more accommodations following the recent World Fantasy Convention. Io9: “The signatories to the pledge agree that they won’t attend a convention unless it has: 1) an accessibility statement posted publicly; 2) at least one trained accessibility staff member; 3) facilities in accordance with guidelines like the SFWA accessibility checklist and the Americans With Disabilities Act rules. … ‘Often, it’s a case of people not recognizing a barrier as a barrier,’ says [author Lee] Martindale. Sometimes, the organizers choose not to put up a ramp due to ‘pitch or construction,’ and make the ‘safety call’ that someone should work from the floor instead. Sometimes the hotel promises accessible facilities, but then falls through.” http://bit.ly/1YsISA4
2. WEDDING VENUE FIGHTS TO BAN SAME-SEX COUPLES: Owners of a wedding venue near Albany, New York, are fighting a $13,000 fine for violating the state’s antidiscrimination law levied when they turned away a same-sex couple. They cited their Christian faith when refusing to book Liberty Ridge Farm for the wedding of Melisa and Jennie McCarthy. Associated Press: “Mariko Hirose, an attorney with the New York Civil Liberties Union, said the McCarthys, who now live in the New York City area, were ‘heartbroken’ when they were turned away from the Giffords' farm. Hirose and a lawyer for the human rights division argued that the business cannot be exempted from having to follow anti-discrimination laws.” http://huff.to/1Hmy5n5
3. TICKETS ON SALE FOR QUEEN’S 90TH BIRTHDAY PARTY: Talk about a massive guest list: About 25,000 people will celebrate the 90th birthday of British monarch Queen Elizabeth II with a multi-day event next year. Tickets are expected to sell out, while those not attending will be able to watch the spectacle on television. Mashable: “This is no ordinary birthday party. More than 550 horses and 1,200 performers—including dancers, actors, musicians, choirs, and artists—will help her celebrate during the four-day event, which will take place at Home Park, Windsor Castle, from May 12 to 15. Members of the Royal Family will attend each night. … Performers from around the world will tell the story of Queen Elizabeth II's extraordinary 90-year life in a 90-minute show, taking us from her birth through WWII to her marriage, coronation, and reign of more than 60 years.” http://on.mash.to/1XeRu04
4. AMAZON ENDS SUBWAY AD CAMPAIGN FEATURING NAZI SYMBOLS: After outcry that included pressure from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Amazon has pulled an advertising campaign that wrapped subway cars in imagery from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. The campaign promoted the new television program The Man in the High Castle. Entertainment Weekly: “The charged imagery, including the Nazi Reichsadler eagle and the Japanese rising sun, play a chilling role in the series, as they serve to immerse viewers in an alternate history that imagines the U.S. in the years after the Allied powers lost World War II. The ads drew complaints from subway riders, as well as the Anti-Defamation League, whose New York regional director said criticized the campaign for not providing enough context for why the Nazi insignias were shown.” http://bit.ly/1T1rbnQ
* INDUSTRY NEWS *
Event rental company Arena Americas has launched a redesigned website with updated and streamlined information about its products, services, and event experiences.
* LOCAL NEWS *
COAST TO COAST: DigiTour Media's second annual holiday event series, Slay Bells Fire & Ice Tours, will run November 28-December 23. The tour—which features entertainment from teenage performers and Internet stars including Rebecca Black and "Alex from Target"—will stop in Toronto and numerous U.S. cities including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Atlanta, Baltimore, St. Louis, Memphis, and Boston.
ATLANTA: London-based bubble tea shop Bubbleology will host pop-ups at the Mall of Georgia and Lennox Square Friday to Sunday. The pop-up tea bars will give away more than 1,000 free drinks.
AUSTIN: The city may hire temporary law enforcement for next year's spring festival season, which includes South by Southwest. Austin Monitor: http://bit.ly/1jizm2S
BOSTON: Ocean Prime, a seafood and steak restaurant, will open in the Seaport District next month. The venue has three private dining rooms, which hold 14 to 40 guests.
CHICAGO: David Burke’s Primehouse will host a pop-up pie shop December 4-18. The shop will sell miniature pies with dipping sauces, in flavors such as Mascarpone-ginger with apple-ginger jam.
LAS VEGAS: Resident DJ Diplo will spin on New Year’s Eve at Surrender Nightclub in Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, with V.I.P. packages ranging to $60,000.
The 11th annual Las Vegas Great Santa Run will take place December 5. The event, which involves Santa lookalikes running a 5K, will include an appearance by the cast of Jersey Boys Las Vegas and the Chippendales.
LOS ANGELES: Carol and Spotlight lead the nominations for the Film Independent Spirit Awards, which will be broadcast live on IFC from a tent on Santa Monica Beach on February 27. Variety: http://bit.ly/1NNSOga
RG Live Events is producing the Petersen Automotive Museum grand re-opening gala, slated for December 5.
Local event listings from the new Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Bounce Sporting Club will host its Art Basel Edition Pop-up at Hyde Beach Miami on December 4. The event will include a live art installation by artist Jay West.
NEW YORK: The 70th annual Tony Awards will be broadcast live from the Beacon Theatre on June 12, moving away from Radio City Music Hall and shifting its date back by a week. Nominations will be announced May 3 at the Paramount Hotel.
The 91st annual Greater New York Dental Meeting begins Friday and runs through December 2 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The event will have more than 1,600 exhibitors and is expected to attract more than 50,000 attendees from 130 countries.
Treadwell Park, a new beer hall from Abraham Merchant of Merchants Hospitality, is slated to open December 2 on the Upper East Side.
Hell’s Kitchen dance club Pacha will close following a 10th anniversary party on December 4. New York Post: http://pge.sx/1POaw9r
The New York Building Foundation's annual Theatre Benefit will take place January 13 at Barbetta Restaurant. The event will be followed by performances of Fiddler on the Roof at Broadway Theatre, King Charles III at Music Box Theatre, and On Your Feet! at Marquis Theatre.
Local event listings from the new Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
SAN FRANCISCO: The Santa Skivvies Run will take place December 13. Benefiting the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the event invites participants to stroll through the Castro in their underwear. (Many guests don Santa hats as well.)
TORONTO: The Writers’ Trust of Canada will host its 30th annual gala at the Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, on November 25.
Omni Hotels & Resorts has fully acquired the Omni King Edward Hotel, which it has managed and operated since 2013.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Commerce Department will host its first Smart Fabrics summit with the Industrial Fabrics Association International on April 4 in Washington. Women’s Wear Daily: http://bit.ly/1MPa0C3
YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected].
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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, Anna Sekula, and Ian Zelaya in New York.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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