1. HOW BURNING MAN HAS GROWN IN 30 YEARS: The 30th anniversary of the counter-cultural desert art festival Burning Man kicked off in Nevada on Sunday. The event has grown exponentially from the tiny beach bonfire it started as in 1968. The Hollywood Reporter: “In recent years, though, Burning Man has been roiled by growing pains brought on by success. (Tickets, $390 to $1,200, go on sale each year on BurningMan.org in February and quickly sell out.) What are known as plug-and-play or turnkey camps have sprung up, where people pay thousands of dollars to have everything set up and provided for them when they arrive, including showers, air conditioning, private chefs, guides and even costumes. Critics have howled that the camps violate principles of Burning Man, including radical self-reliance, participation, gifting, communal effort and decommodification. The issue blew out into the open in 2014 when a paid employee at one of the camps, Caravancicle (cost per person: $16,500), wrote a widely shared online story about her experience there, alleging that models had been hired to entertain guests and that the bar, which was supposed to be public, was later restricted to camp members wearing wristbands. ‘It's gotten bigger, and the obscenely wealthy have all added it to their bucket list,’ says director/composer Jerry Brunskill. ‘Most don't embrace the original intent of the festival and show up with private planes and lavish housing with air-conditioning, and personal chefs and all that barf.’ The festival recently has become more of an EDM scene—Skrillex, Diplo and Major Lazer all have done sets there—prompting the Burning Man Project (the nonprofit that runs the festival, which brought in $32 million in funds in 2014, according to its most recent annual report) to crack down on camps that publicize their DJ rosters ahead of time. The organizers—explaining in a statement that "Burning Man doesn't have 'headliners'"—don't want it to be seen as a music festival. Says Jennifer Raiser, author of the new book Burning Man: Art on Fire: ‘Unlike, say, Coachella, it's not about buying your ticket and waiting to be entertained. It's about figuring out how you can entertain everyone else.’” http://bit.ly/2bMrXJP
2. WHY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE BECOMING LESS NECESSARY: A few years ago, the idea of not having a professional photographer capture memorable moments at a wedding would have been unheard of. But now, many couples are relying on and encouraging guests to use their smartphones and other mobile devices to document the ceremony and reception. The New York Times: “In a move to save money and contribute to the “winging it” feel, a handful of couples are relying on relatives and friends—their pockets and purses jammed with GoPro cameras, cellphones and mini iPads—to capture the bride taking that nervous breath before she walks down the aisle or the groom hugging his father, tears in their eyes. ‘Two years ago, this was a conversation you never would have had,’ said David Tutera, a celebrity wedding planner and the host of the TV show ‘David Tutera’s Celebrations.’ Few are likely to miss the photo assistants holding large reflectors and shouting, ‘Look here!’ But the more casual approach to capturing important wedding moments has had mixed results. … Not everyone thinks relying on friends to record the big day is a good idea. ‘An expert knows what to look for,’ Mr. Tutera said, a perspective echoed by Jono Waks, the owner of an event planning business in Manhattan bearing his name. To woo couples who may be thinking of forgoing a professional, some who make their living photographing weddings are offering packages that no friend can match: images from the engagement party and rehearsal dinner, DVDs, bound albums and photo thank-you cards.” http://nyti.ms/2c8BgUT
3. BEYONCé A HIGHLIGHT IN A LACKLUSTER V.M.A.S: Beyoncé’s visually striking 15-minute performance of a medley from her visual album Lemonade was the standout moment of Sunday’s V.M.A.s, which some say was messy and disjointed. Time: “Prior to Beyoncé’s appearance, deep into the broadcast, the show had been uncharacteristically muddled. Sure, the VMAs, MTV’s sassy answer to the Grammys, have long forged iconography out of an absolute refusal to set limits; that’s how we ended up with moments from Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ to Lady Gaga’s meat dress. But this year’s broadcast’s particular messiness seemed less like the raw material for potential greatness and more like a show put on by a network that has lost its touch both for spectacle and for simple appeal. Just about every producing decision in the show seemed, simply, wrong. Rihanna, the recipient of the lifetime-achievement Video Vanguard Award, did not get the sustained 15 to 20 minutes recent recipients Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé and Kanye West got. (Timberlake and Beyoncé put together titanic tributes to their own legacies; West, last year, delivered a speech testifying to his own genius.) She got four performance slots scattered through the evening, with as much haphazardness as she herself sometimes seems to devote to her own career. But Rihanna’s lack of aggressive long-term planning is a sign of confidence, while MTV’s proved exactly the opposite.” http://ti.me/2bZ2OK4
* LOCAL NEWS *
AUSTIN: Fast-casual Tex-Mex restaurant chain Moe's Southwest Grill will open its first Austin location at Cedar Park on Thursday.
CHICAGO: The Kinzie Hotel launched Pamper Your Pooch, an overnight package for guests with pets, to celebrate National Dog Day on August 26. The package includes in-room meals for dogs courtesy of dog food company Chestnut & Grace, and welcome gift bags that include gourmet treats, chew toys, and the hotel's "Pet Lover's Guide to the City."
LAS VEGAS: The third annual TEAL Fight Night, which benefits the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance, will take place September 28 at Elixir—A Local Lounge in Green Valley. The event also raises awareness for the initiative TEAL, which stands for Take Early Action and Live.
LOS ANGELES: The Jim Henson Company is hosting Puppets for Puppetry, a fund-raiser for the Center for Puppetry Arts, on September 24 at J.H.C.'s headquarters in Hollywood. The event will honor puppeteer Dave Goelz, who is best known for characters like the Great Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Boober Fraggle, and Traveling Matt.
The Los Angeles Football Club has signed a 15-year deal with Banc of California to have the L.A.F.C.'s 22,000-seat stadium named the Banc of California Stadium; it is set to open in 2018. The venue will be the first open-air stadium in Los Angeles since Dodger Stadium was opened in 1982.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: The Nobu Hotel, which is expected to open in Miami Beach this fall, is now accepting reservations. The 206-room property will include 35 luxury suites, Japanese restaurant Nobu Miami, and Helene Henderson’s Malibu Farm.
MILWAUKEE: Kimpton Journeyman Hotel is now open. The nine-story, 158-room hotel, located in the Historic Third Ward, has a rooftop bar and lounge called the Outsider and an adjacent Mediterranean-inspired modern American restaurant called Tre Rivali.
MINNEAPOLIS: Embassy Suites Minneapolis Downtown has opened in the Plymouth Building. The 290-suite hotel has 12,600 square feet of event space, including 10 meeting rooms, with the largest able to accommodate as many as 350 people.
NEW YORK: The 20th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival, presented by Revolt with founding sponsor HBO, announced that Queen of Katwe will be among the more than 68 films screened at the event, which takes place September 21-25 at AMC Empire 25 in Times Square. Queen of Katwe star David Oyelowo and director Mira Nair will participate in a Q&A after the film's festival premiere on September 22.
PaleyFest: Made in NY will take place October 6-19 at the Paley Center for Media. The event, which will have TV panel events for shows like Homeland and The Daily Show, is sponsored by Hulu and part of the Mayor's Office Media & Entertainment's 50th anniversary campaign.
Even Hotels Brooklyn is now open. The InterContinental Hotels Group property, which has 202 rooms, is adjacent to I.H.G.'s Holiday Inn Brooklyn Downtown, which opened in April.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
OAHU, HAWAII: Outrigger Resorts in Waikiki Beach has named Clyde Min area general manager.
ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA: Visit Orlando now has a mobile app that uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality to help visitors select activities and restaurants, purchase tickets, get instant answers to questions, and more. The Visit Orlando Destination App also has games that let players unlock Orlando deals.
Chicken Salad Chick, a chain of fast-casual chicken-salad restaurants, will open an outpost in Bradenton on September 7.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Cicely Tyson, Richard Roundtree, and Dionne Warwick will be the recipients of lifetime achievement awards at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 20th Annual Celebration of Leadership in the Fine Arts. The award ceremony will take place September 14 at the Sidney Harman Hall.
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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin and Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Carla Hay, 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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