1. ORGANIZERS OF DISASTROUS POKéMON GO EVENT SETTLE LAWSUIT FOR $1.6 MILLION: The organizers of last summer’s Pokémon Go Fest, in which thousands of attendees were unable to play the augmented-reality game, have settled a class-action lawsuit for $1.6 million. Chicago Tribune: “Niantic, the augmented reality game’s developer, is set to shell out $1.575 million to a class of 18,771 festivalgoers, many of whom stood in hourslong lines to get into the daylong event and were left with shaky or no network access as they tried to play the game. Niantic refunded the $20 tickets to festivalgoers. Those who purchased tickets to the sold-out event from resellers were not refunded. The settlement, according to class attorney Tom Zimmerman, will cover a number of the festivalgoers’ other expenses, including travel, lodging, car rental, mileage and gas, tolls and parking. Receipts will be required for big-ticket items such as lodging, airfare and car rental. The attorneys representing the class members are eligible to receive up to one-third of the settlement determined by the court. … The settlement must be reviewed by a judge and could be approved in September. Festivalgoers will receive an email advising them on how to access the settlement funds and eventually a website will be put up, Zimmerman said. Notification of the settlement also will appear in the “Pokemon Go” game, he added. The July 22 event, which also was organized with C3 Events — the company behind Lollapalooza—planned for festivalgoers to spend the day playing the game, catching rare versions of Pokemon and other activities. The festival quickly went sour as attendees stood in two-to-four hour lines to get in. As they trickled in, they complained network access was spotty and unreliable. As he stood on stage and tried to explain, Niantic’s CEO John Hanke was booed by festivalgoers, some of whom paid hundreds of dollars to second-party sellers for tickets.” https://trib.in/2IpAMWt
2. GOLDEN GLOBES SEARCHES FOR OTHER NETWORKS AS NBC RENEGOTIATION DEAL CLOSES: The Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Dick Clark Productions are looking at offers from networks to host future Golden Globes ceremonies, as NBC's renegotiation window closed without a new deal. The Hollywood Reporter: "Dick Clark Productions provided The Hollywood Reporter with the following statement earlier Monday afternoon: 'The Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Dick Clark Productions value our 25-year relationship with NBC and will continue to have discussions with them about extending our television deal. However, as the exclusive negotiation period with NBC has ended, we are evaluating offers from other interested parties.' NBC has had one of the longest-running awards show contracts with the Globes, airing the ceremony since 1993. Losing the event would leave it without a major awards effort, though the network will remain on the likely continuing rotation for the Emmy Awards and recently acquired the Billboard Music Awards. For the Globes' part, sources say that DCP and the HFPA are pursuing all of the broadcast networks and some streamers for potentially acquiring the show. The latter option would be a huge blow to linear TV, which has at least maintained a stranglehold on event programming as so much other content heads to alternative platforms. The 2018 Golden Globes lost the least amount of viewers this year, keeping things relatively steady by falling a little over 1 million viewers to an average 19 million for the night." https://bit.ly/2pYbecm
3. ROYAL WEDDING COULD COST $45 MILLION: The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could cost around $45 million. Page Six: “Wedding planning company Bridebook has calculated how much it thinks will be spent on flowers, food, entertainment and, of course, the dress. Bridebook also guesses that the event, taking place in Windsor on May 19, will earn the couple a place on the list of the top 10 most expensive weddings of all time—ahead of William and Kate‘s (estimated to have cost $28 million). The experts says the bulk of the royal costs will be spent on security—with Meghan’s dress, the flowers, food and drinks coming in at $1.4 million. Other costs associated with the day include the fact that Windsor will be locked down for the day, with a heavy police presence in place, as well as crowd control and restrictions placed on shops and restaurants. Extra security measures may include snipers, undercover police and military tech, such as a counter-drone system, could push the cost to upwards of $42.1 million, according to Bridebook. This huge security bill is expected to be higher than for William and Kate’s wedding, even though theirs was larger, due to the ongoing terrorist threat level.” https://pge.sx/2GvZy6K
* LOCAL NEWS *
CHICAGO: Los Angeles-based Pink Taco has opened its first Chicago location at the former Bull & Bear space. The 9,600-square-foot restaurant seats 80 guests.
LOS ANGELES: The Fig House will host a spring break-theme cocktail party on April 5. Roomforty will serve small plates, Pharmacie will mix craft cocktails, and the Little Branch will create floral arrangements.
Race to Erase MS will hold its 25th anniversary gala on April 20 at the Beverly Hilton. HQ Trivia's Scott Rogowsky will host, and Flo Rida will perform. The night will also include a fall 2018 runway show from fashion brand Alice & Olivia.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Frost Science is partnering with the O, Miami Poetry Festival on “Planetary Poems,” an event April 12 in which the work of U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith will be animated against the museum’s 67-foot dome accompanied by a recording of Smith reading her work. The event is in collaboration with Topos Graphics and the Library of Congress Poetry and Literature Center.
NEW ORLEANS: The American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting will take place April 10-14 at the Marriott French Quarter New Orleans. The event is slated to attract around 9,000 attendees, and will feature more than 7,000 presentations, workshops, and field trips by scholars and researchers.
NEW YORK: City of Hope, an independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening diseases, will host its annual spring luncheon May 14 at the Plaza Hotel. Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie and fitness expert and author Tracy Anderson will receive the Spirit of Life Award, and fashion designer Nicole Miller will receive the Champion of Hope Award.
The fifth edition of New York magazine’s Vulture Festival will take place May 19-20. The lineup for the pop culture festival will be announced at a later date.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
TORONTO: This year’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival will run April 26-May 6 at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. The event will screen more than 200 Canadian and international films.
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With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, and Ian Zelaya in New York.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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