June 19, 2013: Online Dating Turns to Event Industry, San Francisco Giants Open Social Media Café, Nielsen Trade Show Unit Sold

1. ONLINE DATING TURNS TO EVENT INDUSTRY: The next evolution in online dating is quite analog: hosting face-to-face events. New York Times: "Last May, for example, Match.com, the 18-year-old Web site, introduced Stir, an events program, and has since held more than 2,850 mixers that more than 225,000 singles attended, according to the company. Now Match.com has itself found a partner, the board game industry, to liven up events. On Tuesday, the company began holding what it is calling Stir game nights, where singles gather at bars and restaurants to play games like Bananagrams, a word game, and Spontuneous, a music game. The company will present 30 events through the fall in its top 25 most popular markets." http://goo.gl/zhfbH

2. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS OPEN SOCIAL MEDIA CAFE: The San Francisco Giants have opened a social media hub, @Cafe, in the team's ballpark. Full of branding, the site seeks to marry online fan engagement with the game-day experience. Mashable: "The café's centerpiece is a 12- by 4-foot screen that shows Giants-related posts to Twitter and Instagram from fans, players, and media around the world, as well as tickers tracking the team's growing legion of online followers. Fans can also peer into an adjacent social command center, where team staffers track the online conversation and approve posts for inclusion on the big board. A charging station lets tech addicts juice up pretty much any device known to man, while a coffee shop dishes out hot java." http://goo.gl/n2m3s

3. NIELSEN TRADE SHOW UNIT SOLD: Onex Corporation, a Toronto-based private equity firm, has acquired trade show producer Nielsen Expositions from Nielsen Holdings. Forbes: "With the closing of the sale, the company was renamed Emerald Expositions Inc., based in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. It produces more than 65 trade shows and conference events per year across nine markets, including general merchandise, sports, hospitality and retail design, jewelry, photography, decorated apparel, building, healthcare, and military." http://goo.gl/CfNkr

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  Appropriate for a corporate gift with local flair, craft distillery Bully Boy Distillers has launched Boston Rum. With fruity notes and hints of vanilla, caramel, and nougat, the barrel-aged spirit is good for summer cocktails.

New England Grows, the horticultural trade exposition and conference, has hired new employees including Jennifer McPhee, conference and trades how manager; Lori Kane, exhibit sales and marketing coordinator; Carrie Martin registration and certification manager; and Anne Franks, conference assistant.

Towne Stove and Spirits' new Captain's Tables offer semiprivate dining. The tables are curtained off with sheer drapery and are set to the sides of the dining rooms on each floor.

CHICAGO:  Gilt City Chicago and Jaguar will host a June 27 event at Venue One. Guests will get rides with professional drivers in the new F-Type; there will also be snacks from Entertaining Company, cocktails, and live music from DJ Timbuck2. 

It's not too early to start thinking about holiday outings: group tickets are already on sale for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The family-friendly show will play at the Broadway Playhouse November 14-December 29.

LAS VEGAS:  Forbes: "Italian jewelry design was well represented during Las Vegas Jewelry Week led by the VicenzaOro 'Italian Club,' a group of 130 manufacturers and designers. ... For the eighth consecutive year, the group had a branded pavilion at the 2013 JCK Las Vegas trade show." http://onforb.es/1bSzmw2

AEG and MGM Resorts International have completed and executed transactional agreements formalizing the details of their new arena project. They have selected Populous as the architect of record and designer for the 20,000-seat indoor arena.

LOS ANGELES:  The Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills has launched a series of new cabana packages for booking through September. The packages have cheeky names like "Cast Party" and "Mogul" and include amenities like Veuve Clicquot champagne, Tory Burch sandals, spa treatments, and Four Seasons cuisine.

Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  A ticketed party for Jennifer Grace's new book, Directing Your Destiny: How to be the Writer, Producer and Director of Your Dreams, is Saturday at the Standard.

NEW YORK:  Gotham Stages, a new venue in Greenpoint, has opened. The 10,000-square-foot raw event space has Manhattan skyline views as well as a 5,000-square-foot parking lot.

Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

ORLANDO:  GBS Linens has opened its first Orlando location. The facility will offer table linens, chair covers, skirting, and napkins for rental and sale throughout the state.

The University of Central Florida Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation will use Doccaster, a digital storytelling dashboard, to collect data about attendee interest and engagement at on- and off-campus events. The center plans to use the data in its marketing and fund-raising campaigns.

TORONTO:  Tonight's Summer Speakeasy at Andrew Richard Designs will offer cocktails, snacks, and a performance from Divine Brown.

WASHINGTON:  Chef Mike Isabella and 14 other local chefs and mixologists will join the American Cancer Society for the inaugural Fit for Hope weight-loss challenge, kicking off June 24. The 12-week challenge will culminate at the society’s annual Taste of Hope event September 24 at the Carnegie Library, the first time the event has been held in the city.

Tortilla Coast Capitol Hill is hosting several events to mark its 25th anniversary this month. Activities will include a happy hour with retro pricing and a trivia night with political and pop culture questions, both Thursday, and a reunion of Hill "old-timers" on Saturday.

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 Haley Holton, Beth Kormanik, Lauren Matthews, and Anna Sekula in New York.

BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.

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