September 29, 2014: Inside Today’s High-Tech Haunted Houses, the Must-Attend Events for Billionaires, Planning a Wedding at 30,000 Feet

1. INSIDE TODAY’S HIGH-TECH HAUNTED HOUSES: With Halloween attractions such as haunted houses a $300 million business—a trade group estimates more than one-third of Americans visiting them—theme parks have developed better and more high-tech special effects to give guests realistic frights. Los Angeles Times: “The technology used at gore- and chaos-filled mazes, haunted houses and other scare shows has advanced dramatically from a decade ago, when rubber masks and fog machines represented the most advanced special effects used to frighten guests. Now the scares are created with the help of 30-channel audio mixers, animatronics, computer-controlled lights and video monitors.” http://lat.ms/1uVTaZS

2. THE MUST-ATTEND EVENTS FOR BILLIONAIRES: A report from market research firm Wealth-X and Swiss bank UBS included a “social calendar” of events for billionaires, from the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January to the Imperial Ball in Austria in December. Huffington Post reprinted the list: http://huff.to/1sJOI4f

3. PLANNING A WEDDING AT 30,000 FEET: Maggie Heely of Weekend Wedding Warrior is planning one unusual wedding: a ceremony on a commercial airline flight. A Louisville couple requested the experience and found a willing partner in Southwest Airlines. Louisville Business First: “The plan is to hold the wedding ceremony on the one-hour-and-45-minute flight and a reception at the Dallas airport. Southwest is working to find a restaurant at the airport to sponsor the reception and gave the couple free tickets for some of their family, Heely said. [The couple] also are cashing in their airline points to help some of their guests get plane tickets. The bride said she expects about 30 guests to attend. The remainder of the seats will be filled with regular passengers, who will be handed invites to the wedding as they board the airplane. To set the mood, a solo guitarist will play as passengers load in Nashville.” http://bit.ly/1wQC8hn

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  Sibos, an annual conference and exhibition for the global financial industry, will take place at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center September 29-October 2. The event draws around 7,000 attendees.

CHICAGO:  Run10 Feed10 will return to Chicago on October 19. The 10K race, which starts at Diversey Harbor, includes guided stretching and yoga with a guest trainer. It is a benefit to fight hunger in the city.

LAS VEGAS:  Metallica, Linkin Park, Taylor Swift, No Doubt, John Legend, and Deftones will perform at Rock in Rio USA, May 8-9 and May 15-16. Planners made the announcement in New York’s Times Square with a surprise performance from John Mayer and Sepultura with Les Tambours Du Bronx to celebrate the festival’s 30th anniversary and first United States edition in 2015.

Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim will be kicking off his book tour for Vodka Distilled Friday at Lobby Bar at Caesars Palace.

LOS ANGELES:  Russell Harris Event Group has promoted Michele Berman to director of business development and appointed Steve Copeland as director of programs.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Paragon Events has promoted Alissa Cotroneo-Brown from event coordinator to small meetings manager.

NEW YORK:  Housing Works' annual shopping event, Fashion for Action, is November 20 at the nonprofit's Chelsea thrift shop followed by a reception at the Rubin Museum of Art. This year's co-chairmen are Zac Posen and John Varvatos.

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

TORONTO:  Microsoft will open its new store at Toronto Eaton Centre with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 20. The store marks Microsoft’s eight retail location in Canada.

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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, and Anna Sekula in New York.

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