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Compiled today by Beth Kormanik and Anna Sekula in New York.
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TODAY’S CALENDAR: The Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational golf tournament begins in Las Vegas, the Sony Ericsson Open continues in Miami
* INCOMING *
1. INAUGURATION PLANNING BEGINS: The presidential election is still months away, but planning for the inauguration ceremony kicked off yesterday. According to The Hill, the January 21 event will have a budget of $1.2 million, about $3,000 less than in 2009 and $13,000 less than in 2005. New York Senator Charles Schumer was voted to head the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. thehill.com/homen...
2. BING FIRINGS TIED TO SUNDANCE: This past week the Microsoft brand publicly fired two marketing executives, Eric Hadley and Sean Carver. Ad Age: “An internal investigation turned up a list of violations, which Ad Age has learned included problems with line items and dates on purchase orders related to the three-story Bing Bar in Park City, Utah, Microsoft’s celeb hangout during the Sundance Film Festival.” They also paid more than $1 million to a marketing agency not approved by Microsoft, and Carver took a first-class flight without proper approval. adage.com/article...
3. PREPPING FOR FINAL FOUR: Events for the N.C.A.A.’s playoff tournament in New Orleans begin tomorrow and the city has a security plan in place to deal with the expected crowd of fans. Protective measures stretch from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to the French Quarter, and the New Orleans Police Department will receive additional help from the state police as well as the Orleans and Jefferson parish sheriffs deputies. fox8live.com/news...
Here’s a roundup of N.C.A.A. events tied to the weekend. The Times-Picayune: nola.com/ncaa/ind...
4. COST-CUTTING AT CHEVY: General Motors is looking to save $2 billion by centralizing most of its global advertising for Chevrolet. The Detroit automaker announced this week that Commonwealth, a joint venture between two agencies, will handle its ads going forward. Business Week: http://buswk.co/HfYOvw
5. KOMEN CANCELS BIG EVENT: More news about the troubles faced by the Susan G. Komen Foundation emerged yesterday: the nonprofit has opted to forgo one of its most important events, the annual “Lobby Day” event in Washington, D.C. Although a spokesperson did not disclose the reason for the cancellation, there is some speculation that costs were a deciding factor. The Daily Beast: http://bit.ly/GTbUA
6. AMEX’S MOVE HOME: Frontline business travel agents for American Express Global Business Travel will work out of home offices. Travel Market Report: “Spreading virtual teams across multiple time zones could let the company offer extended hours for clients or more flexible coverage without pushing travel agents into working outside standard business hours.” travelmarketrepor...
7. FROM EVENT TREND TO HOTEL STAPLE? Apparently, the food-truck craze is not over just yet. USA Today reports that hotels from Miami to Quebec City are partnering with mobile eateries to entice more customers. http://usat.ly/GUO20c
++ A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: EVENT LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE ++
The Event Leadership Institute is proud to provide the most progressive training and education for event planners in the industry, through on-demand video classes, biweekly webinars, white papers as well as interviews with industry leaders. www.eventleadershipinstitute.com
* LOCAL NEWS *
COAST TO COAST: Wizard World, the producer of Comic Cons in Chicago, Toronto, and other cities, named John Macaluso its new C.E.O. pr.com/press-rele...
BOSTON: Strega Waterfront has a new selection of seasonal cocktails, including “L.J.’s Luscious Libation” made with raspberry vodka, fresh lemonade, St. Germain liqueur, and strawberry puree.
The Teamsters Local 25 autism gala is April 7 at the InterContinental Boston hotel. With a Hollywood theme, the evening includes Marilyn Monroe and Lady Gaga impersonators.
Second Glass will kick off its 2012 Wine Riot April 20 at the Boston Park Plaza Castle. The event will feature more than 250 wines, cheese by Cabot Creamery Cooperative, and chocolate from Taza Chocolate.
Mick Provencher is a new producer and technical director at Uxbridge-based Blackstone Productions Inc.
CHICAGO: The Children’s Memorial will become the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago June 9. Sarah Jessica Parker and Harry Connick Jr. will headline a gala preview to benefit the new space April 20.
Marketing professionals from across the nation will gather at the Chicago Theatre for the 2012 Marketing and Innovation Conference April 24.
The Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of the Chicago Marriott Naperville is April 2.
LAS VEGAS: The Academy of Country Music announced Wednesday that Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley are scheduled to perform as part of its 47th annual awards, and that Lionel Richie and Taylor Swift are presenters for the show at MGM Grand Garden Arena April 1.
The U.S. Travel Association is launching a nationwide bus tour to draw attention to the economic impact of the leisure and business travel industry. The Vote Travel Bus Tour will cover 20,000 miles and stop in more than 35 cities beginning April 12 in Las Vegas. votetravel.org/la...
LOS ANGELES: On April 5, street art gallery Lab Art will host the Los Angeles launch of Red Bull Curates: The Road to Basel, a four-city tour for 20 artists competing to win a trip to Miami’s Art Basel.
The oceanfront Surf & Sand Resort in Laguna Beach and the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego are the newest members of Associated Luxury Hotels International.
Santa Monica’s new nightlife venue, the Charleston, opens today. Set amid 1930s-style decor, the venue will offer live entertainment and chef Jet Tila’s take on American comfort food, plus occasional pop-up restaurants.
The third annual “Milk & Bookies Story Time Celebration” will take to the Skirball Cultural Center April 15. DreamWorks Animation, Scholastic, Bama Works, C.A.A., John W. Carson Foundation, Marc Jacobs Bookmarc, and Amazon Publishing are sponsors of the charity event.
MIAMI: The Museum of Discovery and Science will host its 17th annual Wine & Culinary Celebration tomorrow, hosting 1,800 guests and many of the region’s top chefs in one of the first events at the museum’s newly expanded EcoDiscovery Center.
NEW BERN, N.C.: A weekend of events pegged to the release of the film The Lucky One will benefit author Nicholas Sparks’ foundation. Highlights of the April 20-22 gathering in his hometown include a screening of the film, a family fun night, brunch at Sparks’ home and a film festival of movies based on his novels.
NEW YORK: Renovations to the 16-year-old Midtown restaurant Maloney and Porcelli include revamping of its decor, from the lighting to the wall art. A new menu of dishes and cocktails is also in the works. The New York Times: http://nyti.ms/Hi3Ucv
Asian Women in Business presents its second annual Raising the Bar forum at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison L.L.P. April 10.
ORLANDO: SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association brings its triennial International Plastics Showcase to the Orange County Convention Center Sunday through Thursday. This is the first time in nearly 40 years that the show has left Chicago. Organizers expect more than 50,000 people to attend.
Twenty-year hospitality veteran Rebecca Jacques has launched Inspired Hospitality Recruiting for restaurants, hotels and resorts, private clubs, destination marketing organizations, and destination management companies, hospitality industry technology providers.
SAN FRANCISCO: The tech conferences Oracle OpenWorld at the Moscone Center and JavaOne at the Zone (Hilton Union Square, Hotel Nikko, and Parc 55 Wyndham) will both take place September 30-October 4.
TORONTO: Provincial funding for annual art and culture festival Luminato is to be cut by $3.5 million, or 23 percent, over the next two years. The budget includes cuts to other cultural institutions, including the Royal Ontario Museum and Art Gallery of Ontario. The Globe and Mail: theglobeandmail.c...
Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel closed on Tuesday when the last guest checked out. Developer Camrost-Felcorp purchased the location, which will become condominiums. The Four Seasons opens its new flagship location on Yorkville in August.
WASHINGTON: The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association and All Baby and Child finalized negotiations to merge, the groups announced at the J.P.M.A. Annual Legislative Summit here this week. The groups will continue to promote the ABC Kids Expo as the largest trade show serving the juvenile products industry.
The Cloud Computing Exchange will host its quarterly meeting April 25 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill featuring U.S. senators Scott Brown and Tom Carper. The conference will be followed by Cloud Computing Brainstorm event at the Capitol Visitor Center.
As part of his New Look Foundation, Usher will join former President Clinton on a panel tomorrow evening at Clinton Global Initiative University to discuss the importance of public service.
This morning, Mayor Vincent C. Gray will visit the Yes! Organic Market in Petworth to debut the District’s Vibrant Retail Streets Toolkit, which evaluates the essential elements for outstanding retail areas and offers strategies to improve retail corridors.
YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, Carla Warrilow in Toronto, and Anna Sekula, Beth Kormanik, and Rose Chevalier in New York.
BizBash Call Sheet is the must-read daily digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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