We didn't publish this past Thursday and Friday due to some technical difficulties at Call Sheet HQ. (Did you miss us?) So today we have a new MacBook Pro and some news from this week and last.
—Chad Kaydo, editor in chief, BizBash
BIZBASH CALL SHEET — #27 — Tuesday, 05.31.11
Compiled today by Chad Kaydo in New York
Feed the Sheet: [email protected]
Subscribe: http://info.bizbash.com/callsheet.html
* INCOMING *
1. HOW DOES PRESTON BAILEY LIVE WITH HIMSELF?: Today on his blog, designer Preston Bailey responds to a reader who sent this indictment of the event industry: "How do you live with yourself? I’ve been following you and your work for quite awhile, and what you do is over the top. It’s empty and soulless. Your clients are rich and insecure and have a desperate need to show off. How do you live with yourself knowing that you perpetuate their wanton lifestyle?"
http://bit.ly/lgDxN1
What do you think of Bailey's response? How do you answer such criticism?
(On another note, last week Bailey blogged about how to avoid running a cash-poor business: "Try never to spend money on a job that is not yet yours.")
http://bit.ly/iI5itJ
2. MEASURING HYBRID EVENTS: The Virtual Edge Institute and ROI of Engagement released the second report in a multi-year study into the effectiveness of hybrid events. Among the findings:
* There are distinct differences in why people attend in-person or remotely.
* "Common themes for in-person attendance were the ability to expand their network (43 percent); personal interaction with presenters/and or attendees (41 percent); learn better in person (30 percent); and build deeper relationships with network (26 percent)."
* "For remote attendees the common themes focused on cost savings (56 percent); time savings (52 percent); attend the sessions that I want (40 percent); and try a virtual event (37 percent)."
* Virtual attendance can promote in-person attendance: "For those who did attend virtually in 2010, VEI determined eighteen percent (18 percent) of virtual attendees attended in-person in 2011. In a separate poll of those attendees, 82 percent indicated that attending virtually was 'very helpful' in making the decision to attend the 2011 Summit and all respondents indicated attending virtually was 'helpful.'"
http://bit.ly/kWUUGJ
3. WOLFF ON TECH CONFERENCES: Adweek editorial director Michael Wolff from last week's eG8 conference in Paris: "The thing about Internet conferences—of which I have been to many…—is that most people there feel bad about themselves, that a club exists to which they can never quite get into, that they are not quite math-y enough, or virtual enough, or social enough, or, ultimately, rich enough…All Internet conferences are about sizing up who has the most power."
http://bit.ly/lam6hD
4. SECOND HOTEL SEX BUST: "Another international moneyman has been busted for sexually assaulting a maid at a luxury Manhattan hotel," reports The New York Post. This time it's the former chairman of Egypt's Bank of Alexandria, at the Pierre. Meeting planners, does this have you worried about hotel security, and/or the behavior of your attendees?
http://nyp.st/j0tMlf
5. OSCAR VOTING PLUGS IN: NYT last week: "On Thursday, [May 19,] the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the Oscars, sent a letter advising its 6,000 or so voting members that an electronic system for Oscar voting will be implemented 'as early as this year, and will certainly be in effect by next year'… By eliminating the lag time that comes with paper ballots, which were sent through the mail, the academy’s governors could move the awards night from late February to an earlier weekend.”
http://nyti.ms/lRLG92
* BLOGGED *
AOO Events posted photos from a corporate event the team did at Bouchon, Thomas Keller's Beverly Hills restaurant, with the main buffet served inside the kitchen.
http://bit.ly/iJq1NZ
* LOCAL NEWS *
BOSTON: The Audi Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port will take place June 4. The starting line for the charitable, 100-mile bike race is at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. Celebrity attendees will include Tom Brady and Lauren Potter from "Glee."
http://bit.ly/kYXJLU
CHICAGO: The Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn will host a father-daughter Cinderella Ball on June 17 at the Beverly Country Club, with dinner, a horse-drawn carriage ride, a magic show, and a ballroom dancing lesson.
http://bit.ly/kVnb4E
NeoCon, an expo for the contract furnishings industry, will return to the Merchandise Mart from June 13 to 15. Keynote speakers will include film and television set decorator Amy Wells, whose projects include "Clueless" and "Mad Men."
http://bit.ly/mygOvr
Roots Handmade Pizza, billed as a modern neighborhood pizza pub, opens in West Town today. The 6,500-square-foot venue has a private dining area that seats around 40 and offers views of the chefs tossing pizzas in the kitchen.
http://bit.ly/ifprtZ
Chiquita Brands hosted a brunch for 25 local women at Province on May 18. The women, who included Perfect Event owner Debi Lilli, were saluted for their professional, personal, and philanthropic successes.
Business Executives from companies such as Accenture and Miserow Financial have been playing an active role in events benefitting local youth. Crain's Chicago Business:
http://bit.ly/k7Nm6y
LOS ANGELES: Aramark and the Anaheim Convention Center have teamed up for an extensive composting program. The compost site, located on the convention center campus, provides a solution for the trash and food scraps discarded after conventions, meetings, and trade shows.
New from the folks behind LA Photo Party is Photo Party Upload, an iPad-based app that allows event photographers to wirelessly transfer photos from their cameras to their iPads. Guests can then seamlessly upload branded photos to Facebook, Twitter, or email.
S. Chris Park, vice president and general manager of the Wilshire Grand Hotel, announced the hotel’s closure on December 31, 2011, after 59 years of service in downtown Los Angeles (originally as the Los Angeles Statler and known over the last half-century as the Statler Hilton, then the Omni Los Angeles). The new $1.1 billion project to replace the Wilshire Grand will include a 45-story hotel with 650 rooms and a 65-floor office tower which, at 1,250 feet, will be the tallest skyscraper west of the Mississippi river.
The Rotary Club of Los Angeles Foundation presented the City of Angels Wine Fest Monday at the Music Center Plaza. Produced by Erick Weiss and Honeysweet Productions, the festival will have food from four Patina Group Restaurants.
http://bit.ly/lQVbTN
The Russell Harris Event Group produced a splashy event for Disney Media Distribution and the international upfront on May 22 at the the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. The presentation was on a sound stage for 650 guests, who moved to another stage for a late-night party. The team used a combination of Donald Duck Avenue and Stage 2 for the event, and worked with Images by Lighting to light the iconic Disney water tower and the ABC Building across the street.
MIAMI: The Victoria's Secret Bombshell Tour arrives in Miami on Thursday, the fifth stop of a nationwide promotional campaign to promote the brand's newest line. The company is using Facebook and Twitter to publicize the tour, and in each six city it has created multiple Foursquare spots where fans can check in to earn a Victoria's Secret badge. PR: Full Picture.
NEW YORK: The city was on track for a record Memorial Day weekend for lodging, at 88-percent capacity. Crain's:
http://bit.ly/kaXwvx
IMAX Corporation announced Thursday that Marc de Grandpre has joined the company as chief marketing officer. He has spent the majority of his career with Red Bull and most recently was the chief marketer for Qualcomm's Firethorn division.
LatinVision's Marketing to Latinas conference is June 16 at the New School's Wollman Hall, with a networking event following on the roof of the Gansevoort Park Avenue.
ExtraExtra, the marketing arm of Paper Communications (publisher of Paper magazine), launched a new company Web site:
http://bit.ly/jPLwOV
On Location Tours is launching a new Brooklyn TV and movie tour. This four-hour outing showcases the one-of-a-kind bridges, bistros, and brownstones featured on the big and small screen.
http://bit.ly/jIXsQu
FornabaioVoss is planning a gay pride beach party on Governors Island June 25. The “Bondi Beach Bash,” presented with Josh Wood Productions, will bring DJs Phil Romano (from Rome) and Hector Romero (from Montreal) to spin for an expected crowd of 4,000. Also planned: fireworks and "the largest outdoor video wall in New York’s history."
ORLANDO: In honor of its 50th anniversary, Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club and Lodge is offering a special corporate meeting package for groups that book at least 50 room nights. It waives all meeting room rental fees and includes perks for guests such as daily complimentary breakfast buffet, a complimentary round of golf, and a bottle of Arnold Palmer Wine.
PHOENIX: Comicon, the pop culture convention for comic book enthusiasts, kicked off Thursday at the Phoenix Convention Center.
SAN FRANCISCO/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: The Napa Valley Destination Council announced the appointment of Kathleen Fitzgerald as vice president of sales.
YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected].
BizBash Call Sheet is the must-read daily digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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