1. SAG AWARDS TO FEATURE FIRST HOST AND ALL-WOMEN PRESENTERS: Olivia Munn and Niecy Nash announced the nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Wednesday, and the ceremony on January 21 will have a similar theme: All of the awards will be presented by women and the event’s first-ever host will be actress Kristen Bell. The New York Times: “’Culturally there’s always been a conversation about equality,’ said Ms. Bell, chatting Tuesday by phone. ‘Now there’s some mega-spotlights on this conversation and, dare I say, some pyrotechnics in the background.’ ‘I’m not the first female host,” she added. ‘I’m the first host. The fact that a female was chosen to be the first one means my genitals become irrelevant.’ The woman behind the plan to have women present all (or most) of the awards was Kathy Connell, the executive producer. She has overseen the ceremonies since the inaugural show in 1995, and said the thought came to her after she went to the Women’s March in Washington with her daughter and some friends in January. The idea gained new urgency, she said, as accusations of sexual misconduct by powerful men in the entertainment industry began bursting forth. … Sometime in the fall, she took her proposal to Sandra Dewey, a president at Turner who oversees the network’s interest in the show. Ms. Dewey said that in the last three years, the network has hired about 400 women as directors, writers, showrunners and set designers, among other positions, in an effort to rebalance an industry overwhelmingly dominated by men. In the summer, the network also began holding informal ‘Feminist Friday’ events so women could discuss obstacles they were facing in their careers, and propose solutions.” http://nyti.ms/2nZZzLq
2. HOTELS ADD PANIC BUTTONS TO PROTECT EMPLOYEES FROM HARASSMENT: More hotels are providing panic buttons for housekeepers and other employees to prevent sexual harassment from guests. Bloomberg: “Hotels are under new scrutiny when it comes to keeping their employees safe at work, even when the threat don’t come from other workers. A California court in October ruled that a hotel worker could sue her employer under state law after she was allegedly raped by a trespasser on the property. Workers’ advocates have been pushing hotels to equip housekeepers with ‘panic buttons’ to protect them from guests. And management’s responsibility is likely to be an issue in collective bargaining next year, when contracts covering roughly half the unionized hotel workers across the country are up for re-negotiation. Since 2013, New York City housekeepers in all unionized hotels -- hundreds of properties across the city -- have been equipped with panic buttons that summon help. Unite Here, the hotel workers union, made the devices an issue after a housekeeper accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn, then the head of the International Monetary Fund, of sexual assault. (Strauss-Kahn denied the allegations and reached a settlement with the housekeeper in 2012.) The union hasn’t completed compiling aggregate data, but a representative said the devices were used at least twice last month at one large midtown hotel by room attendants who were threatened by guests. In both cases the guest was ejected from the hotel. In Seattle, hotel workers now carry electronic whistles, GPS-equipped buttons that alert security, or iPads with new emergency alert functions. Voters in the city approved legislation last year requiring that hotels provide such devices for workers and keep track of guests who have been accused of abuse. Chicago’s City Council in October voted unanimously to require similar devices.” https://bloom.bg/2j2DVRo
3. MALL OF AMERICA LAUNCHED A CHATBOT FOR HOLIDAY SHOPPERS: The Mall of America, a major mall and tourist destination in Minnesota, recently launched its own chatbot for the holiday season. Adweek: "The bot—available across various platforms, including Mall of America’s website, mobile app and Facebook page—will let users ask questions so they can plan before they arrive. They can also ask for directions when they’re there, brainstorm gifts to buy, and learn about the mall’s deals or events. In addition to the text-based bot, the Mall and developer party Satisfi Labs created a voice-enabled skill to access the bot through Amazon Alexa. 'When you think about maybe visiting the mall for the first time and you have your whole family with you, some kids maybe want to go see the rides, some might want to see a movie, and maybe your husband or your partner [may want] to go somewhere else and you want to go somewhere else. It’s quite overwhelming,' said Justine Santa Cruz, vp of strategic partnerships and alliances for Satisfi Labs. 'You don’t even know where to park for something as big as that.' To develop the app, the team used troves of the mall’s historical data about shoppers to understand their needs. Developers also analyzed communication with users on the mall’s Twitter and Facebook pages to get an idea of frequently asked questions—and how human customer service reps responded to those questions. ... According to the Mall of America, retailers provided content for the mall to use across various ad campaigns and promotions that will be delivered through the bot. The mall then will aggregate and syndicate that content across both paid and owned media. Santa Cruz added that there will be more opportunities for expanding content from tenants as the they refine the bot." http://bit.ly/2Bgnyve
* LOCAL NEWS *
CHICAGO: The 17th annual Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival will take place January 11-21 at Stage 773.
LAS VEGAS: North Italia, a new restaurant from Fox Restaurant Concepts, has opened at Rampart Commons in Summerlin. The restaurant has a main dining room that seats 254 guests and a patio that seats 95 guests.
LOS ANGELES: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles will celebrate the 2018 awards season with its annual Tea Party on January 6 at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
NEW YORK: Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza has appointed Andrew Gold executive chef. Gold has more than 15 years of hospitality experience.
The William Vale hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has named David Lemmond as its new general manager. The 183-room property opened in 2016.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
TORONTO: The Studio 1214 N.Y.E. Disco Party will take place December 31 at the Gladstone Hotel.
YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected].
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With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, 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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