October 9, 2014: How Breast Cancer Events Miss the Mark, New App Decodes Hollywood Walk of Fame, White House Fashion Event Gives ‘Project Runway’-Style Challenge

1. HOW BREAST CANCER EVENTS MISS THE MARK: Is your breast-cancer-related event raising awareness of the disease, or just your brand? And is “raising awareness” a good enough goal now? Pink-related events and promotions during October are increasingly coming under scrutiny for what they actually accomplish. Slate: “Pink has taken over our pepper spray, our Poo-Pouri, our pornography, our Shampure™ aroma hand cream, and the pistol grips on our rifles. Pink equals breast cancer. That much is clear. But what many companies hawking pinkwashed products still don’t seem to understand—or think we’re too dumb to notice—is that ‘raising awareness’about breast cancer does more to raise the company’s profile than actually fight the disease.” http://slate.me/1o13PEx

2. NEW APP DECODES HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME: More than 2,500 stars make up the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a new app provides the bios, performance videos, and other trivia to help navigate the attraction while providing add-ons that promote local businesses. Mashable: “We believe this is the future of tourism — bringing together the historical archives of a location and marrying it to experiential technology that transforms a passive journey into an interactive experience,” said MediaMine co-founder and president Barry Snyder, whose company developed the app. "With the cooperation of the Chamber and the support of the Hollywood Wax Museum and The Hollywood Museum, we’ve launched an exciting app that augments the way visitors explore Hollywood, and provides the community with unique access." http://on.mash.to/1vQBKif

3. WHITE HOUSE FASHION EVENT GIVES ‘PROJECT RUNWAY’-STYLE CHALLENGE: First Lady Michelle Obama invited 16 high school students along with big-name fashion designers and journalists for the first White House Fashion Education Workshop Wednesday. They were given a Project Runway-style task: Redecorate the East room. Refinery 29: “As a part of the workshop, the teens reimagined the East Room with 600 recycled books that were transformed into table centerpieces, napkin rings for the meal portion of the event, a backdrop for the prestigious speakers (including [Vogue editor Anna] Wintour who introduced the First Lady), and a lectern specifically designed to never obstruct views of Mrs. Obama's dress.” http://r29.co/1uCB6GE

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  Faneuil Hall Marketplace will host its annual Street Performer Fall Festival Saturday and Sunday.

CHICAGO:  The Chicago Sculpture International will host its 10th anniversary benefit gala October 25 at the Elks National Memorial. The evening will include craft cocktails, live music, and living sculptures.

The private events team at Lettuce Entertain You has a new booking mechanism, LettuceParties.com, which congregates the company’s 90 venues and private and semiprivate event spaces onto one site. Planners can choose a venue based on price, location, and vibe.

INDIANAPOLIS:  Fund-raising technology company BidPal announced the appointment of Steve Johns as C.E.O. and a member of the Board of Directors.

LAS VEGAS:  Global Experience Specialists announced the acquisition of two event housing services providers, OnPeak and Travel Planners. The combined businesses will operate them under the name OnPeak, a GES Global Company.

LOS ANGELES:  The Staples Center will unveil a $7.5 renovation that added energy-saving LED lighting, a new V.I.P. area, and a new retractable seating system, among other upgrades. Billboard: http://bit.ly/1yaRAbH

Boyz II Men will celebrate the debut of their new album, Collide, with a free concert presented by Citi at the Americana at Brand on October 20.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The 17th annual Miami New Times Beer Fest is October 25 at Esplanade Park. The event includes more than 100 local, international, and craft beers, live music, games, and food.

NEW YORK:  The Museum of Modern Art will honor Oscar-winning film director Alfonso Cuarón at its annual film benefit November 10.

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

TORONTO:  The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is hosting the annual Best Western International convention, which ends Friday. The event brought some 3,500 hotel professionals to the city.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The 92nd annual National Christmas Tree lighting will take place December 4. Free tickets will be distributed through a lottery that opens on October 17.

YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

JOB BOARD: Post a job or find a job: http://jobs.bizbash.com

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.

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

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