October 18, 2016: Charities Reconsider Hosting Galas at Trump-Owned Florida Club, Hillary Clinton’s Broadway Fund-Raiser Raises More Than $2 Million, Marriott Celebrates Starwood Merger With Interactive Map

1. CHARITIES RECONSIDER HOSTING GALAS AT TRUMP-OWNED FLORIDA CLUB: Following leaked tapes of Donald Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women, as well as numerous allegations against the Republican presidential nominee, many charities and fund-raisers are reconsidering hosting events at the popular Trump-owned Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach. The Susan G. Komen Foundation is already seeking a new venue for its Perfect Pink Party, a million-dollar breast cancer fund-raiser in January. Associated Press: "The charity has no position on Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, but wants to keep its event separate from 'controversies unrelated to our mission,' said Andrea Rader, a spokeswoman for the organization. The group won't make a final decision about whether to abandon its deposit until after October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Event planners who spoke with the AP forecast trouble ahead for the high-end party space. 'There's a cloud over Mar-a-Lago,' said Lynne Goldberg of Boca Entertainment, Inc., a party planner who has overseen numerous weddings and fundraisers at the venue, including a 2014 gala for the March of Dimes. She stressed her opinion had nothing to do with politics. … Margaret Holman, who runs the fundraising consulting firm Holman Consulting, said charities would have to focus on the fact that they had already signed contracts with Mar-a-Lago and put down deposits. But behind the scenes, she said: 'People are going to take this to the full board and let them air their full concerns. Charities who have already engaged are between a rock and a hard place.' Those large, nonrefundable deposits may minimize any rush for the exits this year. The Palm Beach Habilitation Center, which serves the disabled community, said it won't break its contract for a Feb. 20 fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago - but president Tina Philips said the party's organizers would be mindful of Trump's controversies going forward." http://apne.ws/2dWLUNu

2. HILLARY CLINTON’S BROADWAY FUND-RAISER RAISES MORE THAN $2 MILLION: “Stronger Together” a Broadway-theme fund-raiser for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, raised $2.3 million for her campaign on Monday night. The event, which took place at New York’s St. James Theatre and was live streamed globally, was hosted by Billy Crystal and headlined by Bill and Chelsea Clinton. CNN: “Both Clintons thanked donors for attending the star studded event at the St. James Theatre, urging them to dig deeper to support the campaign in its last three weeks. But it was the former president who reflected on feelings Trump supporters were having, comparing them with groups of people who have felt left out in the past. Hillary Clinton did not appear in person, but taped a video for the 1,700 person event. ‘We are in the final stretch of this campaign and we need your help to reach as many people as possible between now and Election Day,’ Clinton said. The former secretary of state joked that she auditioned for the star-studded show—which was produced by Harvey Weinstein and Jordan Roth—but that the producers said she ‘didn't make the cut.’ Individual tickets for the event started at $45 and go to $2,700, but premium packages of seats went for as much as $100,000. Those who pay top prices were invited to attend a post-event reception with some of the performers. Based on attendance figures and ticket prices provided by the campaign, the fundraiser raised more than $2.3 million. Actresses Lena Dunham and Helen Mirren and actor Alan Cumming all spoke at the fundraiser, heralding Clinton and blasting Trump and his campaign.” http://cnn.it/2dKvZ2X

3. MARRIOTT CELEBRATES STARWOOD MERGER WITH INTERACTIVE MAP: Marriott recently celebrated its September merger with Starwood Hotels—creating a hotel company with more than 5,700 properties and 30 brands—by building an interactive map in New York's Rockefeller Center. Passersby were able to view the brand's global properties through the activation. Adweek: "The initiative was part of Marriott's Global Travel Day block party. People could swipe 30 giant radio-frequency-identification-equipped pushpins on the walkable map or at its 250 properties in New York City to win travel-related prizes. A social media sweepstakes also let Marriott rewards members enter to win free hotel stays. The effort helps showcase off breadth of the new Marriott-Starwood portfolio, said Karin Timpone, global marketing officer at Marriott. 'It's important to highlight all the great destinations that everyone can go to across the portfolio,' she said. 'There will be a lot of things on the map that are travel-related and experiences-related from the entertainment, sports and culinary space.' Last week, Marriott also unveiled its Global Travel Tracker, a study of travelers' habits. Among its findings: Thirty percent of travelers enjoy ordering room service, beach time is favored over hiking mountains (71 percent vs. 29 percent), and 27 percent of travelers love to try adventurous food like escargot and reptiles." http://bit.ly/2eaQEj5

* LOCAL NEWS *

ATLANTIC CITY:  The Claridge Hotel has joined the Radisson brand and will now be known as the Claridge—a Radisson Hotel.

AUSTIN:  Next year's South by Southwest has released a list of 750 panels and new keynote speakers, including Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards, Mount Everest photographer Cory Richards, and Apple Music's Beats 1 radio host and creative director Zane Lowe.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA:  The Women in Statistics and Data Science conference, presented by the American Statistical Association, will be held Thursday through Saturday at Crowne Plaza Charlotte Executive Park.

CHICAGO:  Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago North-Loyola Station is now open. The 145-room hotel, managed by Atira Hotels, has a 750-square-foot meeting space.

DALLAS/FORT WORTH:  The Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau has appointed Renee McKenney as senior vice president and chief experience officer.

LAS VEGAS:  In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Caesars Entertainment Las Vegas resorts is slated to host the seventh annual “Battle of the Bras” fashion show on Thursday to support the American Cancer Society.

Treasure Island Las Vegas's $6.5 million expansion‚ which is adding 12,500 square feet to its existing conference and meeting space, is slated to open in early 2017. Located on the ground level, the expansion includes the 8,000-square-foot Antilles Ballroom, the 1,300-square-foot Bahamas Room, and the 1,300-square-foot Coral Room.

LOS ANGELES:  The Paley Center's Hollywood Tribute to Hispanic Achievements in Television will take place October 24 at the Beverly Wilshire. Sponsored by Verizon, the event will honor Hispanic contributions in various television genres, with numerous actors and industry leaders in attendance including Eva Longoria, Gina Rodriguez, Jimmy Smits, and Oscar De La Hoya.

For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Paris 6, a 24-hour French bistro, is now open. Atilio Padra will oversee the cuisine at the restaurant, which seats 138 inside and 186 outside.

Conrad Miami has named Chintan Dadhich general manager. He was director of operations and resort manager at Arizona Biltmore, a Waldorf Astoria Resort.

NEW YORK:  The International Women's Media Foundation will host its 27th annual Courage in Journalism Awards ceremony on October 26 at Cipriani 42nd Street. The event is sponsored by Bank of America.

The third annual Dine Out for Heroes, which benefits the Bob Woodruff Foundation, will take place on Veterans Day, November 11. Participating restaurants, which will donate $1 per customer served, include Butter, Beauty & Essex, Nobu, and the Lambs Club.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) will honor Senator Bob Dole, a dog and cat of the year, and more at its Humane Awards Luncheon on November 17 at Cipriani 42nd Street.

The American Theatre Wing has announced that Hudson Theater, which will reopen in 2017, is a Tony Awards-eligible venue for the 2016-2017 Broadway show season. In related news, A.T.W. has deemed the Broadway productions Paramour and Cats eligible for the 71st annual Tony Awards, which will take place June 11 at a location to be announced.

For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  A demolition event will take place this morning on Orange Avenue to mark the start of construction on the Delaney Hotel and Delaney's Tavern. When completed in May 2017, the hotel will have 54 rooms and suites and the 6,000-square-foot restaurant will have a private dining room that will seat 100.

Volusia County officials estimate that attendance at Biketoberfest was down at least 60 percent from last year due to Hurricane Matthew. Daytona Beach News-Journal: http://bit.ly/2ecB19I

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND:  The Omni Providence Hotel has completed $15 million in renovations to its guest rooms, landings, and public spaces. Examples of the upgrades to the 564-room hotel include the guest corridors and elevator lobbies receiving new carpeting, furnishing, wall coverings, paint, contemporary light fixtures, and artwork. 

SAN DIEGO:  Bric, a new mixed-use development in North Embarcadero, has completed the excavation of its InterContinental Hotels & Resorts property. Designed by John Portman & Associates, the 18-story hotel will have 400 rooms and 23,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

TORONTO:  Vintage Crawl Toronto will take place on Thursday. Thirty vintage stores in neighborhoods including Bloordale, Dundas West, Kensington, and Queen West will participate.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Celebrity chef José Andrés has joined the culinary roster of the Verizon Center. The arena, which has a seating capacity of 18,277, is owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment. Aramark oversees the venue's concessions, which includes Launch Test Kitchen, a flexible dining concept designed to showcase local chefs.

Experiential marketing agency 360 Live Media has named Larry Graham senior strategy advisor. He was previously president of the National Confectioners Association.

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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin and Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Carla Hay, Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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