May 25, 2017: SXSW to Expand to Europe With Spin-Off Conference, Pop-Up Magazine Is Turning Sponsor Ads Into Experiences, Higher Ticket Prices Give Broadway a Boost

1. SXSW TO EXPAND TO EUROPE WITH SPIN-OFF CONFERENCE: South by Southwest will bring a spin-off event called the Me Convention to Frankfurt, Germany, from September 15-17. Forbes: "In an email revealing that the new convention was on its way, the organization described the program as one that 'unites the tech, design, and creative industries for international exchange and business,' which is rather vague. So far, no specific speakers, panels or events have been revealed, but the program does promise 'three days of workshops, talks, interactive labs, and evening events,' all ready to take place in a 'festival-like setting.' It is clear that those behind SXSW are doing their best to balance the idea of a festival and an entirely new concept here, which is a thin and difficult line to walk. Millions have attended South By over the years, and most people understand what it is by now, but from the wording of their introductory message, it is clear that while organizers don’t want to forgo using the word 'festival' entirely, they are going for a different vibe here. If they weren’t, they likely would have just used the name SXSW and moved it to Europe. South By Southwest has long been a staple of the music industry, and more recently, the legendary brand has moved into pretty much every other field imaginable, expanding what was once a few days in Austin, TX into almost three weeks, with separate 'festivals' for film, tech, gaming, and even comedy. The company itself described the me Convention as 'a new initiative to expand our platform into Europe,' which proves that those behind SXSW truly do have global domination in their sights, though to do so properly, a new name was needed." http://bit.ly/2qhjemT

2. POP-UP MAGAZINE IS TURNING SPONSOR ADS INTO EXPERIENCES: In an effort to engage its audience with advertisers, Pop-Up Magazine—a traveling magazine that's performed as a variety show with live lectures, performances, and storytelling—is weaving live sponsor ads into its programming. Digiday: "Four advertisers will give live, multimedia presentations to small audiences. The ads, which often involve video or are part of a larger buy that also includes Pop-Up-owned The California Sunday Magazine, help drive revenue on three fronts for the startup: the sponsorship of the live event itself, the creative services required to create the presentations and ad space in the magazine. 'We’ve been getting a little better and more sophisticated in how we’ve brought sponsors onto the show,' said Chas Edwards, Pop-Up Magazine’s president and co-founder. ... Most of the Pop-Up spots are anchored to videos, like a 'live trailer' series it created for Amazon Studios. But Pop-Up’s creative team has found ways to tap into the live show’s trappings and setting. A Warby Parker campaign featured a crossword puzzle printed inside the show’s program, with hints to the puzzle’s longest clues revealed during the event; a live activation for the Detroit luxury goods brand Shinola involved an after-party that guests were invited to at the end of the show." http://bit.ly/2qfHn1a

3. HIGHER TICKET PRICES GIVE BROADWAY A BOOST: While Broadway has seen a drop in attendance, higher ticket prices have given shows this season a boom in revenue. The New York Times: "The Broadway season that ended on Sunday was one for the record books. Box-office grosses, which have been climbing since 2013, rose 5.5 percent, to $1.449 billion, a new high, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Broadway League, an industry trade group. The growth, though, was fueled not by attendance, but by ticket cost. Producers, perfecting a strategy called dynamic pricing, used increasingly sophisticated analytics to adjust ticket prices to reflect varying demand on different days of the week and for different sections of a theater. 'Hamilton,' which continues to play to sold-out houses 21 months after opening, led the way, setting a record box-office price of $849 for many orchestra seats, in an effort to recapture profits being lost to resellers. 'Hello, Dolly!,' starring Ms. Midler, has a top ticket of $748; 'Sunday in the Park With George,' starring Mr. Gyllenhaal, was charging $499 for its most sought-after seats; and 'The Book of Mormon' tops out at $477. … The big numbers mask continuing challenges for the industry. Broadway’s success is lopsided: Much of the profit goes to a small handful of shows, while a majority flop. Over the last 12 months, 81 productions played at some point during the season; about half of all the box-office revenue went to just 10 of those shows. For the first time in four years, overall attendance was off slightly—down 0.4 percent, to 13.3 million, at the 41 theaters in and around Times Square that constitute Broadway." http://nyti.ms/2qXuAPS

* LOCAL NEWS *

CHICAGO:  Cambria Chicago Loop—Theatre District opened above the Oriental Theatre on Wednesday. The hotel offers 199 guest rooms, two suites, and 2,600 square feet of meeting space that can be separated into four rooms. 

CLEVELAND:  The Rock & Roll Hall of Home has announced new offerings to its special events menu, in partnership with chefs Michael Symon and Jonathon Sawyer. New menu items include mac and cheese and pig roast from Symon, and Tabasco fried chicken and slow-roasted beef shin from Sawyer. 

LAS VEGAS:  Chicago-based restaurant group Hogsalt will debut French-inspired steakhouse Bavette at the Park MGM in October. 

LOS ANGELES:  The Paley Center for Media will launch its first-ever exhibit celebrating American Horror Story from June 3-July 30. Called "American Horror Story: The Style of Scare," the exhibit will span nearly 4,000 square feet and showcase costumes, set pieces, and props from every season of the show, as well as multimedia presentations. 

Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones will host the BET Awards, which air live June 25 from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. 

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Honey Shine, Inc. the mentoring program for young girls founded by Tracy Wilson Mourning, raised more than $200,000 during its 15th annual Hats Off Luncheon May 13 at Loews Hotel Miami Beach.

NEW YORK:  Cocktails at Cooper Hewitt will run June 8-August 24 at the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden. Featuring small bites and cocktails from Tarallucci e Vino, the summer performance series will take place every Thursday evening. 

Falk Langner, the owner of catering and event production company Falk Langner Events Inc., has passed away. 

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  Hampton Inn & Suites Gainesville—Downtown has completed its $2 million renovation, which includes upgrades to the property's 124 rooms and 1,700 square feet of meeting and social event space. 

SAN FRANCISCO:  Fairmont San Jose has appointed Marie Lanaud director of catering. 

TORONTO:  The fourth edition of Etsy: Made in Canada will take place September 23 with pop-up shops in more than 35 cities across Canada. 

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health raised more than $1 million at its biannual fund-raising event UnMasked, which took place May 10. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  On June 5, the Newseum will rededicate its Journalists Memorial, which recognizes men and women who died or were killed while reporting the news. The names of 14 journalists will be added to the memorial to represent all those who died in pursuit of the news in 2016. The Newseum also will black out its popular Today's Front Pages displays as part of the third annual #WithoutNews campaign. The social media campaign aims to raise awareness of the threats to journalists around the world.

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, Jill Menze, Rayna Katz, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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