October 16, 2018: Lawsuit Against WeWork Alleges Sexual Assault at Company Events, Marie Claire’s Conference for Women Executives Focuses on Quality Over Quantity, How Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper Shot ‘A Star Is Born’ Scenes at Music Festivals

1. LAWSUIT AGAINST WEWORK ALLEGES SEXUAL ASSAULT AT COMPANY EVENTS: A former WeWork employee claims she was sexually assaulted at two company events and was fired for reporting the incidents, according to a lawsuit that was filed in Manhattan Supreme Court last week. CNN: "The complaint alleges Ruby Anaya, who worked for the company for nearly four years as product manager and director of culture, first reported the incidents to the company's human resources department. 'In both cases, the company interviewed no witnesses other than the male employee in question. In both instances, the male employee professed to be too drunk to remember the incident,' the complaint reads. The second incident, the suit alleges, occurred at the company's annual Summit event in January when a male employee grabbed and pulled her into his body and then tried to forcibly kiss her mouth. The situation was allegedly escalated to the company's chief people officer as well as co-founder and chief culture officer Miguel McKelvey, who was her direct boss and is also named in the suit. Still, nothing was done, she alleges, and Anaya was fired in August 2018 in what is described in the complaint as an act of retaliation. Despite never receiving a negative performance review, she said, she was fired for being a 'poor performer.' The company disputes the lawsuit's claims that Anaya had a clean performance record. In a statement, WeWork denied the allegations: 'These claims against WeWork are meritless and we will fight this lawsuit. WeWork has always been committed to fostering an inclusive, supportive, and safe workplace. WeWork investigated this employee's complaints, took appropriate action, and this employee was terminated solely because of her poor performance.'" https://cnn.it/2EpQund

2. MARIE CLAIRE€�S CONFERENCE FOR WOMEN EXECUTIVES FOCUSES ON QUALITY OVER QUANTITY: Marie Claire’s annual Power Trip event for women executives isn’t as big as other events held by other women’s lifestyle publications, but its exclusivity and networking opportunities are huge draws for attendees and advertisers. Women’s Wear Daily: “What began as simply a realization by editor in chief Anne Fulenwider that she and publisher Nancy Berger ‘always came up with such amazing ideas on planes,’ the now annual event crystalized after Fulenwider joked to a junior fashion editor, while flitting between fashion shows one season, about getting a plane for a meeting her friend who worked at an airline was trying to set up with the magazine leads. Berger added that the trip started to form around a lot of ‘What if?’ hypotheticals, because she and the business team at the magazine were well aware of how many conferences are out there. It took shape as more of a pop-up conference for successful women across industries that had typical event stressors like planning and networking and travel already taken care of. Since then, it’s turned into the magazine’s marquee event. As it was when it launched in 2016, this year’s Power Trip is an invite-only, two-day event that starts with a chartered flight on United Airlines of just 150 or so women—founders, executives, and influential types from across industries, but still much smaller than a lot of magazine events and conferences out there—heading from New York to San Francisco for events and panels and some serious networking. … Despite the obviously synergistic nature of the trip, along with it being a revenue driver through advertising partnerships with brands like Dell, Gap’s Athleta, jeweler Tacori, outdoor footwear brand Sorel, and luggage brand Away (all of which are giving substantial swag to each attendee), Fulenwider sees it having a genuine purpose for the women involved, as well as Marie Claire.” https://bit.ly/2PHThJy

3. HOW LADY GAGA AND BRADLEY COOPER SHOT €�A STAR IS BORN€� SCENES AT MUSIC FESTIVALS: One of the most notable facts about the latest remake of A Star Is Born, the musical drama starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, is that the concert scenes were performed live in front of audiences at music festivals. The film’s producer Bill Gerber discussed how the production was able to film at events like Glastonbury, Coachella, and Stagecoach. Billboard: “Gerber is quick to praise several live music executives—including Goldenvoice president Paul Tollett, AEG C.O.O./AEG Presents chairman/C.E.O. Jay Marciano and Gerber’s junior high school buddy AEG Presents president of global touring and talent Gary Gersh—for easing the way for the performance shoots at Coachella and Stagecoach. … Lady Gaga, who headlined both weekends of Coachella, used the days in between, with AEG and Goldenvoice’s blessing and assistance, to film as Ally on the Coachella grounds with Cooper. Fans applied to be extras for the April 18-19, 2017, shoot via an app, which requested they come ‘decked out in your most comfortable denim & boots.’ These were the first concert scenes filmed for the movie. ‘I've been going to Coachella for years, as has Bradley,’ Gerber says. ‘And we would kid around, like, "Wow, if we get shooting at the right time, we could really take advantage of all this fantastic production value they have out here." We filmed a lot of different songs so Bradley would have choices editorially. [As a producer,] at that point you're kinda like, "Well, I'm pretty sure this is gonna work." And then you see [Lady Gaga and Cooper onstage together] and you're like, "Oh, this is gonna work big."'" https://bit.ly/2yDugrT


*INDUSTRY NEWS*

The International Live Events Association has released a new report that focuses on the commoditization of the live events industry. Titled “Unifying the Live Events Industry: A Global Events Industry Report,” the report is a follow-up to the dialogue at the ILEA Global Event Forum, which took place in Denver in August. The report can be found here: https://bit.ly/2pRM3aN

* LOCAL NEWS *

DALLAS/FORT WORTH:  Access Destination Services has appointed Todd Zint general manager. Zint was most recently director of corporate travel, meetings, and events for Mutual of Omaha.  

LOS ANGELES:  The Burbank Winter Wine Walk will take place November 17 on San Fernando Boulevard. 

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

NEW YORK:  Change For Kids’ sixth annual Super Chefs event will take place Thursday at the Altman Building. The event will feature chef Chris Santos of Beauty & Essex, Stanton Social, and Vandal. 

It’s A Thing, a nonprofit that raises funds for head and neck cancer, will debut an interactive experience curated by graffiti artist Mr. Brainwash to benefit Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The experience, which is hosted by RXR Realty, will be held on the 13th floor of the Starrett Lehigh Building on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from October 23-November 4. An art gallery and gift shop will be open every day from October 23-November 4 on the ground floor. 

The Museum of Modern Art’s 11th annual Film Benefit, presented by Chanel, will take place November 19. The benefit will honor Martin Scorsese. 

Think450, the licensing arm of the National Basketball Players Association, has appointed Payne Brown its new president. 

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

TORONTO:  Boombox, the Toronto International Film Festival’s annual fund-raiser, will take place October 25 at TIFF Bell Lightbox. 

Tetley will host a “rage room” experience October 19-21 at 639 Queen Street West in conjunction with the brand’s new Super Teas collection. Consumers will be given protective gear and a baseball bat to smash teacups inscribed with stereotypical words used to diminish women. 

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With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles 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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