November 15, 2018: MTV to Revive Spring Break as a Global Event in 2019, National Book Awards Honor Sigrid Nunez and Isabel Allende, Voters Reject Calgary's 2026 Winter Olympics Bid

1. MTV TO REVIVE SPRING BREAK AS A GLOBAL EVENT IN 2019: MTV is continuing to expand in the live event space—this time with another show revival. The network announced it's bringing back its annual Spring Break event, which will be broadcast on linear, digital, and social platforms in March at Cancun’s Grand Oasis hotel. Adweek: "The event will once again include brand activations, talent appearances and music performances (past Spring Break performers include No Doubt, Eminem, Pink, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, and Notorious B.I.G.). Spring Break was an annual staple on MTV until 2005. After that, it moved to MTVU, where it aired until 2014. 'MTV was always built as a youth culture and music brand, and [it was always] all about creating experiences for our audience everywhere they are,' said MTV president Chris McCarthy. 'Our focus these last two years has been about elevating the brand back up. The line that we use is: ‘It’s not either/or, it’s all about more.’ Just two days ago, MTV purchased SnowGlobe Music Festival, an outdoor event from December 29-31 in South Lake Tahoe, California, that, along with the return of Spring Break, is a part of Viacom C.E.O. Bob Bakish’s company-wide push into festivals and other live events. McCarthy said MTV will use its live events and festivals to help its audience celebrate “quintessential coming-of-age moments each quarter” like New Year’s Eve and Spring Break. MTV already has several international events, including the Europe Music Awards (EMAs) and Millennial Awards (MIAs) in Mexico and Brazil, which draw more than 500,000 attendees each year. The network will use the Cancun Spring Break to 'connect our brands across the world' and produce content for several countries—not just the U.S., said McCarthy." https://bit.ly/2K4ztyi

2. NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS HONOR SIGRID NUNEZ AND ISABEL ALLENDE: The National Book Awards took place Wednesday in New York, awarding five categories, including a new translated literature category. Sigrid Nunez won honors in fiction for The Friend, and novelist Isabel Allende was the first Spanish-language author to receive lifetime achievement honors. NPR: "'In our inexorable pursuit of freedom and human rights, books serve us as weapons and also as shields,' declared the ceremony's MC, a shaggy-bearded and shaven-headed Nick Offerman. 'They are perhaps the greatest creation of humankind.' Then—fittingly for a ceremony that swung comfortably between resolve and ribaldry—he cracked a few sex jokes. Judges plucked the five works from a field of 1,637 books submitted by publishers. Now, they join a pantheon of National Book Award winners dating back to 1950—including William Faulkner, Ralph Ellison, and Flannery O'Connor. But for all that tradition, the spotlight Wednesday fell partly on a fresh-faced newcomer: the translated literature category. The focus was all the more accentuated by the National Book Foundation's choice for this year's lifetime achievement honors. Novelist Isabel Allende was the first Spanish-language author—and just the second born outside the U.S.—to receive the award. Born in Peru, raised in Chile, Allende fled the country with her family when Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet took power in the 1970s. In the decades since, Allende has written about two dozen books, perhaps none more widely read than her debut novel, The House of the Spirits. And all along, she said her sense of uprootedness has informed both her literature and her life. Appropriately enough, that led her to a sex joke of her own: 'I dream, cook, make love, and write in Spanish. Make love—I would feel ridiculous panting in English,' she quipped. But her point was broader than a single one-liner could contain. In a 'time of nationalism and racism, of cruelty and fanaticism,' she asserted that it's crucial to remember that—especially in the U.S.—'everybody descends from someone who came from another place.'" https://n.pr/2FriNCj

3. VOTERS REJECT CALGARY'S 2026 WINTER OLYMPICS BID: Calgary’s bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics was rejected on Tuesday after 56 percent of local voters voted against the bid. Associated Press: “The city council is expected to address the results on Monday, but there is little doubt the bid seems dead. The council has already shown skepticism, with eight of 15 members voting on October 31 to scuttle the public vote. Ten votes were required for the vote not to be held. The defeat is a huge blow to the International Olympic Committee, which has only two candidates officially declared: Stockholm, Sweden, and a joint Italian bid from Milan and Cortina D’Ampezzo. Both bids also face opposition and financing problems. Three other cities withdrew earlier this year—Sapporo, Japan; Sion, Switzerland; Graz, Austria—and Turkey’s Erzurum was eliminated last month by the IOC. The IOC was left in a similar spot for the 2022 Winter Olympics when numerous bidders withdrew. Only two unlikely cities expressed final interest, with Beijing, China, winning narrowly in an IOC vote over Almtay, Kazakhstan. ‘(The vote) comes as no surprise following the political discussions and uncertainties right up until the last few days,’ the IOC said in a statement. ‘It is disappointing that the arguments about the sporting, social, and long-term benefits of hosting the Olympic Games did not sway the vote.’ The host for 2026 will be selected by the IOC in a vote on June 24 in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Canadian Olympic Committee said in a statement it was disappointed by the results. Calgary was the host for the 1988 Winter Olympics.” https://bit.ly/2TcYzz9

* LOCAL NEWS *

CHICAGO:  The Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile will host its annual holiday celebration, Marri Rock the Mile, on Friday. The event benefits the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Children’s Miracle Network. 

LOS ANGELES:  Amazon Fire TV will host an interactive pop-up at the Atrium at Westfield Century City November 20-25 (excluding Thanksgiving Day). The pop-up will have live product demos, an indoor theater streaming shows, lawn games, and a free gift-wrapping station. 

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The Galleria’s 12th annual South Florida Ford “Men of Style,” presented by Signature Grand, will take place November 29. Twelve South Florida men will walk a runway in support of 12 local charities. 

Lexus is the official automotive sponsor of Design Miami, which will take place December 5-9. 

Spire Hospitality has appointed Marletta Smith regional director of sales.

NEW YORK:  The ninth annual Luckyrice Feast will take place Friday at the Bowery Hotel. The event will feature Asian cuisine from vendors including Tim Ho Wan, State Grill and Bar, Kimbap Lab, and Lady M. 

Museum of the Moving Image will honor Glenn Close at an event on December 3 at 583 Park Avenue. 

H.S.M.A.I.’s Digital Marketing Strategy Conference will take place January 23, 2019, at the New York Marriott Marquis. 

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

SAN FRANCISCO:  Esports and gaming platform ReadyUp has entered a partnership with the national Basketball Players Association and its commercial arm Think450. ReadyUp will debut an esports smart calendar that will list esports matches, tournaments, and live streams, which include video-game fan experiences and media events with N.B.A. players. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Union Station will host a holiday celebration on November 29. The event will feature performances by local artists, the Norwegian Christmas tree lighting, and a simulcast of Yo-Yo Ma’s performance of J.S. Bach’s cello suites live from the National Cathedral. The event is co-presented by Washington Performing Arts, the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce—Mid-Atlantic Chapter, the Bach Project, and Union Station.

The Association for Women in Events (A.W.E.) will have its inaugural Elevate!, a women’s leadership event, on March 7, 2019, at the Conrad Washington, D.C. hotel.

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With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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