BIZBASH CALL SHEET — #336 — Monday, 08.27.12
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Compiled today by Melissa Ward Schorsch in New York
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THIS WEEK'S CALENDAR
MONDAY: Republican National Convention begins in Tampa (through Thursday), U.S. Open begins in New York (through Sunday, September 9)
* INCOMING *
1. RAIN DATE: Republican National Convention organizers released a revised schedule following a decision late Saturday to delay the start of the convention until tomorrow. Reuters: "Isaac was expected to spare Tampa a direct hit and strike, with hurricane strength, farther north along the Gulf Coast this week. But it has left Republicans—who canceled events on Monday in anticipation of the storm—with a new challenge to salvage the convention's remaining three days: Help Romney make an aggressive, memorable argument to be president, while being careful to show sensitivity to those at risk from the storm." http://reut.rs/PTaw7z
2. POLITICAL PICTURE: Instagram is the top social media tool in politics right now. Huffington Post: "Politicians were quick to jump on the bandwagon in preparation for election season. President Barack Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney were two of the first to secure accounts. Zac Moffatt, Romney's digital director, explained in a phone interview that their team joined Instagram to give citizens a different, behind-the-scenes look at what you might not see on other platforms." http://huff.to/PNOByn
3. TECH TOUR: Social news site Reddit is planning a cross-country tour to build its profile during the election season. The "Internet 2012 bus tour" in October, which will campaign for a free and open Internet, will start in Colorado and end in Kentucky. AdWeek: http://bit.ly/OySCWo
4. DESIGNER HOTELS: Big names typically associated with couture dresses or sparkling jewelry are getting into the hotel business, as fashion labels like Missoni, Versace, and Bulgari have opened hotels. Market Watch: "There’s a simple reason some of the world’s snootiest companies are getting into the business of changing sheets and making wake-up calls: the economy. When the hospitality industry is booming, say experts, new brands tend to spring up, hoping to cater to an untapped niche." http://bit.ly/NQq39R
5. EXTRA FEES: Like the airline industry, U.S. hotels are jumping on the extra fees bandwagon, which are due to increased hotel occupancy rates and higher charges for the same services. L.A. Times: "The nation's hotel industry is expected to collect $1.95 billion this year from such things as Internet fees, telephone surcharges, business center fees and resort fees, according to a study by New York University." http://lat.ms/Nwqnot
++ A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: Event Leadership Institute ++
Check out our editor's collection of top-rated video chapters from our class library, and sharpen your event insight. Our Suggested Summer Learning compilation includes content from David Merrell, Jes Gordon, Mindy Weiss, Preston Bailey, Mary Wittenberg, Colja Dams and others. 41 minutes | 10 clips | lots of ideas
* LOCAL NEWS *
BOSTON: On September 7, the new outdoor courtyard at Millennium Bostonian Hotel, which holds as many as 250 guests, will play host to a champagne and cake-cutting reception to honor the hotel's 30th anniversary.
Over Labor Day weekend, Bless by Bless fashion designer Bless Mazarura will team up with Ducati superbikes, Code Blue recovery drinks, and Ultimat Vodka to host an end-of-summer party at Hotel Indigo's BOKX Pool. The event includes a swimwear fashion show, superbike displays, dueling DJs, and a custom vodka ice luge.
CHICAGO: The InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile has become the first Chicago hotel to install electric vehicle charging stations. Guests can reserve a charger through a Blink Network app or on the Blink Network Web site.
Chef Jean Joho will team up with chef Jacques Torres to host the first No Kid Hungry dinner at Everest on September 19. The event includes cocktails and auctions with prizes such as a dinner for two at Eiffel Tower restaurant.
Vernissage, the opening night benefit and preview party for EXPO Chicago, will take place on September 19 after an eight-year hiatus. The event offers a look at the expo's artworks, a Museum of Contemporary Art pop-up shop, and snacks from chefs like Graham Elliot and Ryan Poli.
Experient, a Chicago-based marketing agency, has been named to the Inc. 500/5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies.
Redmoon Theater's Boneshaker event takes place October 27. Planners are advertising "one night of chaos" with "61 skeletons," "270 pounds of propane," "1,300 pancakes," and more.
LOS ANGELES: Amazon announced a September 6 press conference, prompting speculation that the company will release a new Kindle. http://onforb.es/Q4KcsH
Los Angeles Times: "In the latest attempt to cultivate a pedestrian lifestyle in Los Angeles, the City Council has approved plans to temporarily block off a few street parking spaces at four locations so they can be turned into tiny public plazas big enough to hold a bench or two."
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI: Miami Herald: "The Sony Open Tennis Tournament, considered the sport’s “fifth Grand Slam” event, wants its county-owned Crandon Park home to get a $50-million makeover with new permanent grandstands, shaded pavilions, a grassy lawn and multi-story stadium additions." http://hrld.us/O5SkE4
NEW YORK: Rent the Runway, the e-commerce site where fashion-lovers can rent designer dresses and accessories, is partnering with the W Hotel during Fashion Week to give guests a chance to shop "closets" of designer duds being showcased at the fashion shows. WWD: "Since we’ve launched two years ago, we’ve found that 20 percent of our orders were being shipping to hotels." http://wwd.us/Pf4A4V
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
TORONTO: Los Angeles-based A-List Communications has teamed up with Toronto's ICON Legacy Hospitality to produce five red-carpet events at AMC Storys—a hospitality complex on Duncan Street—during the Toronto International Film Festival. The events include cocktail parties and cast dinners for festival pieces including Dredd, What Maisie Knew, Writers, At Any Price, and The Iceman.
WASHINGTON: Washington City Paper: "A petition started on the White House Web site asks President Barack Obama's administration to release the recipe for its White House Honey Ale, which made headlines last week after the revelation that Obama stocked it aboard Ground Force One on his trip to Iowa." http://bit.ly/NqbN1U
YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected].
With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Melissa Schorsch, and Anna Sekula in New York.
BizBash Call Sheet is the must-read daily digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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