June 17, 2016: Major Companies Drop Sponsorship of Republican National Convention, London-Based Festival Promoter Closes, Rio de Janeiro Unveils Olympic Village

1. MAJOR COMPANIES DROP SPONSORSHIP OF REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION: Previous Republican National Convention sponsors including Ford, Wells Fargo, UPS, and JPMorgan are either dropping or scaling back sponsorship of the upcoming convention in Cleveland, presumably because of Donald Trump’s impending nomination. None of the companies stated publicly the reasons for backing out, but many also stated they won’t support the Democratic convention either. Bloomberg: “Big corporations usually shy away from partisan politics, but they often support conventions to promote their brands and schmooze with state and federal officials. Trump’s nomination threatens both of those priorities, according to Republican operatives who advise companies on political activities. ‘It’s a question of balancing the desire to be present at this convention versus brand association with one figure who is so polarizing,’ said Bruce Haynes, a Republican media consultant in Alexandria, Virginia. ‘That's why the decision is so difficult, when otherwise it's so easy.’Plenty of big companies and industry groups remain committed to the convention. The American Petroleum Institute, the chief trade group for the oil and gas industry and a top donor to the 2012 convention, told Bloomberg it ‘will be participating’ this year, without elaborating on the form that would take. AT&T Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Alphabet Inc.'s Google, Twitter Inc., and Facebook Inc. have previously disclosed plans to provide technical services to the convention at no cost. With just over a month to go before the doors open at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, some companies that have contributed to past events remain coy about their plans for this year. These include some of the largest companies targeted by the activist campaign, including Apple Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Xerox Corp., and Adobe Systems Inc.” http://bloom.bg/1rsLen0

2. LONDON-BASED FESTIVAL PROMOTER CLOSES: Festival and live events promoter All Tomorrow's Parties has closed down due to a number of issues including months of payment disputes with artists and venues, bad publicity, and unexpected event cancellations. Founded in 1999, the London-based company has had stages at Pitchfork Music Festival, and launched its own festival in 2008. Billboard: "'It is with deep sadness we are announcing that ATP Festivals and live promotions are closing down,' organizers wrote on Thursday (June 16) on ATP’s Facebook page. 'After months of speculation, our funding for Iceland has been pulled and we are no longer able to continue so will be closing down the entire live side of ATP festivals and live promotions with immediate effect and going into administration,' the statement read. Organizers also noted that while ATP Iceland is canceled, its other planned UK shows, including London gigs from Godspeed You! Black Emperor and film director/composer John Carpenter, will go ahead with new promoters appointed. Although confirmation of ATP’s closure is not a huge surprise given recent events, it still marks a sad end for a once successful and pioneering music promotion company that helped popularize the spread of music events being staged in British holiday camps (initially Pontins Holiday Camp in Camber Sands) and artists playing their classic albums in full." http://bit.ly/1rsKvC1
 

3. RIO DE JANEIRO UNVEILS OLYMPIC VILLAGE: The Rio 2016 Olympic Village opened on Thursday, giving the world a first look at the giant, $835 million complex located in the Barra da Tijuca suburb of the city. Paste Magazine: The village holds seven compounds with 31 buildings all stretching to 31 stories tall. Each building contains 3,604 flats with more than 18,000 beds. The entire village can house an estimated 17,950 people and spans 200,000 square meters. The compound also includes a 72,000 square-meter park and a 5,500 square-meter reflecting pool. According to the AP, the Village will open up to buyers as a luxurious condominium complex after the Olympics, with one unit costing up to $700,000." http://bit.ly/1UbGZUO

* LOCAL NEWS *

COAST TO COAST:  The James Beard Foundation's Taste America national epicurean tour will take place September 23-November 5. Featuring one-night-only collaborative dinners, the tour will stop at Los Angeles, Phoenix, Kansas City, New Orleans, Chicago, Portland, Oregon, Twin Cities, Boston, Charleston, and San Francisco.

BOSTON:  Turner's Seafood Restaurants and Smolak Farms have partnered to host Whim, a farm-to-table pop-up dining experience, on Wednesday.

DENVER:  International television and content festival SeriesFest: Season Two will take place June 22-26 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The event will open with a performance by Sia, and the North American premiere of BBC America's The Hunt.

LONDON:  Ruby J Events, an event production and design firm, will produce NBC Universal’s V.I.P. hospitality lounges around the Copacabana beach area during the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The company previously worked with NBC Universal for the London Games in 2012 and at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.

LOS ANGELES:  OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network hosted a private screening event at the Lot in West Hollywood to celebrate the premiere of its new drama series, Greenleaf, on June 15. A Memphis barbecue reception followed.

This year's Airbnb Open, the rental service's annual host convention, will take place in Los Angeles in November.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  FUNDarte's Out in the Tropics performing art series has announced that it's donating half of its ticket revenue to those affected by the June 12 tragedy in Orlando. This year's Out in the Tropics series, which celebrates L.G.B.T.Q. artists at various venues, kicked off Wednesday and concludes on Saturday.

Wedding Salon is hosting a showcase Monday at the Conrad Miami. The event will include Ana Paz Cakes, cocktails, beauty makeovers by Saks, a runway fashion show, honeymoon sweepstakes, and product giveaways. Wedding Salon requires that attendees be engaged and at least 21 years old. 

NEW YORK:  Modern dance company Rioult Dance NY will host its Gala Evening on Wednesday. The event will feature a performance at the Joyce Theater and a gala dinner at Studio 450.

Lincoln Center's seventh edition of the White Light Festival will take place October 16-November 16. The multidisciplinary festival will feature 41 performances taking place at 10 venues on and off the Lincoln Center campus.

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, in partnership with Visit Orlando, will host "Dine Out for Orlando United" on June 30. Participating restaurants will donate a portion of their proceeds to the OneOrlando Fund, created in response to the Pulse nightclub shooting. Guests will also be able to make a direct donation. Participating restaurants will be listed online at frla.org/dine-out-orlando/.

SAN FRANCISCO:  Sound Summit: A Benefit for the Mountain, an annual fund-raiser for Mount Tamalpais State Park by Roots & Branch Conservancy, will take place September 17 at the Mountain Theater. Bay area radio personalities Murph & Mac will serve as emcees for the event, which will feature performances by Wilco and Los Lobos.

TORONTO:  The Junction Summer Solstice Festival will take place Saturday. The daylong event will have summer-theme entertainment, a projection show, late-night shopping, local street food, and more.

Harbourfront Centre's 11th annual Ritmo y Color festival will take place July 15-17. The Mexican culture festival will feature music, dancing, food, and wrestling.

VANCOUVER:  Teambuilding company Eventology has launched a series of Olympic-theme teambuilding events leading up to the Summer Olympics. Events include a "build your own boat" race, a high-tech treasure hunt, and an indigenous games-inspired competition.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Silent Dance Society has cancelled its regular Saturday Silent Disco events this week in order to hold a "Love to Orlando" fund-raiser for OneOrlandoFund, helping people affected by the June 12 mass-murder tragedy. S.D.S. has teamed up with the Washington Blade for the fund-raising event, which will take place Saturday at the Rooftop of the Liaison Capitol Hill.

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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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