December 16, 2016: Post-Inauguration Women's March Receives Permit, NBCUniversal to Launch Olympics Channel to Boost Interest, Pitbull Releases Million-Dollar Contract With Visit Florida on Twitter After Lawsuit

1. POST-INAUGURATION WOMEN'S MARCH RECEIVES PERMIT: The Women's March on Washington, which is expected to be the largest demonstration surrounding President-Elect Donald Trump's inauguration, has received a permit for the rally. The event will take place January 21, a day after the inauguration. Washington Post: "The permit, according to D.C. police, says the rally will disperse at the southern part of the Ellipse near the White House, at Constitution Avenue between 15th and 17th streets NW. The Women’s March on Washington’s permit application estimated about 200,000 participants. Organizers of the march had originally advertised that it would rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial, but organizers had not been able to secure their permits through the National Park Service. The National Park Service, which handles such First Amendment permits, said it does not grant any requests until the Presidential Inauguration Committee, which plans the parade and other events to usher in a new president, maps out where it wants to hold inauguration-related activities. Because so many entities—including the National Park Service, Capitol Police and D.C. police—have jurisdiction over parts of downtown Washington, it is likely that the demonstration organizers will still have to work with the National Park Service for parts of the march. About 20 groups have applied for First Amendment permits on National Park Service land around the inauguration, although most have not yet been granted. Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the federal agency, says the agency won’t issue any official permits until closer to Inauguration Day. In the meantime, he said, the National Park Service would be working with groups to find spaces where they can demonstrate." http://wapo.st/2gOrEBj

2. NBCUNIVERSAL TO LAUNCH OLYMPICS CHANNEL TO BOOST INTEREST: NBCUniversal will launch a new cable channel called Olympic Channel, which will air Olympic events and focus on U.S. athletes. The network hopes to grow interest during the two-year gap between Olympics. Los Angeles Times: "NBCUniversal is calling the network a 'partnership' with the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee, but did not disclose the ownership structure of the new entity. Much of the programming will be live Olympic sports coverage. There will also be Olympics-related programs commissioned for the channel, along with archival footage and films from the libraries of NBC Sports and the IOC. The Olympic Channel will be carried by AT&T and DirecTV when it launches in the second half of 2017. Further distribution will be included in future deals that NBCUniversal negotiates with cable and satellite service providers for its package of cable channels. Executives did not provide a projection of how many homes the channel will reach beyond AT&T and DirecTV customers. The Olympic Channel will only be available to cable and satellite customers and not as a standalone service for streaming video users. Some of the content on the channel will be available on other streaming platforms such as NBCSports.com. NBCUniversal has invested $12 billion in the U.S. television rights to the Olympic Games through 2032. The Summer Games in Rio fell short of ratings expectations this past summer as the average broadcast TV audience of 25.4 million was the smallest since 2004." http://lat.ms/2hC5j70

3. PITBULL RELEASES MILLION-DOLLAR CONTRACT WITH VISIT FLORIDA ON TWITTER AFTER LAWSUIT: Miami rapper Pitbull revealed on Twitter Thursday that he had a $1 million contract with Florida tourism bureau Visit Florida to promote the state as a tourism destination last year. Pitbull’s production company was sued earlier this week by the House speaker for the release of the contract. Orlando Sentinel: “‘It’s been an honor to represent Miami and the Sunshine State. I’ve taken Miami and Florida worldwide—WAY before any contract, and will do so way after. I love my home state,’ Pitbull tweeted with a link to contract itself. The amount of the contract drew scorn from some lawmakers. On Tuesday, House Speaker Richard Corcoran sued PDR Productions, Pitbull’s management company, in Leon Circuit Court for blocking access to the agreement. Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, said Thursday it was ‘unfortunate’ it took legal action to make the contract public, but he’s also slammed the existence of Visit Florida, a public-private group created by lawmakers 20 years ago. ‘The reality is that not one single [piece of] evidence is out there to suggest that there is a correlation between the amount of money we spend on advertising and the amount of tourists,’ Corcoran said on WFTL radio in West Palm Beach. ‘This agency didn't even exist prior to 1996. And guess what, we had tons of tourism. Tourism is determined upon the economy. When people are doing well, they come here more. When they're not doing well, they come here less. It doesn't matter how much we spend.’… During the deal, which ran from July 1, 2015 to June 30, Pitbull sent 19 tweets with the #LoveFL hashtag, and three after the contract expired. He was already in the habit, having tweeted 10 times with that message in the six months prior to the contract, which was not renewed.” http://bit.ly/2gSlVZG

* LOCAL NEWS *

CHICAGO:  The Talbott Hotel, a Joie de Vivre property, will close January 1 for extensive renovations and reopen in May. The hotel will feature a new look from interior design firm Kara Mann, upgrades to the lobby and meeting and event spaces, and revamps to guest rooms and suites. The hotel also will add 50 additional rooms, bringing the total to 179.

HOUSTON:  Houston won a bid to host the World Petroleum Congress in 2020, beating out Vancouver. The global energy conference is expected to draw 10,000 attendees from 70 countries, and have direct expenditures of more than $60 million. The next World Petroleum Congress will be held in 2017 in Istanbul, Turkey.

LOS ANGELES:  Clive Davis and the Recording Academy will present the annual Pre-Grammy Gala on February 11 at the Beverly Hilton, the night before the Grammys. BET Networks Chairman and C.E.O. Debra L. Lee will be recognized as the Grammy Salute to Industry Icons honoree.

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

MAUI, HAWAII:  Wailea Beach Resort—Marriott, Maui, will debut its $100 million renovation on December 24. The transformation includes a new open-air arrival area layout, 491 reimagined guest rooms and 56 suites, the two-acre Nalu Adventure Pool complex, and 30,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and 72,000 square feet of outdoor event space. New dining concepts include Hawaiian concept Humble Mart Kitchin by Roy Yamaguchi and Kapa Bar & Grill.

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The inaugural Christmas Block Party will take place Saturday in the Leah Arts District. The event benefits His House Children's Home. Miami New Times: http://bit.ly/2hTmTTc

Luxury lifestyle and hospitality brand Nikki Beach Worldwide will host Magical Garden-theme New Year's Eve events at its locations, including Nikki Beach Miami. The hotel will serve a three-course meal that includes beef carpaccio, lobster ravioli, and edible flowers.

NEW ORLEANS:  The 23rd annual Essence Festival, which will take place June 30-July 2 at the Louisiana Superdome, has announced its initial lineup. Headliners include Diana Ross, Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Erykah Badu, and John Legend.

NEW YORK:  Tim Ho Wan, the world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant, opens today. Gothamist: http://bit.ly/2gPNEu1

The 27th annual Financo C.E.O. Forum will take place January 16 at 583 Park Avenue.

The Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture will hold its 2017 awards dinner on April 25 at the Plaza.

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

TORONTO:  Evergreen Brick Works will host its inaugural Wild Winter Wonderland January 21-22. Sponsored by the Wild Blueberry Association of North America, the family-friendly event will offer educational workshops; live cooking demonstrations; and vendors including Wafel Bar, Clement Crepes, and Magic Oven. Kids' activities will include making blueberry ice pops.

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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin and Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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