June 1, 2017: International Olympic Committee Leans Toward Paris for 2024, Giant Amusement Mall Receives $1.1 Billion Push to Finish Construction, CNN Drops Kathy Griffin as New Year’s Eve Host

1. INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE LEANS TOWARD PARIS FOR 2024: The International Olympic Committee is expected to choose Paris as the host city of the 2024 Summer Olympics and give Los Angeles the 2028 Games. The Wall Street Journal: “While important details still need to be worked out, top officials overseeing the Olympic bids for the two cities are conceptually lining up behind the plan, these people said. The movement toward an agreement follows months of deliberations and negotiations after the two cities emerged as the finalists to host the world’s biggest sporting event in 2024. Getting the deal finalized is contingent on Los Angeles and the U.S. Olympic Committee securing enough incentives that waiting an additional four years for the Games remains financially viable and beneficial to the city, the people said. That would allow Los Angeles officials to claim victory after they have said for months that their primary aim was getting the 2024 Games. … Paris officials say focusing on 2024 has become something of a necessity because key elements of the bid may not be available four years later. Ironically, those weaknesses seem to have helped Paris’s cause. For example, the Paris bid relies on billions in public funding that could disappear if it does not win the Games for 2024. Also, the private owners of land that has been set aside for the athletes’ village have said they won’t wait another four years to develop the property. IOC executives have has accepted the argument that Paris should go first because the financial underpinnings of its bid are more tenuous.” http://on.wsj.com/2sdun9I

2. GIANT AMUSEMENT MALL RECEIVES $1.1 BILLION PUSH TO FINISH CONSTRUCTION: The future American Dream mall—a 2.9 million-square-foot tourist destination slated to open in the New Jersey Meadowlands—received a $1.1 billion bond to help complete construction, nine months after the sale had been planned. The New York Times: "In the story of the mall’s creation, the delay was a minor speed bump. Thirteen years after it was first announced, the project is on its third developer and is being built in the face of growing doubts about the viability of shopping malls and retail stores across the country. The associated-risks section of the bond offering runs to 38 pages. But the current developer, Triple Five Group, contends that American Dream’s blend of retail stores and entertainment venues—the sprawling complex is to include a six-acre indoor water park, a Ferris wheel, movie theaters and an indoor amusement park, as well as Saks Fifth Avenue, Hermès, Toys “R” Us and Old Navy—is the future and the 'complete opposite of a traditional mall.' 'It should become the pre-eminent tourist attraction, not just in New York, but in all of North America,' said Don Ghermezian, whose family controls the Triple Five Group. 'There are 13 major attractions, ranging from a half-billion-dollar theme park to a $30 million aquarium.' The company already owns the two largest malls in North America: Mall of America outside Minneapolis, at 5.6 million square feet, and the West Edmonton Mall in Canada, at 5.2 million square feet. The $3 billion American Dream project sits next to MetLife Stadium, home of the Giants and Jets football teams, eight miles west of Times Square. Workers are renovating the unfinished multistory building erected by two previous developers and pouring the foundations and concrete structures for the water and amusement parks." http://nyti.ms/2qJtpjf

3. CNN DROPS KATHY GRIFFIN AS NEW YEAR€�S EVE HOST: Following the release of controversial photos that involved Kathy Griffin holding a graphic replica of Donald Trump’s head, CNN has fired the comedian as host of its annual New Year’s Eve show. CNN Money: “CNN's decision comes one day after photos were released of Griffin that showed the comedian holding up a bloody head resembling that of President Donald Trump. ‘CNN has terminated our agreement with Kathy Griffin to appear on our New Year's Eve program,’ the network said in a statement. Griffin has apologized for the photos, taken by provocative celebrity photographer Tyler Shields. ‘I beg for your forgiveness. I went too far,’ she said in a video posted to Instagram late Tuesday. ‘I made a mistake and I was wrong.’ … Griffin has co-hosted CNN's annual New Year's Eve program alongside Anderson Cooper since 2007. The rapport between Cooper and the unpredictable Griffin was a frequent point of discussion on social media during the countdown to the ball drop. On Tuesday night, a CNN spokesperson called the photos ‘disgusting and offensive.’ Cooper said he was ‘appalled by the photo shoot.’ ‘It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate,’ he wrote on Twitter. Shields, who is known for his envelope-pushing images, released the photos on Tuesday morning and swiftly came under fire by people on social media.” http://cnnmon.ie/2rpCnX4


* INDUSTRY NEWS *

Pro Em Party & Event Rentals has acquired Partytime-Hdo Productions, an Illinois-based company that provides tenting, flooring, lighting, and fabric design for sporting events, corporate functions, and weddings. 

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  Beat Brasserie will host a night dedicated to Aretha Franklin on June 8. Jazz singer Liz Tobias and other performers will sing Franklin’s greatest hits. 

LAS VEGAS:  Fashion Show’s family summer movie series will run every Wednesday from June 21-August 9. Presented by Pepsi, the series will screen films including Moana, Finding Dory, and Pete’s Dragon. 

LOS ANGELES:  Coachella 2018 will take place April 13-15 and April 20-22. Advance passes go on sale Friday. 

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The Miami Fashion Institute at Miami Dade College has again joined Miami Fashion Week to offer master classes led by industry experts focused on fashion and sustainability. The master classes will take place June 1-3 at Wolfson Campus. M.I.A.F.W.’s honorary president, actor Antonio Banderas, will lead the first session. 

NEW YORK:  Demos’ annual Transforming America Awards & Gala took place Wednesday at Capitale. The event honored MSNBC’s Joy-Ann Reid, the co-chairs of the Women’s March on Washington, 32BJ SEIU president Hector Figueroa, and New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow. 

Urbanspace’s Broadway Bites kicks off today and runs through July 14 in Greeley Square. Vendors include Hai Street Kitchen, MeltKraft, and the Doughnut Project.

The seventh annual Lower East Side Film Festival, which takes place June 8-15, will offer feminist ticket prices of $16 for Ladies’ Night on June 12 at Sunshine Cinema. 

The International Live Events Association's New York Metro Chapter will present its Big Apple Awards June 19 at the John Philip Sousa House. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to BizBash president Richard Aaron, and the Hall of Legends Award will go to Jennifer Claire Scott of Access New York Metro/Empire Force Events. The group will also install its 2017-2018 leadership and board of directors.  

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  Xenia Hotels & Resorts has purchased the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. The hotel, which has 815 rooms and more than 65,000 square feet of event space, will continue to be managed by Hyatt. 

SeaWorld Orlando is offering a new show through September 4. "Pop" is a choreographed "bubble artistry" show led by Fan Yang. 

SAN FRANCISCO:  Hotel Via is slated to open in June. Located in South Beach across from AT&T Park, the 159-room hotel will offer tech-focused amenities including a customized mobile concierge app for guests called Keypr, a keyless door lock system called VingCard Essence, and personal tablets in guest rooms. 

TORONTO:  This year’s Socan Awards, which celebrate the songwriting, composing, and music publishing of Socan members, will take place June 19 at Sheraton Centre Hotel. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The Mautner Project of Whitman-Walker Health will present the Capital Pride Women's Kick-Off Party—with co-hosts Tagg Magazine and Ladies of Lure—on June 3. Mautner provides care and wellness services to L.G.B.T.Q. women. The event will feature Latin and barbecue street food and festive dance party in the parking lot of Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, which will be transformed into a colorful city gardenscape.

YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

JOB BOARD: Post a job or find a job: http://jobs.bizbash.com

With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, Rayna Katz, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.

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