March 16, 2018: North American 2026 World Cup Bid Features 23 Cities, Land O’Lakes Taught SXSW Attendees How Food and Tech Intersect, Trump Hotel Managers Say Food Writers Are Intentionally Ignoring Their Restaurants

1. NORTH AMERICAN 2026 WORLD CUP BID FEATURES 23 CITIES: Cities including New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Toronto, Miami, and Seattle could host 2026 World Cup games if a combined North American bid wins the rights to host. The New York Times: "Those six cities—and 17 more—are on a final list the bid committee representing the United States, Mexico and Canada will submit to FIFA on Friday, the deadline for completed proposals. FIFA will choose the 2026 host in June, in a vote of its 211 member associations. The only other country bidding for the event is Morocco. The list announced Thursday, which will be pared down further if the bid succeeds, includes three cities in Mexico (Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey) and three in Canada (Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto), but the vast majority will be in the United States. Under the bid’s previously announced structure, the United States will host 60 of the tournament’s 80 games. The American markets that made the cut span the North American continent: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington in the East; Atlanta, Nashville, Orlando and Miami in the Southeast; Cincinnati, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston and Denver in the Midwest and Mountain West; and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle on the West Coast. The announcement also contained several surprises in its omissions: Vancouver, British Columbia, which hosted the 2015 Women’s World Cup final, and Chicago, home to matches in the 1994 World Cup as well as to the headquarters of the U.S. Soccer Federation, both withdrew from contention this week. In each city, political leaders cited discomfort with the terms of the agreement host cities must sign, saying that even though Vancouver and Chicago have World Cup-size stadiums in place, the contract included too many 'unknowns' related to tax breaks for FIFA and the host cities’ potential liability for cost overruns and security." http://nyti.ms/2GA3hkk

2. LAND O'LAKES TAUGHT SXSW ATTENDEES HOW FOOD AND TECH INTERSECT: While Land O’Lakes is mainly known for its butter, the brand presented itself in a new light by partnering with Microsoft and National Geographic for an interactive SXSW activation, which was designed to teach attendees how food, technology, and agriculture intersect. Adweek: “The brand also wants people to know that it is more than just a company that makes butter—it’s also an agricultural co-op that uses technology to help solve the problem of feeding the world in the future. With that in mind, Land O’Lakes worked with agency Colle McVoy and Civic to create a 6,000-square-foot space at SXSW in Austin, Texas, called ‘The Food Effect.’ … The activation featured three different interactive elements. In one area, Land O’Lakes had a giant head of lettuce people could put their own heads inside to check out a VR experience on innovative farming. There was also a Ford Bronco—found at a local salvage yard—covered in soil. The team cut off the front third of the car to demonstrate that soil absorbs carbon dioxide. ‘Land O’Lakes wants to be provocative,’ Mark Andersen, Colle McVoy group creative director, said. ‘They want to capture people’s attention to prove a point in an interesting way and draw them in to be part of this conversation so Land O’Lakes can sincerely help move food forward.’ There was also an interactive DNA helix to teach people about bio-fortification hacking and a giant wall of telephones playing recordings of people either struggling with hunger or those trying to solve hunger across the world.” http://bit.ly/2FDL8F7

3. TRUMP HOTEL MANAGERS SAY FOOD WRITERS ARE INTENTIONALLY IGNORING THEIR RESTAURANTS: Managers of the Trump International Hotel in Washington—mainly managing director Mickael Damelincourt—say local food writers are purposely not covering the property’s restaurants. Washington Post: “Earlier this week, he borrowed a page from his sometime boss over at the White House: Damelincourt tweeted a complaint about a list that broke down the ‘11 D.C. Restaurants That Crush Dessert.’ Spoiler alert: The Eater DC list doesn’t include the hotel’s steakhouse, BLT Prime by David Burke, or the Benjamin Bar and Lounge, which hosts a weekly ‘dessert night,’ featuring a spread from executive pastry chef Fabrice Benezit in the grand lobby. The omission didn’t sit right with Damelincourt, who fired off a Trumplike response on Twitter. This got us thinking: Do the food media ignore the Trump International Hotel and its BLT Prime steakhouse in their coverage? Trump International Hotel, in the Old Post Office Pavilion, opened on Sept. 12, 2016, and BLT Prime debuted a few days later. Since then, there has been plenty of coverage of BLT Prime, the hotel and even the property’s forthcoming sushi restaurant, Nakazawa. The early food coverage focused a lot on prices, what President Trump ordered when he dined at BLT Prime and how Anthony Bourdain would never set foot in the sushi spot. Controversy seemed key for the media to cover the hotel and its restaurants, whether a racial discrimination complaint filed by black employees at BLT Prime or the inflammatory remarks of Nakazawa owner Alessandro Borgognone, who bashed Washington’s dining scene. But a year and a half later, the hotel and the steakhouse have to fight for coverage, just like every other business in Washington. It would seem they’re losing the battle, and Patricia Tang is not happy. She’s the hotel’s director of sales and marketing at Trump International Hotel, has done similar work for 15 years at other upscale properties, including the Salamander Resort and Spa in Middleburg, Va., and said she never before encountered such resistance from the press. Tang said events and activities at the hotel rarely, if ever, make the local roundups and listings. She mentioned not just dessert night, but also cheese night, holiday events and other activities around the hotel.” http://wapo.st/2HBPjOq

* LOCAL NEWS *

CHICAGO:  The Lupus Society of Illinois has announced dates for its three fund-raising walks this year. The 11th annual Northern Suburbs Illinois Lupus Walk will take place May 6 at the Half Day Forest Preserve; the 10th annual Southern Suburbs Illinois Lupus Walk will take place May 12 at Bicentennial Park in Olympia Fields; and the 13th annual Western Suburbs Illinois Lupus Walk will take place August 11 at Naperville Riverwalk’s Grand Pavilion. 

LOS ANGELES:  Wanda Sykes will host the 29th annual Glaad Media Awards, taking place April 12 at the Beverly Hilton. 

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Cheeca Lodge and Spa will reopen March 30 following a $25 million renovation after Hurricane Irma. The renovation includes upgrades to the hotel’s 4,600 square feet of event space and a new 525-foot fishing pier. 

NEW YORK:  The Lincoln Center Young Patrons, a membership group that supports Lincoln Center’s arts education, will host its gala tonight at the Weylin in Brooklyn. The Roaring ‘20s-theme black-tie event will feature performances by Lea DeLaria of Orange Is the New Black, the Sugartone Brass Band, and New York-based art collective Waffle.  

The sixth annual Great American Hat Show will take place April 28 at the Watson Hotel. 

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  Walt Disney World hotels will start charging for overnight parking. Travel and Leisure: http://tandl.me/2GwS7wK

TORONTO:  The Global Business Travel Association’s GBTA Conference 2018—Toronto will take place April 16-18 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  A day before the “March for Our Lives” rally, the Newseum will host student journalists from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School March 23 in a program called “Witnessing and Reporting Tragedy: The Student Journalists of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.” Margaret Brennan, moderator of Face the Nation on CBS, will lead the discussion. 

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 and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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

Feed the Sheet: [email protected]

Subscribe: www.bizbash.com/bizbashdaily

Advertise with BizBash: [email protected]