June 13, 2018: North America Wins Combined Bid to Host 2026 World Cup, Why There Was a Rise in Emmys For-Your-Consideration Events, Las Vegas and Charlotte Are Lead Contenders for Republican National Convention

1. NORTH AMERICA WINS COMBINED BID TO HOST 2026 WORLD CUP: The United States, Canada, and Mexico have won a combined bid to host the World Cup in 2026. The New York Times: "The North American bid defeated its only challenger, Morocco, by a vote of 134-65. It will be the first time the World Cup is hosted by three countries, but a vast majority of the tournament will be on United States soil. Of the 80 matches, 10 will be held in Canada, 10 in Mexico and 60 in the United States—including the final, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The last time the men’s World Cup was in North America was when the United States hosted in 1994. It was held in Mexico in 1970 and 1986, and Canada has never hosted. Wednesday’s vote was the first in which each FIFA member association was given a say on where the World Cup would be held, and the North Americans rode to victory on a wave of support from the Americas, Europe and Asia, plus a few votes poached from Africa. After months of meetings and arm-twisting, a campaign that began last August when Morocco jumped into the race on the final day that countries could announce their intention to bid, ended in an instant: with electronic vote totals suddenly flashing onto a giant screen. The victory spared U.S. Soccer a second stunning defeat in less than a year; the United States men’s team is missing the World Cup this summer, its first absence since 1986. The American federation spent more than $6 million—out of a combined budget of about $8 million—to bring the World Cup back to North America, and its first-term president, Carlos Cordeiro, had criss-crossed the globe to meet voters since his election in February." https://nyti.ms/2LJXl9U

2. WHY THERE WAS A RISE IN EMMYS FOR-YOUR-CONSIDERATION EVENTS: With so many networks and platforms offering Emmy-worthy content this year, the Television Academy had to allow for more for-your-consideration events than ever before. Los Angeles Times: “Throughout its history, the Television Academy has limited for-your-consideration events targeted at Emmy voters to one per day. But with so many networks and platforms clamoring for space and attention, that rule was relaxed this year with competitive nightly events allowed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The academy also instituted a lottery system—numbers placed in a jar—for its run of official events that ran from March 1 to Sunday, the day before voting began. ‘There are simply more events than available nights,’ academy President Maury McIntyre said. ‘Given the demand, I wouldn’t be surprised if we expanded it even more next year.’ Netflix—and, to a lesser extent, Amazon Studios—hasn’t paid particular attention to the Television Academy’s planning calendar the past couple of years, hosting a wide-ranging series of events touting its programming. Amazon returned to the Hollywood Athletic Club for a couple of weeks in April, promoting such contenders as ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.’ Netflix expanded its already considerable Emmy footprint, taking over three sound stages at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood to display props and costumes from its shows and host almost-nightly events in a 390-seat theater. The evening affairs kicked off in early May with a loose conversation between Jerry Seinfeld and David Letterman and ended Sunday with Jamie Foxx interviewing Barbra Streisand—events designed to reinforce Netflix’s monolithic brand and relationships with top-tier talent.” https://lat.ms/2kZRP7M

3. LAS VEGAS AND CHARLOTTE ARE LEAD CONTENDERS FOR REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION: Las Vegas and Charlotte, North Carolina, are the lead contenders to host the 2020 Republican National Convention. BuzzFeed: “Republican National Committee officials have been meeting and exchanging numbers with potential hosts for months and could announce a site as soon as next month. The secretive nature of the talks is a departure from the very public vetting of past years, when bidding cities would roll out the red carpet for RNC leaders and plan lavish events in hopes of influencing the site-selection process. And that makes it difficult to determine how many cities were genuinely interested in hosting what will be—barring extraordinary but not impossible circumstances, such as the sitting president for whatever reason not standing for reelection or falling to a primary challenger—another Donald Trump coronation. … RNC officials started with a list of roughly 30 cities that theoretically could host a convention. From there, based on mutual interest, the list was culled to seven. Early prospects, according to those familiar with the talks, included Nashville and Kansas City, Missouri, but political scandals involving the then-Nashville mayor and then-Missouri governor presented hurdles. San Antonio was on the list, too, though leaders there declined to bid. The city’s would-be candidacy became public when Brad Parscale, Trump’s reelection campaign manager and a San Antonio native, lashed out at the Democratic mayor for his lack of interest. The mayor and council members cited cost concerns, according to local reports. But many suspect politics played a role—that a city run by Democrats with a majority-Mexican population was a poor fit for a president who in the 2016 campaign spoke disparagingly of Mexican immigrants.” https://bzfd.it/2JQbeWW


* INDUSTRY NEWS *

InterContinental Hotels Group has launched Voco, a new upscale hotel brand. I.H.G. plans to open more than 200 Voco hotels in the next 10 years. The first signing for the Voco brand outside of Europe will be the Watermark Hotel & Spa Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise, Australia. 

Gail Moaney, founding managing partner and head of global travel and lifestyle practice for Finn Partners, was honored with the 2018 Marcella Martinez Award and the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s annual Tourism Industry Awards. 

* LOCAL NEWS *

COAST TO COAST:  Events agency SET Experience Group, which has offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Portland, has launched Bespoke—a production-focused sub-brand that offers custom fabrication tools for clients. 

LOS ANGELES:  The American Film Institute (A.F.I.) has appointed Michael Lumpkin director of A.F.I. festivals. Lumpkin will direct both A.F.I. Fest, which takes place each fall in Los Angeles, and A.F.I. Docs, which takes place each June in Washington. The 16th edition of A.F.I. Docs runs today through Sunday and the 32nd edition of A.F.I. Fest will take place November 8-15. 

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The Wilton Manors Stonewall Parade & Festival will take place June 16. The event commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots and takes place along Wilton Drive. 

NEW YORK:  The 13th annual Jazz Age Lawn Party will take place June 16-17 and August 25-26 at Colonel’s Row on Governors Island. The event will feature live music from Michael Arenella and the Dreamland Orchestra. 

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

SAN ANTONIO:  NTP Events will produce the Air Conditioning Contractors of America's annual conference and expo, which will take place March 4-6, 2019 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

TORONTO:  The second annual Budweiser County Fair will take place July 20-21 at Fort York. The event will have performances by Canadian country acts, barbecue and classic carnival fare, a pie-eating contest, and mechanical bull competitions. 

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, Ian Zelaya, and Kristine Liao in New York.

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