September 19, 2018: North and South Korea Plan to Jointly Host 2032 Summer Olympics, Former Pro Football Players Threaten to Boycott Hall of Fame Ceremonies If They Don't Get Health Insurance Coverage, Emmy Ratings Hit Record Low

1. NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA PLAN TO JOINTLY HOST 2032 SUMMER OLYMPICS:
North and South Korea plan to launch a joint bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics. The announcement was made at a news conference Wednesday in Pyongyang, North Korea. Newsweek: "For the time being, it remains unknown which cities might be involved in the bid and there is as yet no indication of how advanced the plans to host the Games are. South Korea hosted the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in February and the Summer Olympics in Seoul in 1988, while North Korea has never hosted an international event. Usually, the International Olympic Committee announces the host cities seven years ahead of the games, which would give the two countries just over six years to put a bid together in time for 2025. Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympics, followed by Paris and Los Angeles in 2024 and 2028 respectively. The race to become the host city for the 2032 Games has already started, with the Australian city of Brisbane putting its candidature forward, while the Indonesian Olympic Committee and its Indian counterpart have both shown interest. ... Last week, South Korean Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan first publicly floated the idea of a joint-bid for the Games, indicating Seoul planned to build on the success from the 2018 Winter Olympics. After tensions between the two Koreas rose after North Korea's ballistic missile tests and threats against the U.S., the Winter Olympics saw the two countries working together and appeared to usher in a cooling of hostilities. Pyongyang agreed to send a delegation to South Korea for the games and athletes from North and South Korea marched together in the opening ceremony under the Korean Unification Flag. Meanwhile, in the women’s ice hockey, players competed as a single united Korean team." https://bit.ly/2D9dKWc

2. FORMER PRO FOOTBALL PLAYERS THREATEN TO BOYCOTT HALL OF FAME CEREMONIES IF THEY DON'T GET HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE: A group of former football players who have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are demanding health insurance coverage and a share of N.F.L. revenues or else they will boycott future induction ceremonies. The group is being led by Eric Dickerson. Associated Press: "In a letter sent to N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and Hall of Fame president David Baker—and obtained by the Associated Press—21 Hall of Fame members cited themselves as 'integral to the creation of the modern N.F.L., which in 2017 generated $14 billion in revenue.' Among the signees were Dickerson, who is listed as chairman of the newly created Hall of Fame Board the group has formed; Jim Brown; Joe Namath; Lawrence Taylor; and Sarah White, the widow of Reggie White. There were questions, though, about how well-organized the group was. Two players whose names are on the letter said they were not part of the boycott effort. Another name on the list of 22 signees including Sarah White was Carl Ellard, but no one by that name has played professional football. Former Vikings defensive end Carl Eller, however, is a Hall of Famer. 'The time has come for us to be treated as part of a game we’ve given so much to,' the letter states. 'Until our demands are met, the Hall of Famers will not attend the annual induction ceremony in Canton. It’s well known that the N.F.L. is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2020, and while we are proud of our role in building this league, we don’t believe 100 years of player exploitation is something to celebrate.' The strongly worded letter called out the league for paying Goodell $40 million, saying 'there are better uses for that money.'  It also criticized Smith for his salary and the lack of a former player on the players’ association executive board. But there have been two former players on that executive board since 2009." https://bit.ly/2NqTNi7

3. EMMY RATINGS HIT RECORD LOW: The 70th Primetime Emmys on Monday were the least watched in history, dropping 11 percent in viewership from 2017. Variety: “In the time zone adjusted fast national numbers, this year’s telecast drew a 2.4 rating in adults 18-49 and 10.2 million viewers on NBC. That is down only a scant few percentage points in the demo from the 2.5 rating the Emmys drew last year on CBS, but down 11 percent from the previous viewership low of 11.4 million viewers the Emmys drew in 2017 and 2016. For context, an episode of America’s Got Talent on NBC last Wednesday drew the same viewership as this year’s Emmys. In metered market households, the award show drew a 7.4 rating Monday night, down approximately 10 percent from an 8.2 last year. That also represents a new low in that measure for the Emmys telecast. This marks the latest instance of a major award show taking a hit in the ratings. This year’s Oscars telecast was down 24 percent in the key demo and 19 percent in total viewers compared to last year, while the Grammy Awards were down 23 percent in total the demo and 24 percent in total viewers.” https://bit.ly/2xoWYgh

* LOCAL NEWS *

COAST TO COAST:  The National Hockey League and Jagermeister have formed a partnership, making Jagermeister an official partner of the league. As part of the partnership, Jagermeister will hold consumer activations at the N.H.L. Winter classic, the N.H.L. All-Star Weekend, and other N.H.L. marquee events.  

LOS ANGELES:  Music, comedy, and pop culture festival Big Adventure will take place November 3-4 at OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa. Music headliners include Empire of the Sun, Modest Mouse, and Phantogram, while comedy headliners include Maria Bamford, Patton Oswalt, and Natasha Leggero. 

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The Salvation Army of Broward County’s sixth annual Red Shield ReDesign Bash will take place October 19 at the Gallleria in Fort Lauderdale. Author and TV personality Martin Amado will be the event’s guest host.  

NASHVILLE:  The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp has appointed London-based public relations and marketing company Hills Balfour as its European representative office. Hills Balfour will manage sales, marketing, and PR. for the tourism board as part of a strategy to promote Nashville to the European market, following the debut of British Airways’s direct flight from London to Nashville in May. 

NEW YORK:  Italian coffee brand Illy will take over Chefs Club Counter September 30-October 3 to celebrate its annual Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award. Chefs Antonia Klugmann and Alfio Ghezzi and nine finalists of the award will offer tastings of nine distinct coffees. 

The Pierfest Fourth Annual Fall Festival will take place October 7 at Pier Village in Long Branch, New Jersey. The event will have family-friendly activities, local vendors, live music, and local food and drink specials at Pier Village restaurants.

The East Hampton Historical Society is presenting the exhibition "You're Invited: 150 Years of Parties & Picnics in East Hampton" through October 7 at the Clinton Academy Museum. 

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld will complete a 30,000-square-foot expansion of meeting and event space in January. The expansion, which will bring the hotel’s event space square footage to more than 215,000, will include a new ballroom, six breakout rooms, and a conference board room. 

SAN DIEGO:  InterContinental San Diego has opened at the San Diego waterfront. The 400-room property has five restaurants and 95,000 square feet of meeting and event space. 

TORONTO:  The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair has launched a new campaign and programming ahead of its next edition, which will take place November 2-11. New events will include the Burnbrae Farms Culinary Academy and the Country Music Culinary Festival. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Hamilton Hotel Washington, D.C. is undergoing a transformation into a luxury, independent hotel, with upgrades debuting this fall and a completion slated for spring 2019. Upgrades will include a redesigned lobby and new restaurant and bar concept, as well as a guest suite themed “The Newsroom” in partnership with the Newseum. 

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With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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