September 24, 2018: How Amazon Uses Seattle As a Testing Playground, Tribeca TV Festival Gives Final 'Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown' Emotional Goodbye, Rapper's First North Carolina Music Festival Canceled by Hurricane Florence Rescheduled for Spring

1. HOW AMAZON USES SEATTLE AS A TESTING PLAYGROUND: Seattle isn't just the city where Amazon is based. The e-commerce company has used locations throughout the city to test out new retail and logistics models, turning the city into its experimental playground. The New York Times: "'Seattle is great for rolling out tests that haven’t been completely debugged,' said Jeff Shulman, a business professor at the University of Washington who hosts a podcast on the city’s culture. In 2015 when Amazon first tested the Treasure Truck, a decorated vehicle that drives around and sells a daily deal like smart watches or plant-based burger patties, it delayed the public debut at least twice before finally going live. The service has since expanded to more than two dozen cities. As the grunge era in music showed more than two decades ago, 'experimentation is embedded in Seattle’s DNA,' Professor Shulman said, so 'you can get early feedback on how people use your product, and they will also be fairly forgiving on the hiccups.' Amazon said it employed more than 45,000 people in the city, and its teams turn to them to test new products and services. ... A second Amazon Go store opened in August, just a mile south of the original, this time in the heart of downtown. Like the original, it uses sensors and cameras to track what customers take off a shelf, so they don’t need to check out. But the store shows how Amazon may adapt the concept to different locations. At 1,450 square feet, it’s smaller than the original, and has a more limited selection, making it feel like a walk-in vending machine selling grab-and-go lunch food and drinks. Unlike the original, it doesn’t sell alcohol, which requires employees to manually check IDs. Starting a technology-heavy experiment like Amazon Go in Seattle makes sense because the culture prizes the avant-garde, Professor Shulman said. But success here can give a false sense of optimism that a product might take off, so Amazon pilots some experiments elsewhere." https://nyti.ms/2QUQOfR

2. TRIBECA TV FESTIVAL GIVES FINAL 'ANTHONY BOURDAIN'S PARTS UNKNOWN' EMOTIONAL GOODBYE: The second annual Tribeca TV Festival in New York held the world premiere of the final season of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown on Sunday. The screening of the premiere, which follows Bourdain and co-host W. Kamau Bell in Kenya, was followed by an emotional panel and audience Q&A. Bourdain committed suicide in June at the age of 61. Deadline: "The crowd at Spring Studios laughed, cried, oohed and ahhed as the episode set in Kenya unfolded. CNN has announced five episodes and two specials will comprise the farewell season, which kicked off Sunday night. After the screening, a reflective and candid conversation with five of his collaborators, moderated by CNN anchor John Berman, explored his work and legacy. While there were plenty of light moments—and humor, thanks in large part to Bell—the night proved to be one of the rare times an audience Q&A prompted tears both onstage and in the crowd. 'It was an evolution of the experience for him,' said executive producer Chris Collins. 'It began 18-19 years ago as a ruse—"They’re going to pay me to go do this stuff?!" And then over time it turned into a job. Then it turned into a profession. And then it turned into a life’s work.' ... No one onstage tackled at any length what the longer-term legacy of the show will be, but Collins came the closest and spoke for everyone present. 'He will resonate further and farther,” he said. “All is not said and done for him tonight.'" https://bit.ly/2xUe2uf

3. RAPPER'S FIRST NORTH CAROLINA MUSIC FESTIVAL CANCELED BY HURRICANE FLORENCE RESCHEDULED FOR SPRING 2019: Rapper J. Cole's inaugural Dreamville Festival was slated to take place on September 10 in Raleigh, North Carolina, but due to Hurricane Florence's impending landfall, the festival was canceled. Dreamville Records confirmed that the festival was rescheduled for April 2019. Billboard: "'We battled with the idea of moving forward with the festival at this time or formally canceling the event. But after receiving unwavering support from the fans and the community, we are excited to announce Dreamville Festival will now take place on April 6, 2019,' Dreamville Records president Ibrahim Hamad said in a press release. The release goes on to state that those who purchased tickets for the original date will have the option to keep their existing tickets that will be honored once again, or they may get a refund, which will be granted in full if requested by October 5. The star-studded lineup of performers included J. Cole, Young Thug, SZA, Big Sean, Nelly, Teyana Taylor and many others. Following Hurricane Florence's storms tearing through the East Coast, the North Carolina-bred rapper's nonprofit organization, the Dreamville Foundation, decided to take action and help aid the reeling residents in Cole's hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Thirty inches of rain caused more than 900,000 power outages in the area and a number of relocations. Food stations and temporary housing options were strategically placed throughout the city for families in need." https://bit.ly/2MV0LXv

* LOCAL NEWS *

CHICAGO:  The 25th annual SOFA (Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design) fair will take place November 1-4 at Navy Pier. 

LOS ANGELES:  Michelle Sussman Kelley has joined the Contemporary Catering team as a senior client experience manager. She previously worked in the wedding department at the Wynn Las Vegas.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Marlins Park will host the second annual Monster Jam motor sport event February 16-17, 2019. 

NEW YORK:  Taste of Trentino will take place Tuesday at Eataly in Flatiron. The event will feature a tasting menu prepared by Italian chefs, with products from the Trentino province served with Trentodoc Wines. The event is open to food and wine importers, distributors and retailers, journalists, food bloggers and influencers, chefs, and food and beverage managers. 

The Chile Pepper Festival will take place September 29 at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. 

The Hereditary Disease Foundation will hold its annual symposium and gala on October 22 at the Harvard Club. 

Scotiabank and the Consulate General of Canada in New York will celebrate the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize with an event November 7 at the New Museum. The award promotes excellence in Canadian fiction. 

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

SAN DIEGO:  Hotel del Coronado has appointed Lauren Adams director of national accounts. 

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.

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