1. BONNAROO ANNOUNCES LINEUP AND NEW FLUSHING TOILETS: Pearl Jam, LCD Soundsystem, and Ellie Goulding are among the performers at the 15th annual Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tennessee, in June. Conan O’Brien announced the lineup on his talk show Tuesday night, along with new amenities like flushable toilets to make the famously rural festival more fan-friendly. Rolling Stone: “Along with its characteristically impressive lineup, this year's Bonnaroo will also feature 400 toilets, hundreds of showers and additional water filling stations, all of which were installed on a new water line that runs through the festival grounds.” http://rol.st/1Kq4Uvi
2. RIO OLYMPICS DOWNSIZES VENUES TO CUT COSTS: As Brazil struggles through an economic crisis, it has made several moves to cut costs of the Summer Olympics. Strategies include downsizing venues for beach volleyball and other sports, reducing the number of volunteers, and other efforts. Reuters: “Organizers have also agreed to slim down backstage installations and hold off on moving into certain venues. Some venues had separate rooms for security, judges and officials and these will be reduced or even moved to tents.” http://reut.rs/1RRRP65
3. GRAMMYS TO OFFER LIVE OPTION FOR WEST COAST VIEWERS: West Coast TV stations will have the option of broadcasting the Grammys live instead of airing a tape-delayed version. CBS is offering the choice in a one-year experiment. Vulture: “While the Oscars have been seen live across the country for decades, other shows remained tape-delayed to the West Coast until 2009. That’s when NBC, for the first time ever, aired the Golden Globes live across the country. The next year, the Emmys followed suit. The thinking among networks was that, in the age of social media, it didn’t make sense to have Twitter and Facebook exploding with comments about the show, while a big chunk of the country couldn’t watch. CBS execs for years have discussed a similar shift with the Grammys but resisted, in part because the performance-driven nature of the show — people tune in for the singing more than the awards themselves — made a live telecast everywhere less of an imperative. What’s more, until 2015, ratings kept going up for the Grammys; CBS suits weren’t eager to mess with a winning formula.” http://bit.ly/1Ubl1lL
4. CHIPOTLE TO OFFER SUPER BOWL CATERING DEAL AS PART OF COMEBACK STRATEGY: As Chipotle struggles to recover from an E. coli outbreak that sickened more than 500 people across the United States, it hopes to use a catering discount tied to the Super Bowl to bring back customers. Advertising Age: “The company, which has seen sales plummet in the wake of food safety issues, is offering $50 discounts on the first 1,500 catering or ‘Burritos by the Box’ orders for 20 or more for Feb. 7. The Big Game offer also includes a limited-edition gift from the maker of Tabasco, according to Chipotle's web site. It is the first time the company has offered this catering discount package.” http://bit.ly/1ZMaHaG
* LOCAL NEWS *
COAST TO COAST: Destination Hotels properties across the country will add Tesla charging stations as a new green amenity for guests who own a Tesla Model S and Model X.
ATLANTA: The official destination marketing organization for College Park and East Point has rebranded as ATL Airport District.
The Chick-fil-A Foundation has donated more than $1 million to 22 nonprofits for the 2016 True Inspiration Awards. The 22 recipients will be honored at a celebratory event in Atlanta this spring.
AUSTIN: The fifth annual Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival has added Saturday Night Live cast members Leslie Jones and Colin Jost and British comedian Jimmy Carr to its lineup. The festival is slated for April 20-23 at Paramount Theatre.
BOSTON: Serving 500 international beers, World of Beer is scheduled to open at the CambridgeSide Galleria this summer. The venue will serve tavern-style fare, including tacos and mac 'n' cheese.
CHICAGO: Tria Sorelle Group has launched in Chicago. The company—founded by the family behind Fabulous Freddies Italian Eatery—offers catering and event planning services.
DALLAS: Omni Hotels & Resorts has named Peter Strebel C.M.O. and senior vice president of sales.
DENVER: The Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center has appointed Rosana Winarto as director of events.
LAS VEGAS: For the seventh year, Variety the Children’s Charity will host the Oscar viewing party known as “Variety Salutes Hollywood” on February 28 at the Palms.
LOS ANGELES: The Screen Actors Guild awards will announce a new environmental partnership with American Forests at a tree planting ceremony on Thursday at LA River Greenway Trail Pocket Park.
Northern Italian restaurant Officine Brera is slated to open in downtown’s arts district on February 5.
Local event listings from the new Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: The next Diamonds Unleashed’s Salon Series event will focus on "Hispanic Women Disrupting Arts & Culture” on February 10 at Perez Art Museum Miami. A charity ride to benefit girls' education will take place February 9 at SoulCycle South Beach.
NEW YORK: Village Voice's ninth annual Choice Eats tasting event will be held March 11 at Metropolitan Pavilion. The event will feature samples from more than 50 restaurants from the five boroughs, including Luke's Lobster, Broken Spoke Rotisserie, and Queens Comfort.
Local event listings from the new Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA: Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its grand opening on Friday. On Saturday, the new venue will have face painting, balloon art, a DJ, and prizes. Press release: http://bit.ly/1RysNIF
SAN FRANCISCO: Zinfandel will celebrate its 25th anniversary with the Zinfandel Experience, taking place February 25-27 at the Bently Reserve and Pier 27. The event will have tastings from more than 250 wineries and a 25-year anniversary tribute party and supper club at Bently Reserve on February 25.
Mammoth Resorts has launched a new private club geared toward corporate entertaining and teambuilding: Mammoth Skybox. Only 100 businesses are invited to become members, and membership includes lift tickets for unlimited mountain access, luxury transportation, slope-side lodging, and experiences at the mid-mountain Skybox clubhouse and restaurant, reachable by gondola.
TORONTO: Special Olympics Foundation Canada will host Motionball on February 5 at Liberty Grand. The event will have a “Night in the Woods” theme.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The National Cherry Blossom Festival announced dates for this year’s event: March 20-April 17. Kicking off the celebration on March 18 is the annual Pink Tie Party fund-raiser, which will take place at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.
YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected].
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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, Anna Sekula, and Ian Zelaya in New York.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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