1. LADY GAGA CONFIRMED AS SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW HEADLINER: Lady Gaga is officially returning to the Super Bowl next year, only this time the pop star will be headlining the halftime show of the event's 51st edition. The N.F.L. and halftime sponsor Pepsi announced the news on Thursday before a Miami Dolphins-Cincinnati Bengals game. Los Angeles Times: “The reveal comes weeks after reports surfaced that the singer, who is gearing up to release a new album next month, was in talks for the gig. She performed at this year’s game as well, opening the event with a Broadway-worthy rendition of the national anthem. Speculation of who the NFL was eyeing for the gig heated up over the summer after Adele told fans during one of her sold-out shows at Staples Center that she had turned down the offer. … While Gaga’s record will be out well ahead of her halftime showing at NRG Stadium in Houston in February, the performance will provide an immeasurable boost to the project—it’s out Oct. 21—and her back catalog. On Sunday, Gaga will join Curt Menefee and Michael Strahan on the Fox NFL Sunday Pregame Show to discuss her plans for the show.” http://lat.ms/2d01PZ5
2. HOW THIS CLASSIC ROCK COACHELLA HOPES TO ATTRACT ITS OLDER FANBASE: The inaugural Desert Trip—a music festival from Coachella promoter Paul Tollett and his company Goldenvoice—kicks off next weekend at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, where it hopes to ring in a massive baby boomer crowd with acts including Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young. As the older demographic is often skipped over when it comes to music festivals, the inaugural event has developed numerous ways to satisfy attendees. The New York Times: "The financial scale of Desert Trip has raised eyebrows throughout the industry. Tickets range from $199 for general admission on a single day to $1,599, the highest tier for weekend passes to one of 35,000 assigned seats. On average, attendees will spend more than $1,000 each—a remarkable sum given that the average ticket price to the top 100 tours in North America is about $75, according to Pollstar. Satisfying an affluent crowd that skews toward middle age has become one of the promoters’ main concerns. There is an extensive menu of high-end food, including a $225 four-course meal by chefs like Dominique Ansel and Marcus Samuelsson, and an afternoon-long, all-you-can-eat 'culinary experience' for $179. Mr. Tollett said that he and his team had been laboring over logistics to minimize patrons’ time waiting in line, and spent months scouring the region for more than 1,000 flushable toilets. 'We pretty much wiped out everything into Texas,' Mr. Tollett said of the hunt for rentable restroom trailers, which will supplement the more than 300 toilets already on the site. When asked about the demographics for the show, Mr. Tollett said that all ages were expected, but acknowledged that the crowd would lean heavily toward the baby boomer generation. The festival’s own marketing videos illustrate this, with gray-haired revelers feasting on gourmet food and dancing in the pastel light of the desert dusk. AARP The Magazine, which last year drew headlines around the world for publishing a rare interview with Mr. Dylan, will be sending three reporters to Desert Trip, Mr. Love said. Other media coverage will include a station on SiriusXM devoted to music from the acts on the festival." http://nyti.ms/2dy3Z72
3. SNAPCHAT’S NEW GLASSES ARE AN EASY MOVE TO WEARABLE TECH: Snapchat recently debuted its first-ever wearable tech product, Spectacles, which now give users an entirely new way capture events on the app. The glasses allow users to record 10 seconds of video, which can then sync to a phone to post on the app—which also changed its name to Snap Inc. Engagdet: “Despite a limited initial launch, Spectacles actually represents the beginning of a pretty audacious goal for Snapchat: find the formula for a face wearable that people won't hate. The slow rollout suggests the company knows it needs to start small and slow. But Snapchat is in a unique position to find some traction here—the company's young users are already comfortable recording and sharing everything around them. Even more importantly, they're used to being recorded and shared by their friends. In groups where people are initially using Spectacles, there likely won't be a big backlash to being filmed. That wasn't the case with Google Glass, perhaps the most well-known comparison to Spectacles despite the wildly different price structure and feature sets. … The other big difference is that Spectacles don't look all that different than a regular pair of sunglasses. Yes, they're a pretty loud accessory, but there are plenty of goofy sunglasses out there. Seeing someone wearing Google Glass in public was a bit like seeing an alien; Spectacles are quite a bit more friendly and inviting, at least from the few photos we've seen thus far. But even if Spectacles look more socially acceptable, there's still the fear of users secretly recording video—one of the biggest problems the public at large had with Glass. However, it's easy to forget that the meteoric rise of the selfie and apps like Snapchat, Periscope and Facebook Live have made people a bit less sensitive to sharing video, something that wasn't the case back in 2013.” http://engt.co/2depAhl
* INDUSTRY NEWS *
Morgans Hotel Group shareholders have approved the company's sale to Sbe, in a deal that is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2016. If the acquisition is completed, Sbe will have a portfolio of 20 hotel properties in nine markets, plus several hotels scheduled to open by 2019, and more than 90 entertainment and food-and-beverage outlets.
* LOCAL NEWS *
COAST TO COAST: On October 13, Warner Bros. Pictures is hosting a live worldwide screening event for the Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which arrives in theaters on November 18. Fans at select IMAX movie theaters will get a sneak preview of new film footage and can be a part of a Q&A with the film's director and stars. Participating cities will include London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, Toronto, and Washington, D.C.
Loews Hotels has appointed Christine Lawson as senior vice president of Loews Sales Organization.
ATLANTA: The Cheese Fest, formerly the Atlanta Cheese Festival, takes place tonight at the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot. The event offers access to cheese producers from around the world.
BOSTON: Ames Boston Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, has opened after a multimillion-dollar renovation to the Ames Building. The 114-room boutique hotel will have an event space opening in December that will accommodate as many as 75.
CHICAGO: The Chicago chapter of Wish Upon A Wedding will host its seventh annual Blissful Wishes Ball on November 7 at Morgan Manufacturing.
DALLAS/FORT WORTH: Rave Restaurant Group, the parent company of fast-casual chain restaurants Pie Five Pizza Co. and Pizza Inn, has named Brett Heinen director of franchise development.
Diffa Dallas will host its annual Burgers & Burgundy food, music, and arts festival on October 7 at Ron Kirk Bridge. The event will feature sliders and wines from John Tesar and celebrity chefs.
LAS VEGAS: Cornerstone, an American steakhouse, has opened at Gold Coast Hotel and Casino. The restaurant includes a “liquor library” with more than 60 types of whiskey from around the world.
The Linq Promenade will begin its Halloween attraction, the Zombie Escape, on October 8.
LOS ANGELES: The Children's Diabetes Foundation's Carousel of Hope ball will take place October 8 at the Beverly Hilton.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: The 10th annual Taste of Harbor Beach will take place October 8 at Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa. Proceeds from the culinary event will benefit the Children’s Miracle Network. In related news, the hotel is undergoing renovations of its guest rooms and lobby, with the redesign set to be completed by November.
The Legal Legends Award, which honors members of Miami legal community in the 11th Judicial Circuit, will take place November 3 at the HistoryMiami Museum. Honorees include Gill S. Freeman, Melvia B. Green, Alan Graham Greer, Roberto M. Piñeiro, Herman J. Russomanno, Joseph H. Serota, and Scott Silverman.
Koncept Events has hired Brad Esser as director of operations.
MILWAUKEE: DoubleTree by Hilton Racine Harbourwalk has opened in Racine after undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation. The three-story, 121-room hotel is owned and managed by Graves Hospitality. Dining options at the hotel include Third Coast Wood Fire Pizza & Pub and the outdoor Tiki Bar.
NEW YORK: Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality and start-up reservation system Resy have partnered to equip U.S.H.'s front-of-house restaurant staff with Apple Watches for customer alerts and updates. The service will launch at the new Union Square Cafe, which is set to reopen in October.
Luma Hotel Times Square is expected to open before the end of the year. Designed by architect Peter Poon, the 130-room hotel will house Jose Garces’ new restaurant/bar Ortzi on the ground floor.
Make Music New York has appointed James Burke as executive director.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA: The Dr. Pepper Atlantic Coast Conference Football Championship will be held at Camping World Stadium December 3. The game was originally to take place in Charlotte, but two weeks ago the A.C.C. opted to relocate all 10 of its neutral-site championship events out of North Carolina in response to the state's controversial House Bill 2.
SAN FRANCISCO: The Muir Beach Holiday Arts Fair will take place December 3-4 at Muir Beach Community Center.
TORONTO: The Canadian Opera Company's annual fund-raising gala, Centre Stage, will take place November 3 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin and Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Carla Hay, Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, and Ian Zelaya in New York.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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