1. MAGAZINES ARE CANCELING WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION EVENTS: While the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner used to be a major social event, the presence of the Trump administration in Washington has caused numerous publications including The New Yorker and Vanity Fair to cancel their usual A-lister-filled dinner parties. The New York Times: "The New Yorker is canceling the kickoff party that it usually holds at the W Hotel, according to a spokeswoman for the magazine, Natalie Raabe. Vanity Fair is pulling out of co-sponsoring the dinner’s most exclusive after-party, a celebrity-studded affair most recently hosted at the French ambassador’s residence that is considered the capital’s hottest ticket of the year. Vanity Fair’s co-sponsor, Bloomberg L.P., is proceeding with its plans for the party, but no final decision has been made on the event, a spokesman said on Thursday. (Bloomberg has previously sponsored the after-party on its own.) Coupled with plans by the comedian Samantha Bee to hold an alternative event on the night of the dinner—scheduled for April 29—the moves are a sign that the arrival of Mr. Trump is turning off the Hollywood and New York boldface names who flocked to see President Obama at the event in years past.… Another question is who might fill seats that may be vacated by the Hollywood establishment, which has publicly railed against the Trump administration. In past years, celebrities have flooded Washington for the weekend, creating what some journalists feel is a distorted view of the relationship between the press, the presidency and the Hollywood establishment. Organizers of the dinner and other events say that the relationship was never supposed to look like a love triangle." http://nyti.ms/2kok52R
2. INTEL DRONES MAKE HALFTIME SHOW HISTORY: One of the highlights of Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday was the presence of 300 Intel Shooting Star drones that lit up the night sky for a light show that transformed into the American flag. The company says this was the first time that drones have been integrated into the Super Bowl. Adweek: “The collaboration is the second time Intel and Lady Gaga have worked together for a major performance. For last year’s Grammy Awards, the tech company used a hologram to transform Gaga’s face into that of David Bowie as a tribute to the late singer who died earlier in the year. ‘Lady Gaga and the Super Bowl creative team wanted to pull off something that had never been done before, and we were able to combine Intel drone innovation with her artistry to pull off a truly unique experience,’ Josh Walden, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s new technology group, said in a statement. ‘The potential for these light-show drones is endless, and we hope this experience inspires other creatives, artists and innovators to really think about how they can incorporate drone technology in new ways that have yet to even be thought of.’ At the end of the Pepsi Halftime Show performance, Intel also created a 10-second spot with the drones by transforming its logo into Pepsi’s. Intel has been boosting the presence of its new technology which, using LED lights, can create more than 4 billion color combinations that are programmed automatically.” http://bit.ly/2laau2T
3. HOW BRANDS GOT POLITICAL DURING THE SUPER BOWL: Brands including Airbnb and Budweiser generated both positive and negative feedback during Sunday’s Super Bowl LI, with ads that seemed to take direct shots at the actions of President Donald Trump. Associated Press: "Coca-Cola aired a previously run ad during the pregame show in which people sing 'America the Beautiful' in different languages. And Budweiser ran a 60-second spot chronicling co-founder Adolphus Busch's migration from Germany to St. Louis in 1857, prompting some critics to start a boycott campaign on Twitter. Even a hair care brand dipped into politics: The 'It's a 10' hair brand indirectly referenced President Donald Trump's famously unruly do in its Super Bowl spot. ... 'The Super Bowl is shaping up as a counterpoint to the divisiveness in the United States,' said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University. Airbnb's ad was one of the more overtly political, showing a variety of different faces with the tagline 'We accept.' Some thought the ad was a hit. 'Kudos to them for making a strong statement,' said O'Keefe. But others, such as Villanova University marketing professor Charles Taylor, thought it didn't have a clear enough link to the brand and risked coming off as a 'purely political statement.' Budweiser drew some criticism for the immigration theme of its ad, including calls on Twitter to boycott the brewer. That fostered debate—and banter—online, particularly over one hashtag that misspelled the company's name, #boycottbudwiser." http://apne.ws/2kd60EI
* LOCAL NEWS *
ATLANTA: The 41st edition of the Atlanta Film Festival will take place March 24-April 2 at Plaza Theatre Atlanta.
AUSTIN: Comedian W. Kamau Bell and clown Puddles Pity Party have joined the lineup of the sixth annual Moontower Comedy & Oddity Festival, which takes place April 19-22.
LOS ANGELES: The Masterpass #ThankTheFans House will take place Thursday through Saturday at the Gibson Brands Sunset to celebrate the Grammys. Designed by BMF Media, the pop-up record store will feature vinyl listening stations, a recording booth, and Gibson guitar displays.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Red Bull Sound Selects's 3 Days In Miami music festival will take place February 23-25 at the Hangar.
The 35th edition of SwimShow will take place July 22-25 at the Miami Beach Convention Center during Miami Swim Week.
NEW YORK: The fifth annual Comedy for a Cause benefit, presented by Gilbert Gottfried and PS 11 in Chelsea, will take place Tuesday at Gotham Comedy Club. The event will feature performances from comics including John Oliver, Phoebe Robinson, and Bonnie McFarlane.
The seventh annual Athena Film Festival runs Thursday through Sunday at Barnard College.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
SAN FRANCISCO: Tulipmania will take place February 11-19 at Pier 39. The event will feature free, guided tours of more than 39,000 tulips from across the world.
TORONTO: The inaugural Toronto Coffee & Tea Expo will take place April 8-9 at the Glass Factory. More than 30 vendors are slated to participate.
YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected].
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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin and Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and 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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