1. SWEDEN'S WOMEN-ONLY MUSIC FESTIVAL FOUND GUILTY OF DISCRIMINATION: In August, the Statement festival in Sweden launched as the world's first music festival for only women, trans, and nonbinary attendees. Now, the festival has been found in breach of a gender discrimination law. The Guardian: "The inaugural Statement festival was held in Gothenburg in August following a successful crowdfunding campaign that raised 533,120SEK (£46,555). The DO opened an investigation into the festival in July. A new DO ruling said that although festival organizers did not enforce the 'man-free' rule, since 'no differentiation based on sex was made between visitors at entry,' the statements the company issued prior to the event 'discouraged a certain group from attending the event,' breaching a law banning gender discrimination. The DO found that nobody suffered damage from the festival’s restrictions and no penalties will be imposed. The organizers of Statement responded on Facebook: 'It’s sad that what 5,000 women, non-binaries, and transgender experienced as a life-changing festival made a few cis men lose it completely. The success of the Statement festival shows that is exactly what we need and the DO’s verdict doesn’t change this fact. Otherwise, we have no comments. We are busy changing the world.' ... Statement festival was founded by comedian Emma Knyckare after a series of sexual assaults at Swedish music festivals, including four rapes and 23 sexual assaults at the 2017 edition of the country’s biggest music festival, Bråvalla, which led to the event’s cancellation in 2018." https://bit.ly/2SaIMjx
2. SALT LAKE CITY BIDS TO HOST SECOND WINTER OLYMPICS: As the International Olympic Committee continues to struggle to find cities that want to host the 2026 Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City is looking to host the games for a second time. The city hosted the games in 2002, when it got caught in a bribery scandal. Associated Press: "The race to host the 2026 Winter Olympics is down to just two cities after several dropped out over a lack of local support. Beijing got the 2022 Winter Olympics by attrition, winning by four votes over Almaty, Kazakhstan, after a half-dozen European bidders dropped out, discouraged by soaring costs and taxpayer backlash. That’s why a city that, for a time, stood out as a pariah in the Olympic world is a serious contender again, this time for the 2030 Winter Games—decades sooner than anyone expected and despite that bid scandal. Utah’s capital city is among an increasingly small group of cities worldwide that has the venues needed for winter sports and the willingness to take on the costly task of hosting Olympics that have lost some of their cache. The U.S. Olympic Committee last week chose Salt Lake City over Denver as a future bid city. The IOC will choose a 2030 host by 2023 at the latest. Jules Boykoff, a Pacific University professor who has written widely on the Olympics, said the bribery scandal is 'a pretty big stain on the history of the games.' 'But these days, the International Olympic Committee is not in a position to be overly picky,' Boykoff said." https://bit.ly/2EuvIkR
3. WEDDINGS ARE BRINGING IN BEAUTY BARS FOR GUESTS: It's inevitable that some wedding guests get sweaty and a little untidy after spending time on the dance floor or because of activities throughout the day. To help guests keep their looks fresh, couples are hiring beauty companies to have onsite touch-up stations. The New York Times: "'If you think about it, once you’ve been to the church, in the bus, then get to the reception and go to the restroom, that’s a lot, especially if it’s 100 degrees outside,' said Tara Guerard, an event planner and designer based in Charleston, South Carolina. 'If there’s someone there to fix your hair and take away your sweat, it’s awesome.' Ms. Guerard, who runs Tara Guérard Soirée, recently started incorporating beauty bars in the ladies’ bathrooms at the receptions of weddings she organizes. Depending on the size of the event, she’ll have two to three hair and makeup artists available, complete with lipsticks, curling irons, hair spray, and more to fix any beauty malfunctions. She adds flowers and a 'Glam Bar' sign. ... Brittany Lo, the founder of Beautini, a hair and makeup business in New York City, also offers beauty amenities to guests at weddings and other social events. She will set up in the lounge area of large restrooms at luxury hotels, or private rooms near the reception area if the restroom is small, or stake out a spot next to the photo booth. Even male guests may receive a puff of powder. 'People run to the bathroom every 10 dances or so to make sure that their makeup is in place and they don’t look like a hot mess,' Ms. Lo said. 'This provides a next-level service for them: Someone else quickly does it, and then the guest runs back out to the dance floor.' Ms. Lo says that about 40 percent of the brides she works with opt to keep a makeup artist and hair stylist on hand throughout the day to touch up their look. And since it’s typically an hourly charge, they often keep the stylist on the clock to be at the beauty bar." https://nyti.ms/2EDWvwa
* LOCAL NEWS *
COAST TO COAST: L.B.A. Hospitality has added five hotels to its portfolio of properties in the Southeast United States. The five new properties include Home2 Suites in Katy, Texas; Residence Inn and Spring Hill Suites in Lake Charles, Louisiana; TownePlace Suites Miami Airport; and Hyatt Place Jacksonville Airport.
ATLANTA: Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead has named Kerrington Hing general manager.
LOS ANGELES: In support of the California wildfire recovery efforts, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is donating a portion of every reservation made at the brand’s California hotels to CalFund.Org (up to $25,000) through the end of January.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MONTREAL: Métro Métro, an inaugural hip-hop and rap music festival, will take place May 18-19 at the Olympic Stadium.
NEW YORK: Experiential spy museum Spyscape has partnered with Eon Productions and Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios to launch a James Bond 007 exhibition in early 2019.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA: Centerplate will remain the exclusive food and beverage provider for the Orange County Convention Center after signing a contract that begins January 1. The hospitality company has two options to extend—first for four years and then for another three years.
TORONTO: Art Gallery of Ontario has appointed Heidi Reitmaier deputy director and chief of public programming and learning.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Live Nation Entertainment has appointed Kelly Flanigan president of Washington, D.C. in the U.S. concerts division and Wilson Howard as chief operating officer of Washington, D.C. and the Carolinas in the U.S. concerts division.
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.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
Feed the Sheet: [email protected]
Subscribe: www.bizbash.com/bizbashdaily
Advertise with BizBash: [email protected]
More in Atlanta
Most Popular
