1. I.R.S. CONFERENCE SPENDING DRAWS CRITICISM: An internal report detailed what it called "excessive" spending on a $4 million I.R.S. conference in Anaheim, California, in August 2010, and it looked at spending on 225 conferences over a two-year period. CBS News: "The [Treasury Inspector General report] makes several recommendations for the I.R.S., such as using I.R.S. employees to plan conferences, developing guidelines for conference planning, and reconsidering hotel upgrades. The report also recommends guidelines for when it's appropriate to travel for preplanning conferences, as well as procedures for making videos at future conferences." http://cbsn.ws/1b1LOco
2. MORE FEMALE PANELISTS WANTED AT EVENTS: Bloomberg Link, which produces dozens of conferences each year, is seeking more female panelists and is asking for nominations through a new effort called Link-W, which managing editor Jason Kelly just announced. "We’ve seen firsthand the scarcity of female voices on stage and we want to help change it. … For us, Link-W is an exercise in enlightened self-interest. We want an excellent product on stage, and conversations that engage, enlighten, and provoke our audience, in the room and beyond." Bloomberg Link blog: http://bit.ly/11cApqk
3. "DEPRESSED" POP-UP BAKERY TO SELL SAD-LOOKING TREATS: The Depressed Cake Shop, a pop-up charity concept in London August 2-4, seeks to raise awareness of mental illness and will sell only grey-colored baked goods. Organizers are seeking to expand the pop-up to sites around the world. Miss Cakehead blog: "Barely decorated cakes or cookies will communicate how depression can affect your ability to work, the grey and dull consistent color scheme that all fun can disappear from life. This will be a cake shop like nothing else seen before, the grey, sad-looking, but delicious-tasting cakes powerfully demonstrating the effects of depression." http://bit.ly/18c3kxE
4. KOMEN CANCELS WALKS IN 7 CITIES: The breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure is canceling three-day walks next year in seven cities where fund-raising goals have not been met: Phoenix, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, San Francisco, and Washington. Reuters: http://nyti.ms/ZNk2AF
5. LUMINATO FESTIVALGOERS TO CREATE DIGITAL ART: Toronto's Luminato Festival will experiment with augmented reality by using a smartphone app to see a virtual gallery in the city's David Pecaut Square while at the same time contributing to a "human heat map." San Francisco-based startup CrowdOptic created the technology. Forbes: "When the event is over and people are done using the app, what they will leave behind is an entirely new type of digital art: a giant, crowdsourced version of the iconic Lancôme rose spanning the length of an entire city square. It will be an enormous, virtual mural of sorts that each person has individually contributed to, just by participating." http://onforb.es/13zEUbW
* LOCAL NEWS *
BOSTON: The Massachusetts General Hospital will host its One Hundred event tonight honoring people advancing the fight against cancer. Actor and Boston native John Krasinski will host.
CHICAGO: Chicago Artists Coalition will host its Starving Artist event on June 29. The event pairs local artists and chefs to create edible installations; there will also be a taco battle and a special installation by Andrea Morris of Cocomori.
LAS VEGAS: Tickets for the Life is Beautiful Festival go on sale Friday. Participating chefs and celebrities include Tom Colicchio, Michael Symon, Beck, and Kings of Leon.
LOS ANGELES: The Jubilee Music & Arts Festival Friday and Saturday is beneath downtown's Sixth Street Bridge and will feature live music, a comedy stage, and Connected Fest, a pop-up shop featuring local fashion brands.
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Miami Romance Month, a promotion from the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, is in its third year and will feature the For the Love of Art charity auction tomorrow and a kissing contest with five couples June 28.
NEW YORK: The Hank Lane Orchestra will play dance music at the 2013 Tony Awards after-party at the Plaza hotel.
The Coney Island Mermaid Parade is June 22. The annual art parade draws more than 1,500 marchers dressed in handmade costumes and last year drew more than 750,000 spectators.
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO: The Simpsons Fast Food Boulevard at Universal Studios is now open and features a real-life Moe's Tavern, a Kwik-E-Mart, and a food court containing Krusty Burger, Luigi's Pizza, and other businesses referenced on the show. http://bit.ly/11RUToF
PHOENIX: Joe Wronski is the new director of sales and marketing at the Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix. The luxury hotel is slated to hold its 25th anniversary celebration this fall.
TORONTO: The Royal Ontario Museum's Luminato Festival will feature Viktor & Rolf dolls, porcelain dolls dressed in scaled-down versions of the couture designs and displayed on a miniature runway. The exhibition begins Sunday, while the arts festival June 14-23 turns theaters, parks, and other public spaces into artist showcases. Press Release: http://bit.ly/1802J2R
WASHINGTON: The Washington Humane Society's Bark Ball auction has moved online this year, and bidding began Tuesday on more than 150 items.
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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Jenna Berris, Beth Kormanik, Lauren Matthews, and Anna Sekula in New York.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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