1. BRANDS PUT U.S. OPEN STARS ON DISPLAY: Delta, American Express, and Tommy Hilfiger are among the brands using the U.S. Open as a major opportunity for experiential marketing—with the stars of the tennis tournament doing double-duty at the events. The New York Times: The matches might start next week, but the action was going full tilt this week for elite players in the United States Open and the brands they represent. Held in the nation’s media capital and attracting an upscale audience, the Open has always been a coveted event for companies promoting their products, and the week leading into the tournament has become a marketing extravaganza, each brand seemingly trying to outdo the others. But as a result, the week has also become a balancing act for players, who find themselves trotted around and put on display as they are trying to prepare for the year’s last major tournament." http://nyti.ms/1F1MzC4
2. COULD GIFS ENCOURAGE GUESTS TO R.S.V.P.?: Event planning platform Splash uses the GIF library Giphy to offer email invitations with GIFs in hopes that the eye-catching graphics will encourage more people to R.S.V.P. to events. Adweek: "Adding GIFs to emails isn't particularly new (Giphy also plugs into Gmail and MailChimp's software) but it does show how event marketers are pulling in all kinds of bells and whistles to cut through the massive clutter of emails. Giphy's software is baked into Splash so that users upload a GIF to an email or landing page template like they would add a photo. Then they type in a keyword to find an animated loop." http://bit.ly/1hhEAeh
3. MILEY CYRUS HAS "FREE REIN" AS V.M.A.S HOST: Just two years after Miley Cyrus gave her infamous performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, she will return as host—and producers are giving her "free rein." Entertainment Weekly: “One of the great things about the show is we try to create an environment where that spontaneity can happen and that creative expression rules the day,” says executive producer Garrett English. “However that manifests is what excites us. The ethos of the show is one that even though you may know who’s performing on the show or have context around what track is being performed or [you’ve] seen them in concert and the rest of it, the VMAs is always a place where the performances break barriers and do things that are different.” http://bit.ly/1PVTQcX
* LOCAL NEWS *
ATLANTA: Taste of Atlanta will host a kickoff event, "Bucket List Bash," on September 25 with a portion of proceeds going toward the Giving Kitchen. The food festival, which runs through September 27 in Midtown at Tech Square, has also partnered with Bert's Big Adventure, an organization that provides trips to Walt Disney World for kids with chronic or terminal illnesses and their families.
ATLANTIC CITY: A new conference center has opened at the Resorts Casino Hotel. The center includes 24 meeting and function rooms covering more than 64,000 square feet of usable space.
AUSTIN: Fun Fun Fun Fest, slated for November 6-8, has once again partnered with Volcom for the festival's action sports program. The Volcom Super Collider ramp, which debuted at the festival last year, will once again be a central part of the skate and ride events.
BOSTON: Chefs for Clefts, a fund-raiser for Massachusetts General Hospital’s Global Surgical Initiative, will take place at the Tip Tap Room September 21. The event has a “Night in Colombia” theme, and it will offer Colombian music, cocktails, and hors d’oeuvres.
CHICAGO: Chicago magazine will host its new Culture Festival at Venue Six10 September 26. With five programs, the event will feature discussions about literature, comedy, music, theater, and architecture.
LAS VEGAS: The third annual Sip & Savor event, a sampling tour of six Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group restaurants that benefits Keep Memory Alive, will take place September 16. Participating restaurants include Cucina, Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill, and Spago. Las Vegas Review-Journal: http://bit.ly/1PAXB6F
LOS ANGELES: Members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic will back Plácido Domingo at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace September 15. AEG Live and Caesars Entertainment will jointly present the event.
The American Film Institute has announced that the world premiere of Universal Pictures’ By the Sea—written, directed, and produced by and starring Angelina Jolie Pitt and also starring and produced by Brad Pitt—will be the opening-night gala for the A.F.I. Fest presented by Audi November 5 at the TCL Chinese Theatre.
Skechers Performance has become title sponsor for the 2016 L.A. Marathon. Now the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon, the event is slated for February 14.
Local event listings from the new Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Chef Adrianne Calvo is hosting Dark Dining: Eve of Prohibition Ball, presented by Bacardi, October 23 at the Westin Colonnade Coral Gables. The black-tie event, in which guests dine blindfolded, benefits the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
NEW YORK: The newly renovated Osteria Salina, which offers Sicilian dishes by chef Cinzia Gaglio, has moved its location from Bridgehampton to Georgica Pond in Wainscott.
Local event listings from the new Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA: A haunted house based on An American Werewolf in London will be featured at Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights spectacular, which runs from September 18-November 1.
PHILADELPHIA: The Philadelphia Center for Architecture's 11th annual DesignPhiladelphia will take place October 8-16. The festival, which will has a theme inspired by changes to the city's skyline and urban landscape, will offer 100 events showcasing the work of more than 400 local and international architects and designers. Business Wire: http://bit.ly/1JACHVk
SAN FRANCISCO: The ninth annual Treasure Island Music Festival will take place October 17-18. The festival—which has a lineup including the National, Robyn & La Bagatelle Magique, and Azealia Banks—has partnered with Funny or Die for its first comedy tent.
Brand experience agency FreemanXP has hired Richard Toscano as vice president of special events.
TORONTO: Restaurant East Thirty-Six has new offerings for private events. Options include theme prix-fixe menus, interactive mixology stations, oyster bars, and custom favors such as house-made bitters.
The first Toronto Food & Wine festival, hosted by Food & Wine magazine, will take place September 18-20 at Evergreen Brick Works.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Cosmo Couture, a fashion event from the International Interior Design Association Mid Atlantic Chapter’s Washington Metro City Center, is scheduled for September 24 at the Howard Theatre. The fund-raising event features a runway show and competition in which local architecture and interior design firms create garments that reflect a theme. This year the theme is the Smithsonian museums.
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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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