1. HOW THE NEW SUPER BOWL APP COULD CHANGE ALL LIVE EVENTS: When Levi’s Stadium opened in 2014, it was designed to be a high-tech stadium serving a Silicon Valley audience. And, obviously, it would have to have its own app. Designed by VenueNext, the app streamlines all aspects of the game experience, from watching replays to ordering concessions to be delivered to your seat. A separate version of the app has been developed for Super Bowl 50 on Sunday. How it performs could shape the future of how people experience not just sports but all live events. Wired: “They built an app for the stadium that is designed to serve as the entry point for everything you do when you’re there to see a game, catch a show, whatever. Then they realized they were onto something bigger than just the 49ers. This was VenueNext’s first project, but now it has many others—in sports, in hotels, and eventually in cities. … VenueNext gets its big test Sunday. The company predicts this will be the most people, using the most data, in its history. (A Taylor Swift concert from August currently holds the record.)” http://bit.ly/1KscXwZ
2. INSIDE THE BIG BUSINESS OF WOMEN’S CONFERENCES: Conference organizers have realized the surging interest in women’s conferences, gathering female executives, politicians, actresses, and activists in a parade of nearly nonstop events. But are they really accomplishing their goals? Bloomberg Business: “‘I don’t think there’s much link between the growth of women’s conferences and the advancement of women,’ says Anne-Marie Slaughter, president of the New America Foundation and author of Unfinished Business: Women, Men, Work, Family, who’s in constant demand as a speaker. … Slaughter points out that many of the conferences serve a valuable business purpose, giving women the chance to network and schmooze the way men have always done on golf trips and in skyboxes. ‘I enjoy them because I meet lots of fantastic women doing fantastic stuff,’ she says. ‘But I don’t think you should confuse that with increasing the number of women in the workplace. I don’t think the chief cause of not advancing women is lack of contact.’” http://bloom.bg/1T00UcP
3. GUCCI PLANS FASHION SHOW IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY: Westminster Abbey—the historic church that serves as the final resting place of luminaries such as Charles Darwin and Queen Elizabeth I—will host its first fashion show in June when Gucci stages its summer cruise show at the abbey’s Cloisters. Quartz: “While the abbey says the Cloisters have been available for rent for some time, not everyone is overjoyed by the thought of a clothing label using a holy site for its marketing. Reverend Peter Owen-Jones of the Church of England told The Independent that the fashion collaboration misconstrues the mission of the church. ‘I think it’s part of the Disneyfication of all the traditional sacred spaces in this land,’ he said. ‘We are in the process of selling our soul for a pair of trousers.’ … Short of showing in St. Peter’s Basilica or the Taj Mahal, it will be a tough location for other fashion labels to top.” http://bit.ly/20JgAmc
* LOCAL NEWS *
ATLANTA: The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival will take place May 28-31. The event will feature more than 90 educational and cooking classes and wine and food tastings from more than 250 restaurants and chefs.
BOSTON: The Massachusetts Restaurant Association's annual Awards Dinner will take place March 14 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, as part of the New England Food Show.
CHICAGO: Lookingglass Theatre Company will host its “Gglassquerade" gala on April 2. With a vaudeville theme, the event will take place at Revel Fulton Market.
DALLAS: The Warwick Melrose hotel has hired executive chef Patrick McElroy to oversee culinary operations at the Landmark Restaurant and the Library bar.
LAS VEGAS: Race and Sports SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino has completed its renovation. The 25,000-square-foot venue features a 4,488-square-foot LED video wall, 400 seats, a new mobile app, and new private booths.
LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles magazine will host its first Whiskey Festival on February 18 at the LaBrea Tar Pits and Museum.
Local event listings from the new Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: New-York Historical Society’s Weekend With History: Palm Beach, an annual gathering featuring art and history events, kicked off January 28 with a cocktail party and dinner at the Beach Club.
NEW YORK: Burger and hot dog eatery Salvation Burger is slated to open at Pod 51 hotel next week. The menu will feature an array of made-from-scratch hamburgers, veggie burgers, and smoked hot dogs. Grub Street: http://grb.st/1SvNkyf
Local event listings from the new Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA: Restaurant veteran Charley Robinson plans to open F&D Cantina, a 3,500-square-foot Mexican eatery, on March 7. Orlando Business Journal: http://bit.ly/1oaMmKV
SAN FRANCISCO: The San Jose Mercury News surveys the party scene for Super Bowl 50, noting “there are so many galas in the Bay Area this weekend that they had to build more venues.” http://bayareane.ws/1oakIxB
TORONTO: Toronto Men’s Fashion Week will take place at 444 Yonge Street February 22-March 1.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The DC Ad Club, a chapter of the American Advertising Federation, has changed its name to AAF DC. The organization also elected new officers: Scott Williams of the Newseum is president; Jodie Warren of MDB Communications is vice president; Joshua Belhumeur of Brink was elected secretary; and Greg Kihlström of Carousel30 is immediate past president.
YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected].
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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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