1. C.D.C. SAYS OLYMPICS UNLIKELY TO SPREAD ZIKA: While the spread of Zika has been one of the main issues surrounding the upcoming Olympics in Rio, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it's unlikely the Games will contribute to spreading the virus. Live Science: "August and September are winter months in the Southern Hemisphere, and so the weather in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during the Olympics will be cooler and drier than at other times of the year. This type of weather typically reduces mosquito populations and therefore lowers the risk of infection, the CDC said. Between 350,000 and 500,000 people from more than 200 countries are expected to ravel to Rio de Janeiro in August and September for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to the Brazilian Tourist Board. However, these estimates represent less than 0.25 percent of the number of travelers who visited Zika-affected countries in 2015, according to the report. More travelers would mean a greater likelihood of spreading Zika. In the new report, researchers at the CDC looked at the 167 countries where no cases of the Zika virus have been reported. (The United States, where Zika has been documented, was therefore not included in the 167 countries.) The researchers said that 148 of these countries should not be considered at risk for importing Zika from the Olympics, because they do not have populations of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries Zika, in August and September. Of the 19 remaining countries, the CDC researchers predicted that only four—Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea and Yemen —are at risk for importing the Zika virus because of people traveling to the Olympics and returning home with the virus. The other 15 countries will have too few travelers attending the Olympics for it to be likely they'd bring home the virus, the researchers said." http://bit.ly/29w951g
2. CUSTOM SNAPCHAT GEOFILTER STARTUP TARGETS PRIVATE EVENTS: While Snapchat's custom geofilter feature has been available to use for private and corporate events since February, a new third-party startup is aiming to make the process of designing a signature filter much easier. Makeshake is hiring 54 designers to create filters that users can buy to use at weddings, birthday parties, and more. Adweek: "Here's how it works: The designers upload their Snapchat geofilter templates. Then, consumers can request alterations such as changes to names, dates, positions, fonts, shapes and colors. According to Makeshake, the designer is supposed to complete the requests within 48 hours, and then the customer receives a digital download file to submit to Snapchat for review. Designers set their own prices and get paid 55 percent of each sale. 'The average filter price [so far] is $22, but we have seen some sell for $75 and $150,' said Mayra Alejandra, CEO and co-founder of Nashville, Tenn.-based Makeshake. Makeshake-produced geofilters will likely be used for birthday parties, weddings and corporate events. As Snapchat's popularity grows—it's reportedly up to 150 million daily users—more and more people seem to want to digitally overlay their real-life celebrations with these kinds of mobile filters. 'Clients love to mention how shocked and excited their guests or customers are when they find out there will be a custom geofilter at their event,' said Jacki Wakin, one of the artists working on Makeshake." http://bit.ly/29EnoxL
3. AT&T SUGGESTS DRONES FOR BETTER CELL SERVICE AT EVENTS: Cell service during live events such as music festivals and concerts isn't the best when large groups of people are trying to post photos and send Snapchats at the same time. As a possible solution, AT&T posed the idea in a blog post of building cell extensions into drones for events that bring thousands of people to the same space. The Verge: "It imagines using these drones for 'large events or even rapid disaster response,' the latter of which is really the more important application, since cell towers often get overloaded as people begin calling for assistance or trying to get in touch with their families. The only bad thing about this idea is that AT&T has decided to name the drones 'Flying COWs,' standing for 'cell on wings.' Service providers already bring in signal boosters during some large events and disasters, but the advantage here is that drones could potentially be deployed quickly and reach areas that a truck toting cell equipment behind it could not." http://bit.ly/29XYk8x
* INDUSTRY NEWS *
Dubin Clark & Company has announced a partnership with BBJ Linen. Doron Levy will remain as C.E.O. of BBJ, but terms of the deal were not disclosed.
David Burke Group has rebranded as Craveable Hospitality Group.
* LOCAL NEWS *
BOSTON: The 2016 Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival, presented by the Revere Beach Partnership, will take place July 22-24. The annual event (which attracts up to 900,000 people, according to organizers) has a sculpting contest, food trucks, live entertainment, and fireworks. The theme for this year's event is science, technology, and innovation.
Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club in Brewster debuted Beach Bar earlier this month. Offering views of Cape Cod Bay, the bar seats 32.
CHICAGO: The TLC Block Party will take place Saturday at Stadium Green at Soldier Field. The event will feature appearances from transgender teenage YouTube personality and activist Jazz Jennings and Long Island Medium's Theresa Caputo.
GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS: Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa has appointed Morty Valldejuli as vice president/managing director and Marti Trieschmann as area director of sales and marketing.
LOS ANGELES: Meg Masters has left PMK-BNC to join the public relations team at Netflix.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: ME by Meliá opened its first U.S. destination Tuesday in downtown Miami. The hotel has 129 rooms, a sun deck with multiple pools, and more than 1,000 square feet of meeting space. Bella's Bar, a poolside bar and lounge, will open later this summer. The property will also introduce a fresh interpretation of the One Group's STK restaurant. CGI 1100 Biscayne Management owns the hotel, which will be managed under the Meliá Hotels International brand ME by Meliá.
The Miami Beach Design Review Board has approved nine variances and the construction of a new five-story, mixed-use project that will bring a hotel, luxury retail, and a large indoor food court to the southern part of Alton Road's 1600 block. ARRP Miami, 1212 Lincoln, and Wells Fargo Bank are all involved in the project. The Real Deal: http://bit.ly/29BTng2
NASHVILLE: The Country Music Association has hired Kevin Coffey as senior manager of strategic partnerships, Courtney Ledford as senior manager of market research, Chris Harrington as manager of event ticketing, Angela Roland as awards and industry relations assistant, and Kathy Gillihan as administrative assistant/receptionist.
NEW YORK: Time Out's Battle of the Burger will take place August 18 at South Street Seaport. The event, which is sponsored by Budweiser and Schweid & Sons, will feature burger tastings from 20 New York restaurants.
Diffa's Picnic by Design will take place September 7 at Mercantile Annex.
New York Hilton Midtown has appointed Craig Burdick as director of food and beverage.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA: The Orlando Eye will be renamed the Coca-Cola Orlando Eye. Details will be released July 28 when Coca-Cola hosts a media event at the 400-foot observation wheel. The company is also expected to announce some changes that will be coming to the attraction.
PHILADELPHIA: The Democratic National Convention has announced a variety of live streaming options for people to watch coverage of the event, which takes place July 25-28 at the Wells Fargo Center. Comcast Xfinity, Apple TV, Amazon FireTV, the D.N.C.C. mobile app, and more will offer streams and video on demand.
PORTLAND, OREGON: The Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Hood River opened Wednesday. The hotel has 88 guest rooms and suites, an indoor pool and spa, complimentary breakfast, free Wi-Fi, a fitness center, and a meeting room with space for as many as 75 people.
SAN FRANCISCO: The inaugural Women Sports Film Festival, which celebrates female athletes and storytellers through documentaries, will be held July 28-30 at the New Parkway Theatre in Oakland. The festival will screen nine documentaries and eight short films, including T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold, Althea, and Keepers of the Game.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Residence Inn Alexandria Old Town/Duke Street has unveiled its $3.5 million suite renovation. The remodeling of the suites includes new furniture, appliances, carpet, drapes, wall vinyl, lighting, and artwork. There is also complimentary grocery shopping service for suite guests.
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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin and Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Carla Hay, 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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