1. WHY RESTAURANT OPERATORS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT TECHNOLOGY: Restaurant operators think that technology is useful but can make the customer experience more complicated, according to findings from a National Restaurant Association research survey focusing on technology in the restaurant industry. The survey, which was sponsored by American Express, had more than 500 participants. Although the majority of participants use a point-of-sale or electronic register system and have Wi-Fi for customers, most of those surveyed do not offer online ordering or accept mobile payments, and feel they are lagging behind in technology use. National Restaurant Association: "In 'Mapping the Restaurant Technology Landscape,' the Association set out to explore current technology adoption in restaurants, plans for future adoption, and restaurant operators' thoughts and opinions on restaurant technology overall. ... The survey found varying adoption rates among restaurant industry segments and ownership categories. For example: Limited-service restaurants have a significantly higher adoption rate of customer-facing technologies that facilitate speed of service or ease access to off-premises options such as online ordering, smartphone apps, mobile payment. Franchisees and chain-owned restaurant operations have implemented more technology overall." http://bit.ly/2aTYQFt
2. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE ADDS SEVERAL SPORTS FOR SUMMER GAMES IN 2020: The International Olympic Committee agreed Wednesday to add baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sports climbing, and surfing to the sports program for the Summer Olympic Games that will take place in Tokyo in 2020. International Olympic Committee: "The decision by the 129th I.O.C. Session in Rio de Janeiro was the most comprehensive evolution of the Olympic programme in modern history. Plans call for staging the skateboarding and sports climbing events in temporary venues installed in urban settings, marking a historic step in bringing the Games to young people and reflecting the trend of urbanization of sport. ... The additional sports in Tokyo will not impact the athlete or event quotas of existing Olympic sports or be binding on future host cities. The current athlete and event quotas are unaffected. The I.O.C. considered a variety of factors when assessing the proposal, including the impact on gender equality, the youth appeal of the sports, and the legacy value of adding them to the Tokyo Games. The inclusion of the new sports will add 18 events and 474 athletes, with equal numbers of women and men for all sports except baseball/softball, which will have the same number of teams but different player totals, because softball teams have 15 players whilst baseball teams have 24." http://bit.ly/2aysUV0
3. STARS AND HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVES HOST HILLARY CLINTON FUND-RAISERS: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Aniston, and Tobey Maguire are among the celebrities who are hosting a Los Angeles fund-raiser for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on August 23. Meanwhile, several other Hollywood power players are hosting their own Clinton fund-raiser in Los Angeles on August 22. The Hollywood Reporter: "Taking place at DiCaprio's Los Angeles home, guests must shell out $33,400 for a ticket to the lunchtime event on Tuesday, Aug. 23, called a 'Conversation With Hillary Rodham Clinton.' The star-studded gathering is also being hosted by Jennifer and Tobey Maguire, Jennifer Aniston, Yael and Scooter Braun, Shonda Rhimes, and ICM Partners' Chris Silbermann. According to the Clinton campaign website, the first $2,700 will go to the campaign, while the remaining amount will be allocated to the Democratic National Committee and state parties. ... And the DiCaprio-hosted event isn't the only high-profile Hollywood stop on Clinton's schedule. ... On Aug. 22, Clinton will have dinner at the Beverly Park home of billionaire entertainment mogul Haim Saban and his wife, Cheryl, who also hosted Clinton during a May 2015 fundraising event. The big-ticket event, an 'Evening with Hillary Rodham Clinton,' will be co-hosted by Disney C.E.O. Bob Iger and wife Willow Bay, DreamWorks Animation C.E.O. Jeffrey Katzenberg and wife Marilyn, Chernin Group C.E.O. Peter Chernin and wife Megan, Legendary C.E.O. Thomas Tull and wife Alba, MarketShare co-founder Jon Vein and wife Ellen, and sports executive Casey Wasserman and wife Laura." http://bit.ly/2aOdU65
* LOCAL NEWS *
COAST TO COAST: To promote the action movie Suicide Squad, which opens in theaters Friday, the Araca Group has teamed up with Warner Bros. Consumer Products on behalf of DC Entertainment to bring more than 50 pop-up retail locations to movie theaters nationwide, selling a limited-edition "Join the Squad" collection of clothing and memorabilia. Participating movie-theater companies are AMC, Regal, Santikos, Galaxy, and Pacific.
ATLANTA: Big Fish Marketing C.E.O. Robin Fisher Roffer will be the keynote speaker at the Greater Women's Business Council's 2016 Power of Partnering Marketplace. The conference kicks off with the Wave Golf Tournament at the East Lake Golf Club on August 24, and culminates on August 25 with the marketplace events at Georgia International Convention Center.
BALTIMORE: The Baltimore Jazz Alliance and Baltimore City Recreation & Parks are presenting the inaugural Baltimore Jazz Fest on October 1 at Druid Hill Park. Performers at the daylong event will include Hot Club of Baltimore, the Greg Hatza Organization, Rumba Club, Clarence Ward III, and Art Sherrod Jr.
BOSTON: Cher will attend a fund-raising rally for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on August 21 in Provincetown. Clinton is scheduled to speak at the event, which is titled "Summer Celebration With Hillary." Cape Cod Times: http://bit.ly/2auOQN7
CHICAGO: The inaugural Vintage Days will take place on the streets of downtown Long Grove from August 20-21. The event is a marketplace for vintage, antique, reclaimed, repurposed, up-cycled, and handmade goods.
Culinary organization Identitá Golose is presenting Identitá Chicago from October 1-2 at Eataly Chicago. Participating chefs in the instructional event include Carlo Cracco, Michael Tusk, Giancarlo Perbellini, and Iliana Regan.
LAS VEGAS: The 13th annual Tejano Music National Convention will pay tribute to Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Emilio Navaira. The convention takes place Friday and Saturday at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.
International luxury travel network Virtuoso is launching a new wellness-travel community called Virtuoso Wellness, which will debut Sunday during the Virtuoso Wellness Zone experiential event at Aria Resort and Casino.
LOS ANGELES: Sundance Next Fest, which takes place August 12-14 at the Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, will have a curated slate of 12 mobile virtual-reality experiences. Google Cardboards will be given away onsite. In addition, the festival is having a young people's talent show hosted by actor/comedian Craig Robinson, following the August 13 screening of his film Morris From America.
Rachel Platten will headline the We Are LA Family Music Festival, which takes place September 17 at the StubHub Center in Carson. The daylong celebration, which will benefit several local charities, will have live performances, family activities, and athletic games. Other performers will include Ozokidz (presented by Ozomatli), Lisa Loeb, Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band, and Rhythm Child.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Chile-based Atton Hotels has opened its first U.S. outpost, Atton Brickell Miami, at 1500 SW First Avenue. The 12-story, 275-room hotel has 5,000 square feet of event space (including six meeting rooms), a rooftop pool with cabanas, two bars, and a Peruvian restaurant named Lima.
The Miami Heat is holding auditions for new dancers on Sunday at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Auditions are free and open to people who are at least 18 years old. The event is not open to public spectators.
Pincho Factory—a Florida-based fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in burgers and kebabs—is opening its sixth location on August 11 at 12519 South Dixie Highway, in Miami's Pinecrest neighborhood. The new Pincho Factory will be open daily for lunch and dinner.
The Real Deal magazine is hosting the third annual South Florida Real Estate Forum & Showcase on October 20 at Soho Studios in the Wynwood district. The daylong event will have four expert panels, a variety of exhibitors, and a host of local merchants providing food and drinks.
NEW YORK: The New York Museum of Contemporary Art is opening a 20,000-square-foot event and meeting space on August 15. The new space, which is affiliated with Shop Studios, can seat as many as 300 people, including a 6,000-square-foot private Green Room that can seat as many as 150.
The 16th New York International Salsa Congress will take place August 28-September 5 at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square. The event will include workshops and performances.
James Gray's The Lost City of Z, Ava DuVernay’s The 13th, and Mike Mills’ 20th Century Women are among the movies that will have their world premieres at the 54th annual New York Film Festival, which runs from September 30-October 16. The festival's remaining slate of programming will be announced in the coming weeks.
Culinary organization Identitá Golose is presenting Identitá New York from October 4-6 at Eataly New York. Participating chefs for the instructional event include Franco Pepe, Lidia Bastianich, Massimo Bottura, Alex Atala, Niko Romito, Matthew Kenney, and Fortunato Nicotra.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
SAN FRANCISCO: On Saturday, the Heineken House interactive experience at the Outside Lands Festival will have a reunion of hip-hop stars Warren G and E-40, who will perform "Saturday" together for the first time. Outside Lands will take place Friday to Sunday at Golden Gate Park. Other performers at this year's Heineken House will include Pillowtalk, Red Light, FDVM, and Victor Calderone.
SEATTLE: The 19th annual Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival will take place August 26-28 at Esther Short Park in Vancouver, Washington. Performers will include TiempoLibre, Bettye LaVette, the Family Stone, Tommy Castro & the Painkillers, Grace Kelly, Nicholas Payton, and Alfredo Rodriguez.
TORONTO: Craft Beer Market will open its first Toronto location, on the corner of Adelaide and Yonge streets, in early 2017. The premium casual restaurant, with its emphasis on fresh local food and a variety of craft beer, already has locations in Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, has announced that the budget for the Entertainment and Sports Arena has increased from $55 million to $65 million, in an effort to maintain its commitment to building a successful arena experience. The complex will be the future practice facility for the Washington Wizards, home court of the Washington Mystics, and an entertainment venue. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2017, with completion expected in the fall of 2018.
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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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