1. U.S. TOURIST ORGANIZATIONS ENCOURAGE INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS TO DISREGARD WHITE HOUSE COMMENTS: Persuading international travelers to visit the United States never used to be difficult for tourist organizations—but with Donald Trump as president, these organizations now face a more strenuous task. The New York Times: "According to the Commerce Department’s National Travel and Tourism Office, the number of international visitors in the first half of 2017 fell 4 percent from a year earlier. Those in the travel industry point to factors like a global market that gives tourists more possible destinations, the strength of the dollar and tightening visa restrictions. They also say the messages coming from the Trump administration — the latest example being President Trump’s vulgar comment about Haiti and African nations — play a role. 'Although the policy of the administration has not been targeted towards tourists, per se, tourists around the world are asking themselves whether they’re welcome in the United States,' said Daniel Korschun, associate professor of marketing at Drexel University, who focuses on the intersection of advertising and politics. 'That’s surely a factor in the sagging performance.' This week, the United States Travel Association plans to announce that industry groups are forming the Visit U.S. Coalition in an attempt to combat the slump through advocacy, lobbying, advertising and other methods. Members include the American Gaming Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the American Hotel and Lodging Association. ... The nonprofit tourism organization Brand USA will begin its new marketing campaign with a sweeping, 40-minute film that showcases the United States through the lens of musical history. It hopes the approach the will convey that the United States embraces individuals and cultures from outside its borders. The film will be shown at museums and similar locations in top overseas markets beginning next month, and will be augmented by digital and social promotion." http://nyti.ms/2DavA6r
2. N.A.A.C.P. IMAGE AWARDS ADDRESS TRUMP, TIME'S UP: Honorees and presenters at the N.A.A.C.P. Image Awards, which celebrated black films, television, and music on Monday, used the event as an opportunity to call out Donald Trump and show support for the Time's Up initiative. Winners at the ceremony included film director Ava DuVernay and ABC's Black-ish. Associated Press: "Anthony Anderson hosted the ceremony at the Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, on what would have been Martin Luther King Jr.’s 89th birthday. While his politically tinged monologue poked fun at the presidential administration and Omarosa Manigault, others used their time onstage to encourage more civic involvement and the fight for social justice. Producer Will Packer took a dig at President Donald Trump’s recent comments about immigration as the producer accepted an award for Girls Trip, which won for outstanding film. Kerry Washington, Tracee Ellis Ross, Laverne Cox, Jurnee Smollet-Bell, Lena Waithe, and Angela Robinson set the tone for the evening when they emerged onstage holding hands to dramatically issue a get-out-the-vote call. The six women declared support for the Time’s Up initiative to stop sexual harassment and gender discrimination and urged viewers to speak up at the polls as well." http://bit.ly/2DBs1ar
3. SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SEXUAL MISCONDUCT HOTLINE: Sundance Film Festival, which runs January 18-28 in Park City, Utah, has partnered with Park City Police Department and the Utah Attorney General’s Office to launch a 24-hour hotline for reports of sexual misconduct. The hotline aims to enforce the festival's new sexual misconduct policy. Fox 13: "'It’s such an important event for Utah. Sundance has such an incredible brand. We want to be able to keep that credibility, keep bringing people into the state of Utah,' [Utah Attorney General Sean] Reyes said. 'We wanted to create something where people had a safe place for to call immediately and get investigative help.' The 2018 Sundance Film Festival has come in a climate where sexual misconduct is on many American’s minds. Reyes expressed gratitude for the festival, who he said was being proactive, to ensure that sexual misconduct does not occur, or is dealt with properly. Though Reyes acknowledged that police and Sundance cannot control every single festival goer, he did state that he wanted the message to be clear: Utah and Sundance will not tolerate any instance of sexual abuse, assault or misconduct." http://bit.ly/2DBIWtu
* LOCAL NEWS *
CHICAGO: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Architecture Biennial chair Jack Guthman have announced that Expo Chicago and the Chicago Architecture Biennial will continue to host parallel dates in 2019, based on the success of the inaugural alignment. In 2019, Expo Chicago will run September 19-22 at Navy Pier, with the Chicago Architecture Biennial running September 19-January 5, 2020.
LOS ANGELES: The inaugural iHeartRadio Alter Ego music festival will take place Friday at the Forum. Headliners include Mumford & Sons, Beck, and The National.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Miami New Times’s Out To Brunch event, benefiting the Special Olympics Florida, will take place April 14 at SoHo Studios in Wynwood. The event will offer unlimited cocktails and brunch food tastings from restaurants including the Salty Donut, Fresh Guacamole, and American English Kitchen & Bar.
NEW YORK: The second annual NYC Fermentation Festival, showcasing vendors that offer fermented food and beverages, will take place February 24 at the Brooklyn Expo Center.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA: The 65th P.G.A. Merchandise Show, held simultaneously with the Performance Textile Fair, will take place January 23-26 at the Orange County Convention Center.
TORONTO: The Hot Docs International Documentary Festival will run April 26-May 6.
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With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, and Ian Zelaya in New York.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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