December 8, 2016: Sundance Film Festival to Accommodate Inauguration Demonstrations, Once-Bankrupt SFX Entertainment Rebrands as LiveStyle, Google Debuts Virtual-Reality Holiday Window Tour

1. SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL TO ACCOMMODATE INAUGURATION DEMONSTRATIONS: President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20 takes place the second day of the Sundance Film Festival, and organizers have stated they're happy to facilitate requests from groups that want to stage demonstrations at the event. The Hollywood Reporter: "Still, many who will be on hand in Park City are discussing what type of anti-Trump events should take place. The Sundance Institute says the festival is not planning an official march but will help spearhead one if there is demand. Says a rep for the Sundance Institute, 'As an arts organization that supports freedom of speech and empowering the individual voice, we always look to create a safe space for artists and will facilitate requests from outside groups that want to host demonstrations at our 2017 Festival by connecting them with the city of Park City, Utah to organize.' In addition, the festival lineup is chock-full of unmistakable Trump shoutouts, most notably the creation of a New Climate lineup of 12 films and VR projects (the first time the festival has dedicated programming to a specific theme). The roster of films also offers a counterpoint to several controversial positions voiced by Trump along the presidential campaign trail—from Mexican immigrants (Miguel Arteta's competition feature Beatriz at Dinner) to ISIS (City of Ghosts, a doc from Cartel Land helmer Matthew Heineman) to Syria (docs Last Men in Aleppo, Cries From Syria) to race relations (docs The Force and Whose Streets? and the series Shots Fired). Festival director John Cooper tells THR the decision to push on the environmental-preservation front this year is both a response to the problem itself and those who downplay the issue (Trump has called climate change a hoax perpetrated by China)." http://bit.ly/2glvxvD

2. ONCE-BANKRUPT SFX ENTERTAINMENT REBRANDS AS LIVESTYLE: Electronic dance music festival producer SFX Entertainment, which had a two-year decline that led to bankruptcy, has reemerged as a new company called LiveStyle. The New York Times: "SFX emerged from bankruptcy protection last week, with its debt load reduced by about $400 million, and this week it announced a new name and leadership. The new company, LiveStyle, will be led by Randy Phillips, the former chief executive of the concert company AEG Live, and there will be a commitment to something akin to its original mission of being 'the world’s largest electronic music event producer,' according to the announcement, though it offered few other details. Armed with 'a recapitalized financial structure and an incredibly supportive board, we will build LiveStyle into an essential company in the live entertainment sector,' Mr. Phillips said in a statement on Tuesday. According to its statement, LiveStyle will be based in Los Angeles and retain control of some of SFX’s flagship properties, including the Tomorrowland and Electric Zoo festivals, as well as the online music store Beatport and the ticketing service Paylogic. SFX, founded in 2012 by the media mogul Robert F.X. Sillerman, had an ambitious plan to capitalize on the craze for electronic dance music, with Mr. Sillerman pledging to spend $1 billion to create a new festival empire to challenge the two dominant concert conglomerates, AEG Live and Live Nation Entertainment. A crucial part of Mr. Sillerman’s plan was to use the festival audience to attract sales of advertising and corporate sponsorship." http://nyti.ms/2h7er3n

3. GOOGLE DEBUTS VIRTUAL-REALITY HOLIDAY WINDOW TOUR: Those who won't get a chance to see the elaborate holiday window displays at 18 major New York retail stores are in luck. Google has created a created a holiday window experience that consumers can view online, on tablets or smartphones, or with a virtual-reality headset. Fast Company: "This isn't the first time that the company has put holiday store windows on the web. In 2014, its Maps group digitized them in a manner similar to its Street View feature. This year's take on the idea—dubbed 'Window Wonderland'—was created by Google's Art, Copy & Code team, part of the company's marketing organization. 'Our day-to-day work is thinking about how we might use our technology that's created across Google to create new marketing experiences and new brand storytelling,' explains Aman Govil, who heads Art, Copy & Code. 'And hopefully provide inspiration to other creatives.' … At Macy's landmark Herald Square store, this year's displays feature the communications system that Santa uses to receive emails, texts, and YouTube videos from nice children; a playable pinball machine; a giant gold-leaf reindeer head; and a profusion of elves. Peak throngs of more than 10,000 people an hour come to take them in. That's a lot of folks for one city block in New York, but a dinky figure by internet standards. By sharing them via Window Wonderland, 'we feel like we're extending the reach of the holiday spirit,' says Serena Potter, the retailer's group VP for digital media. To avoid playing favorites, Google randomizes the order of the virtual storefronts for each visitor. And every retailer's experience includes a link to its website, which means that these virtual displays, like their real-world counterparts, could help turn window shoppers into paying customers. The end result has a highly polished, theme park-like feel. By swiping or mousing, you glide past the displays and even neatly turn corners when necessary to see everything; double-tapping lets you zoom in, the equivalent of pressing your nose to the window and relishing every little detail. The perspective effect has an uncanny, 3D-like feel, and some of the artifacts in the windows—like Macy's spinning gold elves—move as your pass them, even though what you're looking at is an assemblage of still images, not a video." http://bit.ly/2hkDD5w

* LOCAL NEWS *

CHICAGO:  Modern American restaurant Elske opened Wednesday in West Loop. Helmed by chefs Anna and David Posey, the restaurant has a Scandinavian-inspired design from interior designer Erin Boone, and an outdoor courtyard—which will have an edible garden starting this spring—designed by Julie DeLeon. The first floor seats 52 in a main dining room and seven at a bar, while the second floor offers a private dining space that accommodates as many as 60.

LOS ANGELES:  Punch Bowl Social will open a 19,000-square-foot restaurant, bar, and entertainment concept in Rancho Cucamonga's Victoria Gardens in early 2017. The new venue will have a Southern-influenced menu created by culinary partner and celebrity chef Hugh Acheson. In addition, there will be six bowling lanes, two roller ball lanes, one bocce court, two private karaoke rooms, and a custom-built 360-degree bar. In 2017, the brand also plans to open two other California venues in San Diego and Sacramento.

The Renegade Craft Fair will take place Saturday and Sunday at Grand Park. Along with work from indie craft artists, the event will include holiday-theme activities, D.I.Y. classes, photo booths, and food trucks.

For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Fontainebleau Miami Beach has named Jenny Cerna director of leisure sales. She was regional director of sales at Acqualina Resort & Spa on the Beach in Sunny Isles.

Courtyard Fort Lauderdale Weston in Fort Lauderdale has completed renovations that include new furniture, paint, carpet, and decor. The hotel's 174 guest rooms and suites have also been redesigned.

NEW YORK:  NBC's New Year's Eve With Carson Daly, which will air live from Times Square, will include performances from Alicia Keys, Pentatonix, and Blake Shelton. Daly will host with singer Mel B. 

The Association of Fundraising Professionals will host its fifth annual State of the Industry event January 11 at Pier Sixty.

Coworkrs, a hospitality-driven shared workspace, has opened new venues in Manhattan’s Financial District. The location at 60 Broad Street is 40,000 square feet across the 24th and 25th floors. The location at 55 Broadway is 31,000 square feet across three floors, with a combination of private offices and communal areas as well as a dedicated 6,300-square-foot event space on the mezzanine level, which holds 350 for receptions.

For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

SAN FRANCISCO:  The seventh annual Green Film Festival will take place April 20-26 at various locations around the city. The festival will present 70 eco-focused films, with more than 90 visiting filmmakers and guest speakers on topics including energy, water, food, cities, trash, and wildlife.

TORONTO:  The Oak Room at Union Station will be home to the Union Station Holiday Market through December 16. The market will offer gifts from small Canadian businesses.

YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

JOB BOARD: Post a job or find a job: http://jobs.bizbash.com

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.

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