1. DO NAMING-RIGHTS SPONSORSHIPS WORK?: Brands seeking a return on investment for naming rights—like sponsored halftime shows during sports contests such as the N.B.A. play-offs, happing now—may consider a more effective use of their marketing dollars. New York: “The basic idea here is that companies are trying to tie into the ‘mere exposure’ effect — a well-documented phenomenon in which, all else being equal, the more familiar you are with something, the more you like it. ‘However, the effects are so weak that it is unlikely that one gets a return on investment,' explained J. Scott Armstrong, a marketing professor at the Wharton School of Business. ‘I was unable to find a single experimental study that showed it to produce a positive return on investment.’” http://sciof.us/1cOHtSt
2. SUNDANCE HOST CITY TO STUDY IMPACT OF SPECIAL EVENTS: A new panel will measure the impact of special events on Park City, Utah, famously the home of the Sundance Film Festival. It will look at the type of events the city attracts, evaluate their performance, and recommend city services that can benefit events. The Park Record: “Park City leaders see the community as an important player in the state's special-event industry. They say special events provide a boost to business in Park City by attracting crowds staying in hotels, dining in restaurants and shopping in the stores. The events outside of ski season have been of special interest as they bring in crowds during what had been a down time of the year in the past. A decade ago, [economic development project manager Jason] Glidden said, City Hall wanted to attract events to Park City in an effort to diversify the economy. With the success over the past 10 years, Park City is able to be more selective as it considers events, he said.” http://bit.ly/1KIAJzO
3. NEW YORK MARATHON CHIEF WILL LEAD NEW SPORTS EVENT VENTURE: Mary Wittenberg, race director of the New York City Marathon and president and chief executive of New York Road Runners, announced she is leaving her job to become global chief executive of Richard Branson’s new Virgin Sport, which will plan running and cycling races globally. The New York Times: “In the world of elite marathon running, Wittenberg is known for attracting top racing fields, serving as a mentor to other race directors and surrounding herself with a strong leadership team. In the local running community, she has been a more polarizing figure.” http://nyti.ms/1HdpPS9
* LOCAL NEWS *
BOSTON: The Duxbury Oyster Festival will take place May 17 at the Windsor House Inn.
CHICAGO: Hilton’s Conrad Chicago will be renovated and converted to a Luxury Collection hotel, a Starwood brand, in the fall with an as-yet undisclosed name.
KANSAS CITY: City officials announced plans to develop a $300 million, 800-room Hyatt hotel near the Kansas City Convention Center. The hotel will have about 75,000 square feet of meeting, banquet, and pre-event space, 9,000 square feet of garden space, 15,450 square feet of other retail, restaurant, bar, and lounge space, a 9,913-square-foot recreational facility, and a parking facility with as many as 500 spaces.
LAS VEGAS: Jennifer Lopez will begin a headline residency at Planet Hollywood on January 20, 2016.
The Marie and Rich Little Foundation’s annual benefit is Sunday inside the Golden Nugget Showroom at the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino.
LOS ANGELES: The Riviera Palm Springs has launched a new $1 million buyout offer for events. It includes access to 398 guest rooms with full staff, Circa 59 restaurant and other bars and lounges, the spa, pools, and more than 35,000 square feet of meeting space.
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: The Leah Arts District, a newly designated area of Hialeah that allows artist live/work spaces in addition to its existing uses, will open to the public with a community block party Saturday. The event will feature food trucks, music, and live painting projects.
NEW YORK: Acara Partners is launching a digital summit, called Reach, targeting doctors and medical practice managers. The event will kick off September 19-20 at the Westin New York at Times Square and later travel to Dallas and Los Angeles.
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
TORONTO: BlogTO peeks inside the meeting rooms and branded elements of Twitter’s new offices on King West. http://bit.ly/1F90rxp
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Dufour & Company Productions has helped the Wireless Foundation reimagine its VITA Awards Reception, set for Monday at the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum. The changes include switching format from a sit-down dinner to a reception and a new business-casual dress code. The headlining entertainer is country artist Matt Stillwell.
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, and Anna Sekula in New York.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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