June 2, 2015: ESPYs to Honor Caitlyn Jenner, Struggling Atlantic City Could Face More Casino Competition, Starwood Announces New Mobile App for Events


1. ESPYS TO HONOR CAITLYN JENNER: ESPN will honor Caitlyn Jenner with its Arthur Ashe Courage Award at its ESPYs award ceremony next month in Los Angeles. The honor was announced minutes after Vanity Fair debuted its stunning cover of Jenner, who won the 1976 Olympic decathlon when she identified as Bruce Jenner. CNN: “In announcing the award, ESPN cited Jenner's 'athletic prowess and determination' at the Olympics and the ‘strength of character’ that Jenner displayed in her coming-out interview with Diane Sawyer. ESPN says the award is intended to ‘reflect the spirit of Arthur Ashe, possessing strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter what the cost.’” http://cnnmon.ie/1FSaPIV

2. STRUGGLING ATLANTIC CITY COULD FACE MORE CASINO COMPETITION: New Jersey lawmakers are considering allowing three new casinos in northern New Jersey—including at the Meadowlands racetrack—which Atlantic City officials see as providing more competition and hampering the once-thriving gambling mecca’s recovery. Press of Atlantic City: “South Jersey lawmakers argue that North Jersey casinos would cannibalize the Atlantic City market, which saw four casinos close last year and has suffered eight straight years of revenue declines amid intense competition from gambling markets in neighboring states. They promised to fight attempts to end Atlantic City’s 37-year monopoly on casino gambling in New Jersey.” http://bit.ly/1KJOykQ

3. STARWOOD ANNOUNCES NEW MOBILE APP FOR EVENTS: Starwood Hotels & Resorts debuted a new mobile app for events Monday, developed in partnership with Cvent and PSAV. Press release: “With the option of having a customizable app with CrowdCompass by Cvent, attendees can go paperless and view real-time content like event agendas, speaker bios, presentations and property information right from their mobile device,” said Jonathan Kaplan, Starwood’s director of sales, new business, and digital programming. “Meeting attendees also may be able to use the app to create personalized schedules, share contact information with other attendees, connect with others via social media and receive push message communications instantly from onsite meeting planners.” http://on.mktw.net/1dIPRU2

* LOCAL NEWS *

ATLANTA:  Lights, Camera, Atlanta: Hollywood and Location Design, part of the ninth annual Design Is Human Atlanta week, is today in the Room & Board showroom.

BOSTON:  Liquiteria opened on Monday in Harvard Square. The venue, which serves cold-pressed juices, smoothies, salads, and snacks, offers catering.

CHICAGO:  The newly renovated Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel will host "the Happiest Hour” block party on June 11. The outdoor event will feature live performances from Robin Thicke, Natalie La Rose, and HXLT.

DALLAS:  The 27th annual Crimes Against Children Conference, presented annually by the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center and the Dallas Police Department, will take place August 10-13 at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel.

LAS VEGAS:  ICSC’s RECon 2015, a convention for the shopping center industry, drew more than 36,000 attendees May 17-20. It’s the highest attendance at the event since the recession.

Shibuya at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino will host the “Shibuya Street Tasting” on June 18. Sponsored by Southern Wine & Spirits, the event will include entertainment, food, and sake offerings that mimic the experience found in the Japanese capital.

LOS ANGELES:  The City of Los Angeles, led by the L.A. Department of Convention and Tourism Development and the Bureau of Engineering, today will host the general public and media to hear presentations by the three design teams chosen for the proposed expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Eater’s Young Guns event is slated for June 8 at the Viceroy Santa Monica.

Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami has opened at 16th Street and Collins Avenue. The 105-room hotel has a third-floor pool deck, a Spanish-Mediterranean restaurant called Deck Sixteen, and a 600-square-foot meeting room.

In honor of World Oceans Day, Les Dames d'Escoffier Miami will host a wine dinner at Oceanaire Seafood Room on June 8.

MONTREAL:  More than 5,000 people attended this year’s C2 Montreal, a record number for the business conference. The show reported that 45 percent of attendees had attended a previous edition of the show.

NEW YORK:  Apella, Event Space at Alexandria Center announced an upgrade to its technology including the installation of laser-illumination projectors that present sharp images even in bright light. The firm Conference Technologies consulted on the audiovisual and technical upgrades.

Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  The first NBC Sports restaurant will open at Universal CityWalk this fall. NBC Sports Grill & Brew will have nearly 100 high-definition TVs playing a constant stream of live sports.

SAN FRANCISCO:  National Electrical Contractors Association will hold its conference at Moscone Center South October 3-6.

TORONTO:  Big on Bloor Festival will move to August this year, to accommodate the Pan Am Games. The street celebration will be held August 22-23 on Bloor Street West.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The Austrian Cultural Forum will host its summer gala, dubbed A Night in Vienna, on June 19 at the Embassy of Austria. The evening will mix Old World traditions with modern touches, such as presenting both a live symphony orchestra playing Strauss and Mozart as well as a late-night European-style DJ.

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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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