1. HOW WEDDING TOASTS ARE BECOMING MORE CREATIVE: Toasts to the bride and groom can be the least memorable part of a wedding if public speaking isn't the toast-giver's forte—which may be why more and more millennials are getting creative with the signature reception moment. The New York Times: "Nearly every wedding planner can tell stories of the maid-of-honor who listed off inside jokes with the bride, as the audience stifled yawns. 'When couples come to us and say they’re worried about someone in their wedding party giving a toast, I tell them ‘You should be worried,’ said Josh Brooks, a co-owner of Fête Event Planning and Design in New York City. 'So often people say the wrong thing, they go on too long, or they do something that detracts from the couple.' … Of the 50 weddings Hollywood Pop Gallery, an entertainment event firm with offices in New York City, London and Greenwich, Conn., helped plan last year, 15 featured an untraditional wedding toast, said Brett Galley, director of special events at the company. 'People like to be funny, and millennials are very creative,' she said. She has helped a few best man and maid of honor pairs organize a flash mob dance — where everyone surprises the audience with a choreographed group dance. Others have rapped their toasts. One couple allowed guests to 'tweet their toast,' assigning the wedding a hashtag; the tweets were projected around the reception hall like a live ticker. Another maid of honor made a seven-minute video about the bride and groom. Some of these untraditional speeches are so memorable that they become immortalized in the viral video hall of fame." http://nyti.ms/1X9e4X5
2. CBS PLANS TO BOOST TONY RATINGS WITH A VIRAL VIDEO: In an effort to boost ratings for the 70th annual Tony Awards, CBS on Monday debuted a Broadway-theme "Carpool Karaoke" on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Corden, who will host the awards on Sunday night, sang classic hits with Broadway superstars including Audra McDonald and Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda. As the segment tends to achieve viral success, CBS hopes the latest video will create more buzz for the ceremony. Adweek: "It was an essential piece of marketing for the Tonys, given that Corden has more internet buzz than any other late-night performer. Carpool Karaoke (78.2 million). Monday's Broadway-themed Carpool Karaoke, which contains a Tony Awards "bug" touting Sunday's airdate, has already racked up more than 200,000 views. While the video will certainly raise the profile of Sunday's telecast, it's less certain that it will give this year's Tonys a ratings bump, as Corden's digital success hasn't yet translated into any linear growth for his show. … CBS would love to see an improvement on last year's Tonys, which were viewed by 6.46 million (and a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demo), down from the 7.02 million (and 1.2 rating) who tuned in to 2014's ceremony. The ceremony's record low was 2012 when just 6.01 million tuned in (and a 1.0 rating), while the best rating in recent years came in 2009 when 7.43 million tuned in (1.3 rating). If the show enjoys any ratings increases, they are likely to come from the frenzy around Hamilton. However, the last couple of musicals that became full-fledged pop culture phenomena failed to move the ratings needle for Tony audiences." http://bit.ly/1ZvDsnW
3. FRANCE DEBUTS TERROR ALERT APP FOR EURO 2016 TOURNAMENT: Just one day after the U.K.’s Home Office issued a “high threat of terrorism” alert at this year’s UEFA Euro 2016 soccer tournament for stadiums and fan zones, the French government has debuted a smartphone app that will give users possible terror attack alerts and safety measures. The tournament begins Friday outside of Paris. The Verge: “The app, called SAIP (Système d'alerte et d'information des populations), was developed as part of a pilot project following the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, according to the AFP. It will use geolocation to deliver information tailored to each user's location, with alerts appearing less than 15 minutes after an incident is confirmed. Users will also be able to view alerts for up to eight different geographical areas, in case they want to check up on friends or family during an attack, and can share alerts directly to social media. The app will be available in French and English, and will be free to download on iOS and Android. … The hope is that the app will help facilitate the spread of reliable information on social media during an attack, while lightening the burden on France's emergency telephone lines. Nearly 100,000 French security officials will be deployed to secure stadiums, fan zones, and other areas during the tournament, which will feature 51 games played at 10 different venues.” http://bit.ly/1tgC52C
* LOCAL NEWS *
ATLANTIC CITY: Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa will launch the Borgata Beer Garden and the Marketplace Eatery on July 1. The hotel will also debut an outdoor pool in early July. The pool deck will have more than 300 lounges, daybeds, and cabanas, as well as space for more than 1,000 guests.
BOSTON: Dîner en Blanc will return to Boston on July 30.
CHICAGO: Dovetail Brewery will open in Ravenswood Corridor on Saturday. The 22,000-square-foot brewing facility will be available for private events.
LAS VEGAS: Alyssa Anderson is the new vice president of public relations for the Venetian and Palazzo.
Luke’s Lobster at Stripside at Fashion Show now offers event catering.
LOS ANGELES: The Saguaro hotel in Palm Springs has announced a new team of hoteliers as a result of the hotel's transition of management to the Sydell Group. The new hires are Matt Shough as general manager; Josh Brown as director of guest services; Kayla Lynn Dacosta-Avery as director of sales and marketing; Dominic Saldaña as programming manager and resident DJ; and Soroya Imam as catering and sales consultant.
Showtime hosted a premiere event for its new comedy series, Roadies, on June 6 at the Theatre at Ace Hotel downtown.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Ocean Drive magazine will celebrate its May/June issue on Friday with an invite-only event with cover star Gabrielle Union at Nautilus, a Sixty Hotel. The event will feature cocktails from Casa Noble Tequila, beer by Crown Imports, and Union's Vanilla Puddin' Chardonnay.
NEW YORK: The sixth annual Free Theater Festival will take place June 20-26 at Marble Collegiate Church.
OutdoorFest will take place June 11-19. Sponsored by The North Face and Clif Bar, the festival will offer various outdoor events including a 5K night trail race on Staten Island, hiking in the Catskills, fishing on the Hudson River, and kayaking around Governors Island.
The 12th annual A Hamptons Happening, which marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, will take place July 9. The event will be held under a 15,000-square-foot carpeted and air-conditioned tent at the Bridgehampton property of Maria and Kenneth Fishel.
The third annual Louis Armstrong's Wonderful World festival, presented by Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College, will take place July 16 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA: The 320-acre Margaritaville Resort Orlando, which will complete its first phase in 2017, has released renderings and concept art. The resort will feature a 175-room hotel, 1,000 vacation homes, 300 timeshare units, 200,000 square feet of festival retail space, and 30,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Orlando Business Journal: http://bit.ly/1t5b3L1
SAN FRANCISCO: The sixth annual Bay Area Blues Festival will take place September 24-25 at Main Street Martinez. The event is produced by Steven Restivo Event Services.
TORONTO: Harbourfront Centre's 17th edition of Summer Music in the Garden, which features 19 free concerts of Western and non-Western classical music performances, will take place June 30-September 18 on Thursdays and Sundays. The series is sponsored by TD Bank Group.
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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin and Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and 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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