July 15, 2016: Bastille Day Attack in Nice Leaves 84 Dead, Emmy Nominations Recognize Diversity, Atlantic City Casino Offers Health Deal for Workers on Strike


1. BASTILLE DAY ATTACK IN NICE LEAVES 84 DEAD: A truck rammed into a crowd in the French Riviera city of Nice on Thursday night during a Bastille Day celebration, killing at least 84 people. The driver of the truck opened fire on the crowd before he was killed by police. Washington Post: “The truck struck the crowd after a fireworks display for the French national day on the Promenade des Anglais, a seaside walk in this southern French city. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced early Friday that in addition to the dead, another 18 people were in critical condition. The victims included a vacationing father and son from Lakeway, Tex. The city’s children’s hospital said it had treated more than 50 minors in the attack, including some that still hung between ‘life and death,’ said communications director Stephanie Simpson. France has declared three days of mourning beginning Saturday and flags will fly at half-mast. In an address early Friday morning, President François Hollande condemned the ‘attack whose terrorist nature cannot be denied.’ He announced that France would ramp up its military efforts in Syria and Iraq and that the country’s state of emergency, which had been imposed after Islamist militants killed 130 people in Paris last November, would be extended three months. … The nearby city of Marseille, one of France’s largest, cancelled its own fireworks display in response to the attack. Within half an hour of initial reports of the incident, Facebook had activated its ‘safety check’ feature for people in Nice. On Twitter, others used the hashtag #Portes­OuvertesNice (‘OpenDoorsNice’) to find and offer refuge to those who needed a place to stay. Meanwhile, taxis in the city were providing free rides to people seeking to leave the scene. The attack came on one of France’s most treasured holidays, the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. In Paris, the occasion is marked by a military parade down the Champs-Elysees, the oldest such parade in Europe.” http://wapo.st/29TysZ4

2. EMMY NOMINATIONS RECOGNIZE DIVERSITY: One notable difference between the Oscar nominations in February and the Emmy nominations—which were announced on Thursday—is that the acting nominees were much more diverse. The nominees proved that for the time being, the Television Academy is still more willing to embrace diversity that its film industry counterpart. The Hollywood Reporter: "In fact, 21 non-white actors were nominated this morning across 16 acting categories, a list that includes The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story's Cuba Gooding Jr., Sterling K. Brown and Courtney B. Vance, Black-ish's Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross and Empire's Taraji P. Henson. By contrast, for the past two years, all 20 actors nominated for the Academy Awards' acting categories were white. In addition to outrage, the latter prompted a series of initiatives designed to ensure increased diversity among the Academy's membership as well as in the films the Academy honors. Though there is still much room for improvement, the collection of non-white names in the 2016 Emmy acting pool is a reflection of a greater inclusivity happening on the small screen, led by such hits as Fox's Empire, ABC's Black-ish and FX's The People v. O.J. Simpson. Looking ahead to the 2016-17 broadcast network season, 12 of the new series will feature diverse leads." http://bit.ly/29FzXqF

3. ATLANTIC CITY CASINO OFFERS HEALTH DEAL FOR WORKERS ON STRIKE: Hospitality workers are on strike against Atlantic City’s Trump Taj Mahal for the second week, rallying outside the New York offices of Donald Trump and casino owner Carl Icahn. An ultimatum was issued by Icahn’s team for workers to accept a healthcare deal by Monday or it’s gone. Associated Press: “Union members held rallies outside the offices of Trump and Icahn, accusing both billionaires of harming the Taj Mahal. Trump opened the casino in 1990; Icahn acquired it from bankruptcy court in March, about seven years after Trump relinquished control. … Tony Rodio, president of Tropicana Entertainment, which runs the Taj Mahal for Icahn, sent a letter to Local 54 of the Unite-HERE union warning that the company's heath care offer expires Monday at 5 p.m. Referring repeatedly to the Taj Mahal as ‘a money pit’ that is losing millions of dollars, Rodio urged individual workers to consider the $86 million Icahn has invested to keep the casino open since it declared bankruptcy in September 2014. He warned things cannot continue the way they are. The casino offered to reduce the number of rooms that each housekeeper is required to clean each shift from 16 to 14 to bring them in line with cleaners at other Atlantic City casinos. Rodio also said the proposed deal ‘was for a mere 18 months which would have given the property time to turn things around and return to profitability’ and that Taj management was reopening previously closed outlets and rooms, which creates additional work and jobs for union members. http://apne.ws/29TINVU

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  Event design and production company Toca Events has announced the opening of its Boston annex under the direction of Kendra McGuire. 

CHICAGO:  Navy Pier will celebrate its 100th birthday tonight, as part of the Fifth Third Bank Centennial Celebration. The event will feature a fireworks show presented by Miller Lite.

DALLAS/FORT WORTH:  Maccioni Restaurant Group will open Italian restaurant Circo in the first two stories of the One Uptown Building. The 25,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor venue will have a lounge and nightclub with a clear glass bottom pool, eight private cabanas, and a DJ and audiovisual stage for special events.

LAS VEGAS:  Beer Park at Paris Las Vegas will host a viewing party for the U.F.C. Fight Night on July 30.

Art festival Las Vegas Market will take place July 31-August 4 at the World Market Center Las Vegas.

LOS ANGELES:  L.G.B.T. film festival Outfest, which is sponsored by HBO and Delta, runs through Sunday.

M.P.I.’s Orange County chapter will host its summer social on August 10 at the Anabella Hotel.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Grove Bay Hospitality Group—the team behind Glass & Vine—is partnering with chefs Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth for Stiltsville Fish Bar, which is expected to open in 2017. The two-story seafood restaurant and bar will be located in Sunset Harbour in Miami Beach and will have a dine-in patio.

NASHVILLE:  Marriott International has broken ground on its first-ever triple-brand hotel, which is slated to open in 2018. Located in a 21-story building developed by North Point Hospitality, the hotel will include a 209-room AC Hotels by Marriott, a 125-room SpringHill Suites, and a 136-room Residence Inn.

NEW YORK:  Bloomberg Media has named Mark Miller as editor of Bloomberg Live's event business. FishbowlNY: http://bit.ly/2ad4JZQ

DiamondRock Hospitality Company has sold Hilton Garden Inn Chelsea/New York City to a China-based entity. Press release: http://prn.to/29TSrtd

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

SAN FRANCISCO:  Hilton San Francisco Union Square has appointed Jason Tresh as hotel manager.

Claremont Club & Spa, a Fairmont Hotel, has appointed Nichole Dupre as director of sales and marketing.

The second annual Silicon Valley Comic Con will take place April 21-23, 2017, with the addition of at least three new locations. This year, the event (which is presented by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak) attracted more than 60,000 attendees and about 350 exhibitors, according to organizers. Because the event has outgrown the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, South Hall, the City National Civic, and the California Theatre have been added as new locations, with more venue expansion plans in the works.

TORONTO:  The Honda Indy runs today through Sunday at Exhibition Place.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The 38th annual Ambassadors Ball, which benefits the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, will take place September 13 at the Marriott Marquis. This year's honorees are U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Christopher Coons.

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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.

BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.

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