1. RECORDING ACADEMY SAYS NEW YORK IS FALLING SHORT ON GRAMMYS COSTS: The Recording Academy is complaining that New York isn't meeting all of its Grammys hosting costs. For the first time in 15 years, the city is hosting the awards on Sunday. The Hollywood Reporter: "New York City officials had lobbied hard to get the show back after many years in Los Angeles, including cajoling business groups and sponsors into subsidizing the lavish awards show. Recording Academy president Neil Portnow said it is costing $6 million to $8 million more to produce the Grammys in New York than in Los Angeles and New York City hasn't done all it said it would to make up the shortfall. New York City officials say they've raised the money they promised and expect a great show when the 60th anniversary Grammys ceremony takes over Madison Square Garden on Sunday. 'The city fully met all of its obligations to the academy,' Julie Menin, the commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, said Wednesday. Menin recruited business groups, unions and corporate sponsors to raise close to $5 million in contributions and labor concessions for the 2018 Grammys. No public dollars were spent, she said. Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, which was part of the campaign, said the mood was celebratory at the Grammy party she attended this week. 'From everything I understand, the city and the host committee have met all their commitments to the academy and the foundation and the program is going forward without any issues,' she said. The Recording Academy has already announced the ceremony is going back to Los Angeles next year for at least four years." http://bit.ly/2FcBPay
2. WOMEN FILMMAKERS AND RUTH BADER GINSBURG SUNDANCE HIGHLIGHTS: While Hollywood actors and actresses are usually the stars of the Sundance Film Festival, this year the event’s biggest surprise star has been Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Variety: “Ginsburg, 84, held court at two different settings last week in Park City, Utah. Crowds lined up hours in advance to attend a question-and-answer session hosted by NPR’s Nina Totenberg. Later that day, hundreds packed into a makeshift theater in the back of a gymnasium to see the world premiere of ‘RBG,’ a CNN documentary on Ginsburg’s life and career. At times, the one-and-a-half-hour film took on the air of a progressive political rally as audience members hooted and cheered at the justice’s chutzpah and determination to steer the American legal system in a more inclusive direction. The conversations occurred amid the backdrop of hundreds of Women’s Marches staged from coast to coast—including at Sundance—as well as the proliferation of the #MeToo movement. It has snowballed since last fall when, in the wake of the downfall of Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood was forced to reckon with its history of pervasive sexual harassment and gender discrimination. Weinstein had been a staple at Sundance and other festivals and could be reliably counted on to be spotted dressing down an underling or a volunteer about his seat at a screening. The legal settlements and nondisclosure agreements that victims signed in the case of Weinstein and other powerful men also prompted the creation of the Time’s Up movement, a multipronged effort that’s raising money for a legal defense fund to protect victims of sexual abuse and harassment. Where once women struggled to be heard, they’re now dominating and driving the conversation on the festival and awards-season circuits.” http://bit.ly/2DFe5iU
3. STUBHUB LAUNCHES AUGMENTED-REALITY FEATURE FOR PROSPECTIVE SUPER BOWL ATTENDEES: StubHub has debuted an augmented-reality iPhone app that will give N.F.L. fans buying tickets to Super Bowl LII a virtual tour of Minneapolis and the U.S. Bank Stadium. Tech Times: "StubHub's newest augmented reality feature aims to help event goers become familiar with the city of Minneapolis, U.S. Bank Stadium, and its surrounding area, making it easier to plan for the NFL's biggest weekend. 'Users can use the augmented reality experience to preview every aspect of their day in Minneapolis, from parking and picking up their ticket, to attending pre-game festivities, as well as finding their seating section in the stadium,' Marcus Shelksohn,Director of Product Management - Native Apps, told Tech Times. How does StubHub's new AR technology work? To get started, NFL fans simply launch StubHub's mobile app, point their smartphone at an open surface, and tap the screen to view a 3D rendering of the stadium. Users can then easily switch between the stadium and surrounding area. 'To explore parking lots, public transportation, the StubHub ticket pick-up site, and the StubHub pre-game event experience, 'StubHub Live: The Fieldhouse,' said Shelksohn. By tapping on the specific location, users can get find additional information, such as street addresses, info about the party, or game time info. What inspired StubHub to add augmented reality to its mobile app for the Super Bowl 2018? 'We saw the power of AR/ARKit experiences in other industries, such as placing furniture in 3D to get a better sense of the product in a physical space, and thought about how we could apply this new technology to the ticket buying experience on StubHub,' replied Shelksohn." http://bit.ly/2E8qr0c
* LOCAL NEWS *
AUSTIN: AT&T Hotel and Conference has added three new members to its culinary team: executive chef John Herdman, executive sous chef Bradley Turner, and chef de cuisine Kyle Barham.
LOS ANGELES: Planned Parenthood Los Angeles’s 39th Food Fare will take place March 1 at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica. The event will feature over 150 restaurants, caterers, wineries, breweries, and retail merchants.
True Colors Events founder Travis McBurney has been named director of operations and business development at Kristin Banta Events.
The official numbers are in for the Women's March Los Angeles. The Saturday event drew 600,000 attendees, including 700 on-site volunteers, 70 speakers, and 10 performers.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
NEW YORK: The National Audubon Society will honor Sir David Attenborough at its annual gala March 1 at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center.
The 20th edition of CraicFest, a festival celebrating Irish films and music, will take place March 3-10 at Cinépolis Chelsea and the Mercury Lounge.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA: The inaugural Connect Travel Marketplace, a travel industry trade show that brings international tour operators and travel suppliers face to face, will take place February 18-20 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando.
PHOENIX/SCOTTSDALE: Canopy by Hilton Tempe Downtown, University Area, is slated to open December 19. The 14-story hotel, which will be built by Driftwood Acquisitions & Development, will have a lobby-level café, a rooftop pool and terrace bar, and more than 3,000 square feet of meeting space.
TORONTO: Fashion production agency the Collections, which is hosting its first-ever consumer-facing ReSet 003 Designer Showroom in conjunction with Toronto Fashion Week February 5-7, has announced its lineup of participating designers. The lineup includes jewels by Alan Anderson, modern nostalgic jewelry by BIKO, and bags and accessories by MODE.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: SpeechTek 2018, a conference focused on new and innovative speech technologies, will take place April 9-11 at Renaissance Washington DC Hotel.
The Capital Pride Alliance announced several leadership changes, including Ashley Smith as president of the board of directors; Tiffany Lyn Royster as chair of the Capital Pride Parade; and Jami Vallesteros as chair of the Capital Pride Festival.
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 Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, and Ian Zelaya in New York.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
Feed the Sheet: [email protected]
Subscribe: www.bizbash.com/bizbashdaily
Advertise with BizBash: [email protected]
More in New York
Most Popular
