1. SXSW EXPANDS TO LAS VEGAS: South By Southwest has moved past its Austin, Texas, borders for the first time: 1,500 gathered for SXSW V2V, a B-to-B event for the start-up world and creative markets, which began Sunday and goes through Wednesday at the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas. And it already expects to return next year. Las Vegas Review Journal: "Although great for the Austin economy, the event doesn’t have much room to grow. … There aren’t enough hotel rooms to go around each March, and parking can be a nightmare. Meeting space is tight, making any Austin-based brand expansion almost impossible." http://bit.ly/19djF3A
2. CONFERENCE INDUSTRY BOOMING: The conference industry has become "a moveable feast of ideas," with smaller and more focused meetings and conventions succeeding alongside industry behemoths such as South by Southwest and TED. Orange County Register: "Many experts believed that the need for face time would diminish, that people would avoid hassling with airports and rental cars once it was possible to connect instantly from anywhere. The opposite is proving to be true. The conference industry is booming, expanding more or less in parallel with the Internet. Conferences not only are getting bigger and more numerous, they are tackling more daunting problems." http://bit.ly/14GRMCI
3. GET TO KNOW THE AQUALILLIES: The Aqualillies, the Los Angeles-based synchronized swimming performers popular for events, are becoming a "business juggernaut," with performances fees of as much as $40,000, troupes in multiple cities, a line of fitness classes, and expansion planned for Dallas, Cannes, France, and other European cities. New York Times: “They’re a can’t-miss party trick, a game changer,” said UrbanDaddy C.E.O. Lance Broumand, who hired the Aqualillies for an event celebrating a new waterproof phone and tablet by Sony. “It’s branded engagement to the next level. You’re interacting with the brand inside the water with a synchronized swim team.” http://nyti.ms/17j19o1
* LOCAL NEWS *
BOSTON: Legal Harborside will host the Backstreet Boys and DJ Pauly D for the official Backstreet Boys "In a World Like This" tour after-party. Tickets are available for purchase and include red carpet photos and meet and greets.
CHICAGO: The Guild of the Chicago Botanic Garden's 15th annual Harvest Ball is September 21. Calihan Catering will serve dinner, and Event Creative will handle decor.
Mercadito Hospitality will open Tippling Hall in River North this fall. Open for brunch, lunch, dinner, and late-night dining, the loft space will also be available for private events.
The Museum of Science and Industry's Columbian Ball, titled "Science Works for the Future," is October 19.
New meeting-planner guides to Springfield, Illinois, are now available through the city's convention and visitors bureau.
LAS VEGAS: The 12th annual Official Star Trek Convention wrapped up Sunday at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. For the event, hotel staffers were invited to wear Spock ears, and promotions included themed cocktails, spa treatments, and tattoos.
LOS ANGELES: The Southern California chapter of Meeting Professionals International is hosting its annual fund-raiser, Carnival Bazaar, at Create Nightclub in Hollywood November 14. It is seeking donations and sponsorships for the event.
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Sun-Sentinel: "The launch date for the new Island Breeze day-casino cruise operation at Port of Palm Beach has been pushed back a month." http://bit.ly/1evJaNM
NEW YORK: Friends of Javits, an organization representing trade show exhibitors, is claiming that the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is giving preferential treatment to the New York Boat Show and displaced six other trade shows. Press release: http://bit.ly/13n6loz
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO: Universal Orlando will host a three-day "Celebration of Harry Potter" January 24 to 26. The event will include Q&A sessions with actors and filmmakers from the Harry Potter movie series and a wand master class lead by the choreographer who trained the cast for the films.
U.S. Tent Rental is hosting a “Couldn’t have done it without ya!” thank-you party for caterers, event planners, restaurant operators, and other hospitality professionals September 5 at the company's warehouse.
WASHINGTON: Matchboxfoodgroup is opening a second location of Ted’s Bulletin at 1818 14th Street Northwest on August 19. The 160-seat eatery will serve classic dishes in a 1930s atmosphere.
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 Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Lauren Matthews, and Anna Sekula 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 Texas
Most Popular
