March 10, 2015: Golf Tournaments Try to Become More Like Festivals, Oscars May Tap New Producers, Japan Promotes Tokyo Olympics With "Ninja Council"

1. GOLF TOURNAMENTS TRY TO BECOME MORE LIKE FESTIVALS: Trying to reach a new generation of golf fans, the P.G.A. Tour is adding non-golf experiences at its tournaments and boosting its social media presence to build buzz about the events. Fox Business: “We’re trying to create that festival environment, where there’s something for everyone,” asserts David Pillsbury, president of Championship Management for the P.G.A. Tour. “Some fans coming are not familiar with golf at all, but they’re coming because it’s an event. It’s not just because of golf, it’s about the food, fashion, it’s a sexy event to attend and you get to see some athletes you hear your golf friends talk about.” http://fxn.ws/1GwV1O2

2. OSCARS MAY TAP NEW PRODUCERS: The producers of the past three Academy Awards, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, are hinting that they will move on from the job. Hollywood Reporter: “After a number of years in which a new producing team was invited each year to handle the awards show, Zadan and Meron's three-year run was unusual, creating an ongoing production team even as they recruited three successive hosts: Seth MacFarlane, Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris. However, this year’s show saw ratings drop 16 percent from last year’s broadcast, which had hit a 10-year high.” http://bit.ly/18xv8yQ

3. JAPAN PROMOTES TOKYO OLYMPICS WITH "NINJA COUNCIL": In advance of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan is using interest in the figure of the ninja to promote tourism to the country. A newly announced “ninja council” will educate the public about the stealth fighters. New York Post: “On Sunday, Japanese officials traded in their boring suits and ties for full-fledged ninja gear as they announced the launch of the council—which will gather and provide information online about the feudal-era martial arts masters and assassins, according to The Japan Times. The group will also post information on its website about tourist destinations and respond to inquires from home and abroad. They are even scheduled to host parties and events to propel the popularity of the ninjas, organizers said.” http://bit.ly/1Hp8zZL

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  The Press Hotel will open in Portland, Maine, at the end of April. The newspaper-theme hotel has 110 rooms and a presidential suite with a private rooftop patio.

CHICAGO:  The LondonHouse, a luxury hotel, is scheduled to open in Chicago in 2016. The 452-room hotel will offer 25,000 square feet of meeting and prefunction space; a trilevel rooftop will hold dining and outdoor event spaces.

LAS VEGAS:  Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a fried-chicken-flavored martini offering.

LOS ANGELES:  Jamie Foxx is set to host the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on March 29.

Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution has promoted Victoria Marcroft to vice president of its marketing, promotion, and publicity department.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Function Fashion Week Miami Beach is scheduled for March 22-26 in a tent dubbed the Style Village on Ocean Drive at 11th Street.

NEW YORK:  The Art Dealers Association of America’s Art Show 2015, which ran Wednesday-Sunday at the Park Avenue Armory, raised about $1 million at a gala preview to benefit the Henry Street Settlement.

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

ORLANDO:  The Golden Knife Chop House is now open in downtown Orlando. In addition to a variety of steaks, the restaurant serves seafood and vegetarian options.

TORONTO:  The Second City Training Centre will move to 99 Blue Jays Way this spring. The new facility will offer eight multimedia studios, a lounge area, and the 65-seat John Candy Box Theatre.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Harrison at Reston Town Center, a new luxury apartment development in Northern Virginia, will host a grand-opening event Saturday and Sunday that will include culinary and mixology demonstrations, fitness classes, tours, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

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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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