For the first time in its 42 years of operation, the city-run Los Angeles Convention Center will transfer to private management under a pact approved by the City Council.
In awarding a contract to Anschutz Entertainment Group, the council overruled objections by local hoteliers who said AEG would have an unfair advantage filling its hotel rooms while booking conventions.
AEG owns the JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotel complex adjacent to its L.A. Live and Staples Center properties in downtown Los Angeles. But council members, after questioning city Chief Administrative Officer Miguel Santana, unanimously voted in favor of the contract.
The Tulsa Convention Center is now the Cox Business Center after the company, SMG and the City of Tulsa jointly announced a long-term naming rights partnership.
The facility is currently home to Tulsa Project Theatre, Tulsa Revolution and the Oklahoma Defenders. It regularly hosts a variety of conventions, meetings, galas, concerts and other world-class events, attracting more than a quarter of a million guests annually.
“Today we celebrate more than just a new name for the Tulsa Convention Center, but a new era for the convention center and the BOK Center,” said John Bowen, market vice president for Cox Communications. “With the Cox Business brand comes the most innovative cable and broadband technology, greater broadcasting ability and new opportunities to attract conventions, regional and national events to our city.”
Fair Trade is a system of exchange that honors producers, communities, consumers, and the environment. It is considered as an organized social movement that aims to help producers in developing countries to make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. It advocates the payment of a higher price to exporters as well as higher social and environmental standards. It focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, chocolate, flowers, and gold.
The United States of America celebrates Independence Day on July 4, which means people flocking to the lakes, firing up the grill for burgers and dogs, countless parades festooned in red, white and blue and of course an evening capped by fireworks.
For some venues participating in festivals and fireworks makes for quite a nice revenue producer during an otherwise dark date. Take the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, for example. The iconic venue will present its 87th Annual 4th of July Celebration (presented by Honda, no less) where families are invited to celebrate America with music, food and fireworks.
The venue makes this an almost all-day extravaganza that starts at 2 pm with a festival outside the stadium, comes inside the venue at 7 pm for a live TNT motorcycle stunt show and performance by the Mariachi Divas & Kenny G and of course wraps up with “the biggest fireworks show in Southern California (produced by PyroSpectaculars by Souza, no less).
Reserved seating goes for $25 per person with general admission at $13. Children seven and under are admitted free.
When you return home following VenueConnect in New Orleans, we have absolutely no doubt that you will be returning to the job a smarter, more enlightened and knowledgeable professional thanks to all the excellent education programming awaiting you at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
We don’t want to take too much credit, however, if you return home tipping the scales at slightly more than when you arrived at VenueConnect. But, hey, it is New Orleans, and when it comes to food one can be tempted for some out-of-the-world cuisine on just about every street corner.
As a matter of fact, we are going to make sure you get your New Orleans experience off on the right foot as one of the first scheduled events will be the IAVM Foundation Cooking School, presented by Sodexo, on Friday, July 26 from 10 am until 2 pm at the New Orleans School of Cooking.
You will join others for a hands-on demonstration in small groups with a cooking competition with an awards luncheon to follow the group presentations. Continue Reading →