L.A. Weekender: Memorial Day Weekend

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It’s time to kick off summer with a three-day weekend! We have a lot planned for you for Memorial Day Weekend in Los Angeles, whether you plan to spend it with your family, a significant other, your best friends or taking some down time by yourself!

http://l0lzidek.tumblr.com/                                              Photo taken from choichristina

Friday: Start your weekend early with the family and pull them into a bit of L.A. culture. The Getty Center is conducting a free architecture tour in the morning. Learn all about the design and planning behind this beautiful museum. Meet the docent outside at the bench under the sycamore trees near the front entrance to the Museum. Afterwards, take the kids over to LACMA for Story Time in the Boone Children’s Gallery at 2 p.m. Finish up your day with a trip to the movies for the opening weekend of Epic.

Saturday: Fiesta Hermosa is in full swing this weekend and it’s a perfect opportunity to hit the beach! Park for free at the Hermosa Beach Playhouse (or one of the parking structures closer to the pier) and browse through the jewelry, paintings, clothing and other vendor booths lining the streets. Live music, a kiddie carnival, drink and food specials and a view of the ocean completes an ideal Memorial Day Saturday of fun in the sun. After you’ve had a nap, hop on the 110 and enjoy the start of summer evenings at the Fleetwood Mac concert at the Hollywood Bowl.

Sunday: Switch up the usual American BBQ fare for something international at the Korean BBQ of Giant Proportions. Go to Susan Feniger’s STREET and indulge in Korean fare from Food Network chefs Susan Feniger and Kajsa Alger. Tuck in to Korean BBQ, a cold summertime sake punch and allow yourself to sink into a food coma… tomorrow is a holiday, after all. 

Monday: Live out the American tradition: Invite some friends and family over, pull out the BBQ, grill a few burgers and hot dogs and enjoy the California sunshine. Or if that’s not quite to your liking, head down to the beach, go for a hike or simply take a nap and embrace your Monday out of the office. 

While it’s easy to get caught up in the fun, sun and gorgeous weather, it’s important to also remember the true purpose of our federal holiday: remembering those who gave their lives while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Various Forest Lawn locations throughout L.A. County will be holding patriotic ceremonies to honor veterans.

If you would like, volunteer to place American flags on each grave site at national cemeteries. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 p.m. local time.

Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend! I’m sure we will :)

The World of Wine (INFOGRAPHIC)

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The results are being processed. The wine has been sipped, swirled and spit out. The glasses have been cleaned and the judges have departed until next year. The 2013 Los Angeles International Wine Competition is over.

A total of 10,000 glasses were used and 3,200 bottles were opened during this year’s competition. Dive into the world of wine and check out the infographic below for more fun facts on what went down during the competition:

L.A. Spirits Competition 2013 Has Begun

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Last week we gave you a peek into the 74th annual Los Angeles International Wine Competition. We haven’t slowed down one bit this week as we dive into the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition.

Held behind closed doors at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel, hundreds of glasses are lined up and ready to be filled with a variety of spirits: gin, whiskey, vodka, tequila and rum for starters. The judges started sipping and spitting bright and early this morning with tequila and whiskey (not your typical breakfast fare.)

We’ll be covering the event here on our blog but be sure to check Instagram and Twitter for additional coverage:

#laspiritscomp
#spitacular

Follow along: @lawinecomp

Cheers!

 

 

Event Industry News: Billboard Music Awards, Event Tech, QSR trends, Tumblr

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Bruno Mars opens with newest hit “Treasure” (photo taken from Billboard)

Billboard Music Awards: The 2013 Billboard Music Awards was full of fun: confetti, balloons floating through the air, laughs, falls and flashing lights. With Tracy Morgan as host and a smooth flow of performances and award presentations, the night was an overall success. Selena Gomez, who performed at the L.A. County Fair in 2010, sang her latest hit and Carly Rae Jepsen from the 2012 Fair made an appearance on camera. Additional guests included Chris Brown, will.i.am., Justin Bieber, Nicki Manaj, David Guetta and winner of the Billboard Icon Award: Prince.

Event Tech Circus Winner: A few months ago we gave the heads up on Event Tech Circus, a new event conference bringing event organizers, tech companies and investors together. The Amsterdam-based event came to fruition this past week with all eyes on Conferize. The conference app was chosen as “best startup” out of the 13 companies that presented during the conference.

QSR: Square–the nifty credit card reader that allows customers to swipe their credit cards directly onto an iPhone, iPad or Android device might be entering the food industry in mass quantity. JStarbucks was one of the first QSRs to adapt the trend in late 2012. Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and Square is heading the initiative. A fixed 2.75 percent swipe fee is the only charge restaurant and food truck services need to worry about and eliminates the complications of additional fees from different banks.

Social media – Tumblr, meet Yahoo: Yahoo! has officially purchased popular blog site, Tumblr for $1.1 billion. While this means major bucks for the social media platform, a number of users are less than pleased about the transaction. Despite Yahoo!’s promise “not to screw it up,” the community is still wary.

L.A. Weekender: Hockey, crawfish, art and wine

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It’s almost the weekend! We are wrapping up the Los Angeles International Wine Competition here at Fairplex and are getting ready for Food Truck Thursday, Preakness and our other weekend happenings. As for you, there is plenty to see, do and taste throughout all of Los Angeles…

Photo taken  from Examiner

Go Kings Go!: If you’re a hockey fan, you might want to start your weekend a little early and hightail it over to the Staples Center to see the L.A. Kings face off against the San Jose Sharks in the second round of playoffs. Whether you have nosebleed seats or the best seats in the arena, it’s sure to be loud, wild and tons of fun.

Dominick’s Annual Crawfish Boil: If you’ve had enough of L.A. fare (quinoa, kale, organic everything) and want to escape to the South for a couple hours, stop by Dominick’s Restaurant on Saturday for Chef Brandon Boudet’s annual Crawfish Boil. The New Orleans native will be cooking 300 lbs. of live crawfish (flown over from Louisiana) for your dining pleasure.

International Museum Night at LACMA: If you’re looking for something slightly less rowdy than a crawfish boil, check out International Museum Night at LACMA. The agenda includes a series of lectures (“LACMA Exhibitions Around the World,” “Classic Maya” and “The Art of Looking.” KCRW will also be on hand to spin some low-key tunes along with two tasting stations. 

CRUSH: End your weekend with some light wine and food tasting down in Santa Monica at the 18th St Arts Center. Down a cocktail or two and enjoy food from some of the best (or so they claim) that Los Angeles has to offer and spend an hour or two letting your inner foodie out.

And if all else fails… It looks like it will be a beautiful weekend, perfect for a walk in the park, a picnic on the beach or just relaxing with the family at home :)

L.A. International Wine Competition: Day 2

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Los Angeles International Wine Competition employees prepare the wine for our judges

The wine judging began yesterday morning and continues strong today. Anyone walking into the ballroom will be greeted with a whiff of wine… a lot of wine. The sound of clinking glasses and the scratching of judges’ pencils and the sight of plates heaped with generous amounts of cheese, grapes, crackers and other pairings completes the scene.

Here are a few photos we’ve taken from the competition:

All lined up and ready to go

Judges

Reppin' Dodger blue in the judges room

The judges ended yesterday’s round with their own Table-to-Farm dinner out at McKinley’s Farm. Staying true to tradition, Chef David Teig prepared the feast right in front of the judges. A wide variety of foods was served, including a course of octopus. Vegetables, fruits and herbs were taken fresh from the farm (of course.)

Los Angeles International Wine Competition (TODAY!)

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The 74th annual Los Angeles International Wine Competition kicks off today at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel. As we speak, our esteemed panel of judges (coming from around the world) are being welcomed and and settling in for two days of sipping, swirling and spitting as they go through thousands of wine entries.

We’ll be covering the event here on our blog but be sure to check Instagram and Twitter for up-to-the-minute coverage:

#lawinecomp
#purpleteeth
#spitacular

Follow along: @lawinecomp

Cheers!

Event Industry News: New Orleans parade turns dangerous

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New Orleans Mother’s Day parade gone wrong: Multiple gunmen opened fire on participants of a second-line Mother’s Day parade in New Orleans. At least 19 civilians were injured; thankfully no fatalities have been reported. Investigations are underway in identifying the culprits. The second-line parade is a common cultural event in the city–a brass band marches down the street followed by a second-line of celebratory groups.

Moving forward with Google Glass: Google Glass may not be on the market for awhile but it will come and people will buy. That being said, several venues are banning the device including dive bars and several locations in Las Vegas.

Google gives potential customers a look into Glass potential

Technology: Smartphones are the norm. 3-D screens might be the next novelty. Acording to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is in the process of creating their own line of smartphones, one of which allows for 3-D images, no glasses required. Using a retina-tracking program, users can navigate through their phones using only their eyes and bring holograph-like images to “float” on their screens. Whether this will be a passing, expensive fad or a requirement for all phones following it is up for debate.

And speaking of smartphones, they now emit scents.

Gatsby: With Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby debuting in theaters this past weekend, it’s no surprise that the Roaring 20s are more popular than ever. Halloween will likely see an extra flapper or two than normal and the event industry will be no different. Special Events Magazine’s latest online poll reveals an increase in requests for Gatsby and 1920s themed parties for event planners.

Event Industry News: LACMA gets a facelift

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“Urban Light”
Photo taken from eliteonearth.blogspot.com

LACMA: Next month the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will reveal plans for a $650 million for a new museum building. The upside: It would be one of the most impressive architectural feats of Los Angeles since the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The downside: As one building rises, two have to fall, including the original LACMA campus. “Urban Light” – the museum’s outdoor exhibit – is already an iconic piece of Los Angeles.

Quiet times: The Los Angeles Formula E race will take place on the streets of downtown in 2014. Race cars will zoom through the city at 140 mph although the whir of engines will be hard to hear — all the vehicles are electric (for the first time in history.) The event is part of a tournament with races taking place in 10 cities around the world including Rome, Buenos Aires and London. Miami and Los Angeles are the only two cities to host in the United States.

Blue skies ahead: According to the latest research conducted by IMEX, the IMEX America Index of Optimism reveals that the majority of the event industry looks with positivity towards the future of the industry. The survey reported increased budgets, a focus on reducing costs and continuation “green” initiatives.

 

L.A. Weekender: Rock out, channel your inner Yoda and celebrate all weekend long

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There’s no way around it: this weekend is packed. The L.A. Weekender is looking at Star Wars, the Kentucky Derby, and Cinco de Mayo. Shall we elaborate?

Taken from livemusicblog.com

The Rolling Stones: If you’re feeling spontaneous (and have some cash to blow), you can try to see The Rolling Stones, performing Friday night at the Staples Center. Perhaps it’s not the intimate performance the Echoplex saw last weekend, but for anyone who’s a fan, this is guaranteed to be a night to rock out and remember.

May the Fourth be with you: If you’re a Star Wars fan and tend to get a little geeked out when someone brings up the Death Star or Han Solo, you have a couple options:

1. Head out to Orange County and hit up Downtown Disney in the afternoon and meet Mike Kungl, Disney Fine Art painter as he reveals his latest Star Wars-inspired art collection. If you have a Disney pass, don’t forget to slip into Tomorrowland for a bit of fun.

2. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Entertainment Weekly is going all out for at the CapeTown Film Fest at the Egyptian Theater with all-day screenings of Return of the Jedi.

Kentucky Derby: If racing and mint juleps are to your liking, consider the Kentucky Derby, happening on Saturday. Sure you might not actually be at the races and you’ll be hard pressed to find anything resembling a friendly Southern drawl, but why not swing by Finish Line Sports Grill for one of their signature Mint Juleps?

Enjoy ticketless wagering and watch the races with your fellow SoCal horse enthusiasts.

Cinco de Mayo: All of Los Angeles is celebrating the Mexican army’s triumph at the Battle of Puebla 150 years ago, and while there are plenty of food and drink specials to be found, we recommend taking the family to the free Cinco de Mayo Festival down on Olvera Street. Check out the folk dancing, live performances from Ballet Folklorico, Mariachi Estampa de America and La Original Banda El Limon, and chow down on your favorite Mexican meal before calling it a day.

So many options, so little time…