2022 Winter Olympics Finalists: Beijing, Oslo and Almaty, Kazakhstan
Will we be back in Beijing in 2022? The IOCC has us wondering if the Big Games will return to the site of the summer Games of 2008, an extravaganza praised by many special event pros for its unforgettable opening and closing ceremonies:
The International Olympic Committee has named three cities -- the only cities still interested -- to its official list of candidates for the 2022 Winter Games. The bids of Beijing, Oslo and Almaty, Kazakhstan, were approved by the IOC's executive board. The action came months after the 2014 Sochi Games, whose organizers set a record by spending an estimated $50 billion-plus.—Los Angeles Times
GOP to Meet in Cleveland for 2016 Presidential Convention
The Republican National Committee said adieu to Dallas, hello, Cleveland, for its 2016 national convention. These events bring a rush of business for planners, caterers and other event experts:
The Republican National Convention is headed to The Cleve in 2016. The party’s site selection committee has picked Cleveland as the host city for the quadrennial conference that will nominate the GOP’s presidential ticket over the other finalist, Dallas. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus told Fox News Tuesday that the convention will either start on June 28 or July 18. Top Ohio Republicans in Congress — Sen. Rob Portman and House Speaker John A. Boehner—lobbied the RNC to bring the convention to the lakeside city. Supporters argued the city could host more delegates near the Quicken Loans Arena and there were political benefits of picking a swing state like Ohio.—Roll Call
So, What Does SITE Stand for Again?
Prompted by feedback from members and industry pros, the premier industry association for incentive travel has tweaked its name yet again:
The leading association for incentive travel professionals, SITE, has announced a new name for itself—the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence—and a new tag line, “Incentive Travel. Business Results.” The changes “pave the way to building a more robust global community, which will help us achieve our goals and aspirations,” said SITE President Paul Miller, managing director, Spectra, in a statement. The changes are based on feedback from members and industry professionals, which also revealed confusion between the SITE and SITE International Foundation brands. As a result, Site has removed “International” from the foundation’s name, and will use SITE as an umbrella brand for all its activities. --MeetingsNet
Ceremony Marks 70th Anniversary of Deadly Hartford Circus Tent Fire
The tragic circus tent fire of 1944, in which more than 150 died, was commemorated in Hartford, Conn., on Sunday. Much like the deadly West Warwick nightclub fire of 2003, the Hartford tent fire forever changed rules for special event safety.
The city of Hartford came together on Sunday to remember the infamous Hartford Circus Fire 70 years later. The ceremony took place on Barbour St, next to a memorial dedicated to the victims. On July 6, 1944, as least 167 people were killed and more than 700 hurt during a fire at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus performance in Hartford. More than 7,000 people were in attendance, many of them women and children.—NBC Connecticut
