MGM has big plans for Strip MGM Mirage's planned Project CityCenter--an 18-million-square-foot "urban metropolis" that will be the largest privately financed development in U.S. history--will change the resort experience, company management told shareholders at the company's annual meeting last week. Project CityCenter will include a 4,000-room hotel-casino, two 400-room boutique hotels, more than 500,000 square feet of retail space and 2,900 residential units ...
Band manager sentenced in West Warwick nightclub fire The rock band manager whose ill-fated pyro display triggered a nightclub fire in West Warwick, R.I., in 2003 that killed 100 was sentenced last week to four years in prison. The disaster sent a shudder through the special event industry, leading some venues to cancel indoor pyro for a time and event hosts to demand more-detailed safety plans from planners and producers ...
Farewell, foie gras In response to the city of Chicago's move last month to ban the sale of foie gras, Chicago's Meritage Cafe is offering guests a final taste of the luscious food with a seven-course tasting menu. For one night only--June 5--diners can indulge in broiled oysters on the half shell with foie gras hollandaise and sturgeon caviar; pan-seared diver scallop and foie gras with grilled pineapple soup; horseradish-crusted halibut with English peas, hearts of palm and foie gras sauce; raspberry-thyme waffle with foie gras mousse and Sauternes; terrine of foie gras and wild leeks with wilted frisee and warm bacon vinaigrette; grilled New Zealand elk chop with Door County cherries, braised oxtail and foie gras bordelaise; and profiteroles with rhubarb ice cream, strawberry compote and foie gras chocolate ganache. Bon appetit! ...
IAEM to offer seminar on avian-flu preparedness The International Association for Exhibition Management will offer special sessions devoted to crisis prevention and management in regard to avian flu and other emergencies at its Professional Development Conference, June 20-22 in Rosemont, Ill. To learn more, click here.
Photo: MGM's Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas
