Successful Meetings - August 2009 - (Page 8)

NEWS UPDATE Planned for the World, in Five Days Special Report O rganizers of the memorial service for Michael Jackson in downtown Los Angeles had only five days to plan the event, but the tribute “couldn’t have gone any better,” according to Staples Center and Nokia Theatre Senior Vice President and General Manager Lee Zeidman. “It was truly an amazing thing,” says Zeidman, who also serves as senior vice president and general manager for downtown Los Angeles’ $2.5 billion L.A. Live sports and entertainment project. Thousands of fans surrounded L.A. Live on July 7 to pay tribute to the King of Pop. The memorial service totaled a combined 20.5 household rating with 30.92 million viewers on the 19 networks carrying it from approximately 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., according to Nielsen Media Research. More than 1.6 million fans registered for tickets to the tribute inside Staples Center and Nokia Theatre, but roughly 23,000 people received tickets. The memorial featured performances by such artists as Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, and Usher, among others. Organizers of the service included Ken Ehrlich Productions, AEG Live, and Kenny Ortega. On the day following the Jackson memorial, Zeidman spoke about lastminute planning, coordinating staff on a holiday weekend, and more. Q: Do you have an estimation of how many people attended the memorial service? Zeidman: We did 17,500 seated in Staples Center and another 5,500 in the Nokia Theatre. But in terms of crowds in and around the city, everybody paid attention to our message to not come down here if you didn’t have a ticket. 8 I SM I August 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - August 2009

Successful Meetings - August 2009
Contents
Editors Letter
Planning for the World, in 5 Days
Education
Personal Success
Incentive Insights
Food & Beverage
Management Matters
Gurus
Visionaries
The Show Must Go On
What Happens in Vegas...
Rolling on the High Seas
Betting on Meetings
Meetings Hype 2.0
Places and Spaces
Midwest Meetings
Cleveland
Palm Springs Desert Resorts
Cancun
Portland
2009 Pinnacle Awards

Successful Meetings - August 2009