The Auto Show Rolls into the Javits Yet Again

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Tuesday, 13 March 2018 16:07

Written by Brad Balfour

As sure as the sun rises and the traffic in midtown is a nightmare, the New York Auto Show returns to the Javits Center (655 W. 34th St.). Running March 30 to April 8, the Auto Show features a galaxy of cars from the conceptual to the practical, from the extravagant to the everyday.

The Auto Show features the usual cavalcade of brands such as BMW, Toyota, Rolls-Royce, Lotus, Porche, Subaru, and many many more. The massive Auto Show will also include a (ticketed) guided tour for those of you that want insider info from an “automotive expert.” Kids will have fun too, as along with the usual showing of cars from films and TV shows the Auto Show will be inviting young auto fans to participate in a car costume parade during this year’s opening ceremony as part of the Kids' Motorcade Parade on Saturday, March 31st.

To learn more, go to: https://www.autoshowny.com/

The New York International Auto Show
March 30 - April 8, 2018

Javits Center
655 W. 34th St.
New York, NY 10001

Annual APAP Conference Held at the New York Hilton Offered Beautiful Sounds

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Thursday, 01 February 2018 09:40

Written by T. Tom Moloney

The Hunts

The annual APAP conference held last month at the New York Hilton is one of the best kept entertainment secrets of the city. And it seems that the Association of Performing Arts Professionals would like to keep it that way. Nonetheless, in attending my 10th consecutive APAP conference, it was the one I enjoyed the most, discovering new talent and renewing old friendships.

Basically the conference is a four- day "audition extravaganza," with Hilton conference rooms turned into stages for hopeful singers, dancers, comics and the occasional dead celebrity impersonator. The conference also offers an important meeting point for arts presenters, agents, performers and managers from all corners of the world, with a wide variety of topics addressed during the event.

The standing-room only opening night plenary session addressed the question: “What is the Responsibility of the Performing Arts in Our World Today?” Other topics covered at various sessions and roundtables included: Artists as Activists;  Building Arts Audiences; Using and Protecting Intellectual Property; Advancing Indigenous Arts; Artists Without Borders; Presenting Diverse Cultures; Arts in the Fight Against Islamophobia; Asian American Artists; New Economic Realities; Best Marketing Practices; Contracting Skills; How to Reach Younger Audiences; Women's Leadership and Are the Arts for Everyone?

Besides the professional information sessions and the performances, the other very integral part of the APAP annual conference is the Expo Hall. Several hundred booths, manned by arts organizations, presenters and performance venues are spread over three floors in the hotel's west side section. In a sense, this is the heart of the conference, where serious networking takes place and deals are made (and also where the ubiquitous pens and candy can also be found.)

The Expo Halls are strictly for badge holders. To be on the safe side, casual music lovers should follow the diverse sounds coming from the east side of the Hilton. After attending the conference for a decade, there are favorite musicians which I look forward to seeing each January.

One favorite seen last month was The Hunts, a unique country/folk group comprised of seven siblings (ages 19-26) from Chesapeake, Virginia. All seven members play instruments — two women violinists with the five men on guitar, piano and/or drums. Recently the Hunts were heard on a Milkbone commercial ("Make This Leap") and their third album, "Darlin' Oh Darlin’,” will be released on February 20th, 2018. For more info go to:www.thehuntsmusic.com)

Estonian Voices, a jazz accapella group from that small Baltic nation, made their first APAP appearance. The attractive septet of three women and two men made beautiful jazzy music in both English and Estonian, even including sounds of animals and mototcycles. I was flattered to be interviewed for Estonian radio following one of the two shows I attended. Check them out at www.Estonianvoices.com.

Another new favorite is Tartan Terrors, a Canadian co-ed group performing Scottish-flavored music and dance with a heavy metal sound and featuring kilts, bagpipes and step dancing. Look for them at www.tartanterrors.com.

The APAP conference returns to the midtown New York Hilton in early January 2019 (from the 3rd (pre-conference to the 8th). All discrete music lovers are encouraged to check it out.

Bon Voyage: NY Times Travel Show Celebrates Uncommon Adventures

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Thursday, 25 January 2018 14:12

Written by Ellis Nassour

Dorothy said it best in The Wizard of Oz: "There’s no place like home…There’s no place like home!" That is, if you don’t know the Who, What. When, and Wheres of travel. And that’s why there’s the New York Times Travel Show, the largest and longest-running consumer travel show in North America -- now in its 15th year. Jet (private or commercial), cruise, and train to your heart’s content this weekend, January 27 and 28, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

This year's show, themed "Celebrating 15 Years of Uncommon Adventures,” presents an expansive showcase for travel enthusiasts come together to share the latest travel news and trends for this year and beyond. The Javits will host more than 560 exhibitors from around the world in the areas of hotels, resorts, spas, cruises, great train journeys, and airlines. 

Whether you prefer the Old World or the new, black sand beaches of Hawaii’s Big Island, the fjords and waterfalls of Norway, the beauty of Brazil, the sophistication of Argentina, the romance of France, the splendors of Turkey, Bhutan, or the Himalayas, the twists and turns of the Rhine, Danube, Nile, or Mississippi, the Alaska Gold Rush train or the Orient Express, the ruins of fabled empires, the grandeur at the Taj Mahal, Thai temples and elephants, hiking the Great Wall, wild life safaris, tickets for the Kabuki or the Bolshoi, observe koalas or polar bears, you’ll receive help and learn of the latest in global travel trends. The Pavilion Stages will a huge variety of live performances.

Exhibitors from Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia/South Pacific, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Greece, Israel, Latin America, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, and, of course, the good old U.S. will offer brochures, videos, and tons of inscribed pens – in addition to giving advice and helping plan. Some will have games to play for valuable (maybe!) prizes. Oh, did I mention there’ll be family fun activities, a large travel bookstore, and maps, maps, maps and maps of maps?

The show provides educational seminars and live entertainment for families, individuals, couples, singles, seniors, and the spa and wellness traveler. It’s a spectacular celebration of domestic and international hot spots and under-the radar crowd-free escapes where you gain valuable travel insights from experts in the field in one-on-one conversations. You can book exclusive discounted deals to dream destination right at the show.

Since you don’t like to travel on an empty stomach and you do travel to experience the world’s cuisines some nations will present food and wine tastings. At the Taste of World culinary stage, there’ll be cuisine tastings with top chefs and food personalities. There’ll also be a Kids Kitchen, with children of all ages can participate in fun food experiments while learning about nutritious eating and international dishes.
"Travel is about discovery," says Claire Bennett, American Express Travel exec VP, "both of the world and of yourself. Today’s travelers look for engaging experiences; and it’s our goal, as founding sponsor of the Travel Show, to offer guidance. Whether you seek a luxury escape, family vacation, solo and senior travel, or an adventurous odyssey, American Express, as it has been since our founding, is here to serve and help you plan."

Seminars on Saturday will include: Cooking with Zac Posen – the renowned fasion designer will present his new cookbook, Cooking with Zac: Recipes from Rustic to Refined; The New York Times’s wildly popular columnist Lucas Peterson, The Frugal Traveler; Bizarre Foods with Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmers; Chef Angela Dimayuga with Cherry Bombe’s Claudia Wu; and, among a long list, 
L.G.B.T.Q. Travel with Davey Wavey.

On Sunday, join Travel Channel’s Samantha Brown and Pauline Frommer, editor of Frommer guidebooks; Travel with Joseph Rosenda, Emmy-winning journalist and PBS show host; and many others, including Vanessa Grail’s Don’t Be a Tourist in Paris : The Messy Nessy Chic Guide.

American Express, the founding sponsor of The New York Times Travel Show, has participated since the show‘s inception. The show is the largest consumer and trade travel event in North America, 

South African Tourism, supporter of the Travel Show since 2008, is a New York Times Travel Show gold sponsor. MSC Cruises and Visit Florida are silver sponsors.

To learn more, go to: http://nyttravelshow.com/ 

The New York Times Travel Show
January 27 - 28, 2018

Jacob Javits Center
655 W. 34th St.
New York, NY 10001