wired and marriott hotels & resorts debut event web viewwired and marriott hotels & resorts...
TRANSCRIPT
WIRED AND MARRIOTT HOTELS & RESORTS DEBUT EVENT SERIESDESIGNED TO INFORM, ENTERTAIN AND INSPIRE
— Partnership to Launch the WIRED + Marriott Culturazzi Series —
(New York – September 17, 2012) – WIRED and Marriott Hotels & Resorts, signature brand of Marriott International (NYSE:MAR), today announced a partnership to launch the WIRED + Marriott Culturazzi Series. Kicking off with a Marriott Meetup: Five Startups to Watch event at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf on September 19, WIRED Insiders — startup executives, digital game changers, gadget gurus, culture vultures, and adventurers — will curate four events hosted exclusively at U.S. Marriott properties through December.
“As we transform our lobbies and public spaces, they are buzzing with younger travelers connected to their digital worlds, blending work and play,” said Paul Cahill, senior vice president of brand management of Marriott Hotels & Resorts. “Together with WIRED, we will bring provocative and stimulating experiences to our hotel guests and the local community amplified on their social networks and on our Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as by Marriott Hotels & Resorts’ cadre of social media influencers.”
This fresh and inventive partnership builds on Marriott Hotels & Resorts heritage as an innovative hospitality leader and of brilliantly hosted experiences, and WIRED’s role as the authority on how ideas and innovation are changing the world. In addition to live events, custom Marriott Hotel & Resorts print ads debuted in WIRED’s September issue, accompanied by online creative, tablet integration and social media support. Each ad reflects the depth of Marriott Hotels & Resorts’ more than 500 hotels worldwide, offering both business and leisure travel experiences.
“WIRED is at the epicenter of how technology influences the way we live, work and play,” said Howard Mittman, publisher and vice president, WIRED. “We are thrilled to leverage WIRED’s creativity and expertise to develop a captivating program that reaffirms Marriott’s position as a breakaway leader in hospitality, expertly blending high-tech services with high-touch experiences to meet today’s evolving customer needs in a meaningful way.”
The monthly WIRED + Marriott Culturazzi series lineup includes the Humor Me Comedy Showcase in October and an evening of arts, music and tech at Art Beats in November. The event series will culminate at the WIRED Store in New York City in December, featuring the coolest holiday gadgets and gear, where Marriott will present an exciting interactive display and VIP event. The events, held in the hotels’ public spaces, will inform, entertain and inspire hotel guests and the local communities; they will also bring together the hotel event experience with the digital social sphere via live tweeting, Facebook posts, Instagram photos, blogging and Web video.
Events to date include:
Marriott MeetUp: Boston Long Wharf, September 19, 2012A celebration of American ingenuity and entrepreneurship led by WIRED Insider’s Smarter Upstarter and reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian. The night will recognize “Five Startups to Watch” from the Boston community that bring innovation to the area’s startup scene. As well, Kiva Systems will be honored with the “Chief Disruptor” Award for its great success and continued growth.
Humor Me Comedy Showcase: Marina Del Rey, CA, October 24, 2012An uproarious evening on the hotel rooftop. The Humor Me Comedy Showcase will feature emerging and established comedians presented by popular comedy video website Funny or Die.
Additional details will soon be announced for upcoming Culturazzi events. Join Marriott Hotels & Resorts’ rapidly growing Facebook and Twitter communities or follow WIRED Insider for a front row seat to all the action.
Marriott Hotels & Resorts has been reimagining the guest experience, transforming lobbies and public spaces by designing them for a new generation of business travelers who blend work and play, demand style and substance and desire high tech and high touch. Working with its partners IDEO and Steelcase, Marriott is introducing new concepts, such as purpose-built spaces for smaller collaborative meetings, designed for the way Gen X and Gen Y work today. As the industry leader in hosting meetings of all sizes, Marriott is testing innovative technologies, such as applications and booking meetings on demand that will further differentiate the customer experience at its hotels.
###
About Marriott Hotels & ResortsMarriott Hotels & Resorts continues to inspire and provide a balanced life on the road for discerning and high-achieving business and leisure travelers, offering warm, professional service; sophisticated yet functional guest room design; lobby spaces that facilitate working, dining and socializing; restaurants and bars serving international cuisine prepared simply and from the freshest ingredients; meeting and event spaces and services that are gold standard; and expansive, 24-hour fitness facilities. All Marriott hotels participate in the award winning Marriott Rewards frequent travel program that allows members to earn hotel points or airline miles for every dollar spent during each stay. For more information, visit www.MarriottHotels.com. Visit Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) for company information. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com.
About WIREDWIRED is the first word on how ideas and innovation are changing the world. Each month in the magazine and every day online, our editors deliver a glimpse into the future of business, culture, innovation, and science. AdWeek named WIRED to its 2011 Hot List and made WIRED its first-ever “Magazine of the Decade” in 2010. It was named to Advertising Age’s A-List in 2010, received three National Magazine Awards for general excellence in 2005, 2007, and 2009, and was nominated for a National Magazine Award for Magazine of the Year in 2011. Wired.com was named 2009’s Best Magazine Website by AdWeek, Best News, Business & Finance Website in 2009 by MPA Digital, and was a 2011 National Magazine Award for Digital Media “General Excellence” finalist. WIRED and Wired.com reach more than 14 million readers each month.
About WIRED InsiderWIRED Insider presents ideas, intelligence, events, and promotions from WIRED to provide content and experiences that will enhance the WIRED community: people who love tech and all the ways it impacts and influences their lives. Inspired by the editors, WIRED Insiders are notable personalities that embody the varying passions of WIRED’s audience, including startup executives, digital ladies and gents, gadget gurus, culture vultures, foodies, adventurers, and DIY fans.
CONTACTS:
WIREDJonathan Hammond, WIRED, (212) 286-5866 or [email protected] Millner, WIRED, (415) 276-4952 or [email protected] Shosfy, WIRED, (212) 286-7273 or [email protected]
Marriott Hotels & ResortsJennifer Clark, Burson-Marsteller on behalf of Marriott Hotels & Resort, (212) 614-4862 or [email protected] John Wolf, Marriott International, (301) 380-5718 or [email protected]