NATIONAL:  Sodexo Live! has partnered with innovation specialist L Marks to launch the Sodexo Live! Accelerator program for North America. The program aims to find start-ups and scale-ups with innovative and scalable solutions that address three themes: Service Excellence (solutions to attract the best talent, provide consistent training, and retain staff), Guest and Fan Experience (solutions for personalization of event experiences, digitization of touchpoints, ease of service, and future-forward virtual expansion), and Operational Optimization (solutions to improve cross-venue interoperability, better utilize public and transactional data to provide key customer insights, and develop predictive analytics for guests). Applications close on Sept. 12, and selected applications will then be invited to pitch their innovative solutions to Sodexo Live! management in mid-October.

NEW YORK: Battery Dance celebrates the 41st anniversary of its free summer festival from Aug. 13-20 in partnership with Battery Park City Authority. This year's Battery Dance Festival will feature in-person and livestreamed performances staged at Wagner Park at 7 p.m. each night. A closing night event and VIP reception will be held Aug. 20 at 6 p.m. at The Schimmel Center. Reaching both local and international audiences, the festival promotes Battery Dance’s mission of connecting the world through dance. Visit Battery Dance's website for more info.

The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, NYC's annual salute to the eponymous late saxophonist, will return for its 30th year for a three-day celebration of live jazz in the neighborhoods near where Parker worked and lived, including Harlem’s historic Marcus Garvey Park and Tompkins Square Park in the East Village. The festival will run from Aug. 26-28. Attendees can enjoy performances by Archie Shepp, Jazzmeia and Her Noble Force, and Brooklyn-born tap dancer Calvin Booker On Tap & Friends. 

SAN DIEGO: Marriott has announced that construction has begun on the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center in San Diego. The facility, located on the 500-plus-acre Chula Vista Bayfront, will span 1.8 million square feet. It's anticipated to have 1,600 hotel rooms, including 89 spacious suites, and 12 presidential suites. The Gaylord Pacific is expected to welcome its first guests in summer 2025, and Marriott International will manage the resort and convention center under a long-term management agreement. Russ Mitchell, most recently the director of sales and marketing at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, will serve as the director of sales and marketing.

SEATTLE: The second annual Day In Day Out music festival is returning to Seattle Aug. 12-14 to offer music-lovers a highly curated mixtape-inspired experience to close out the summer. The event will feature some of Seattle’s most hype-worthy food trucks, a spacious indoor-outdoor beer garden, and unique VIP experiences all located in the heart of Seattle Center. The lineup includes such artists as The National, Mitski, and Japanese Breakfast.