February 20, 2012

Monday Morning Memo is your weekly update on downtown Tampa development, transportation updates, news and events. Click on the sections below or scroll down to read the complete issue:

In this Issue...

Downtown Happenings

The Dollars and Sense of Tampa Tourism

Kelly Miller, the new CEO of Tampa Bay & Company and Rick Hamilton, the new Director of the Tampa Convention Center, will be our keynote speakers for this debriefing.  Join us for an opportunity to meet them both and hear their impressions on tourism trends, the hospitality industry and downtown; as well as their ideas for attracting visitors to Tampa.  The event will take place at Howard Johnson Plaza on Wednesday, March 7th from 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.  Click here for more information.

Partnership Member Mixer

The Tampa Downtown Partnership is hosting our next quarterly Member 2 Member Social Mixer on Tuesday, February 21st on the Riverwalk at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts from 5:30-7:30 p.m. TDP Members are invited for a fun social event to mix, mingle, exchange ideas, extend their network, and build relationships with others who are interested in downtown.  Members are invited to bring guests and to stay for National Geographic Live! Life: The Unfolding Story with Frans Lanting, photographer, as a guest of the Straz Center!  Click here for more information.  Not a member?  Click here for membership information.
 

5th Annual TDP Urban Excellence Awards

The Tampa Downtown Partnership’s 5th Annual Downtown Tampa Urban Excellence Awards event will be held on February 29th at the Tampa Museum of Art from 5:30-7:30 p.m.  The event is a celebration of businesses, organizations, individuals, events and projects that have made significant contributions toward creating a unique, vibrant and diverse Downtown environment – and have made a lasting, positive impact on Downtown Tampa.  Award winners will be announced at the event.  This year’s finalists include:

Bamboozle Café
City of Tampa Parking Division
Duckweed Urban Market
Friends of the Riverwalk
Glazer Children’s Museum
The Great Gatsby Party - Henry B. Plant Museum
Historic Tampa Union Station - Friends of Tampa Union Station
Metro 510 Apartments
“Not Your Average Speaker Series” by 83 Degrees Media
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay
Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church Concert Series
Seminole Hard Rock Gasparilla Pirate Fest
Stageworks Theatre, Inc.
Tampa Bay Veg Fest
Tampa Bay WaVE
Tampa Firefighters Museum
Tampa General Hospital – Renovation of former Bryn-Alan Studio
Tampa Museum of Art - Degas: Form, Movement and the Antique exhibit
TECO Line Streetcar System Phase IIa Expansion
Urban Bike Adventure
Washington Street Park

Click here for more information.

Tampa Bay Times Forum Events This Week!

Ladies and gentlemen there is plenty to do at the forum this week; Tampa Bay Lightning has a game this week, Freestyle Motocross is in town at the forum this week along with our USF Men’s Basketball – GO BULLS!  Take a look at the list of activities below. Let’s back our teams or attend those events and show these guys Downtown has spirit.

• Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Anaheim Ducks - on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Click here to purchase tickets.
• Nuclear Cowboyz - tour, featuring the world’s top freestyle motocross riders, added an additional show to its record-breaking theatrical freestyle motocross production at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. The tour stops in Tampa on Friday, February 24 at 7:30 p.m. and now a second show on Saturday, February 25 at 7:30 p.m. Click here to purchase tickets.
• USF Bulls vs. Cincinnati Bearcats in Men's Basketball The University of South Florida Bulls led by their head coach, Stan Heath, will take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in Men’s Basketball on Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.  This is a great chance to start your week, enjoy pre-game hospitality and cheer on the Bulls with your colleagues and/or your family!   The Bulls have arranged a special seating section for Monday Morning Memo readers. Go to the link below for more information and to purchase!  The promo password is “DOWNTOWN”. Single-game tickets to USF Men's Basketball games are now on sale, click here to purchase.  Click here for their schedule.

Cuba Revisited – Pride and Hope for the Future at UT

On Wednesday, February 22, 2012, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. join Professors Denis Rey and James López who will report on their recent encounters during a rare journey to Cuba with their UT students. The trip from Santiago to Havana was the culmination of a semester-long Cuban course at the university. The professors will tell stories of their face-to-face meetings that revealed Cuban struggles of the past and present and aspirations for the future.  This opportunity to learn from this bottom-up research strategy will uncover interesting nuances of Cuba’s fascinating history.  The free event will take place in the Vaughn Center 9th Floor Trustee Room.  For more information please contact Carla Sykes at (813) 257-3545 or email her at csykes@ut.edu.

University of Tampa and Plant High School Present Wind Symphony

On Friday, February 24, the Falk Theater will become the site of a collaborative Wind Concert with musicians from the University of Tampa’s Wind Ensemble and HB Plant High School’s Wind Symphony.  Selections to be performed are both classical and lively, including The Coast Guard’s March, The Freelance March, La Fiesta del Pacifico, and The Hounds of Spring.  Tickets are free, but require a reservation.  For more information please contact Alicia Gonzalez at 253-6212 or email her at: agonzalez@ut.edu. 

Glazer Children’s Museum – Music! Music! Music!

Have a little one that keeps the beat to the radio?  Or maybe they’re already composing their own tunes?  Bring them by the Museum for two days celebrating a variety of music genres.  Meet real musicians and see real instruments, too! The event “Music-Music-Music” will take place Saturday, February 25 and Sunday, February 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Click here for more information.

Tampa Theatre to Host 13th Oscar Night® America

The excitement and glamour of Hollywood are coming to Tampa Theatre on Oscar Night.  Guests can experience the thrills and surprises of the 84th Academy Awards^® on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at Tampa Bay’s own Oscar Night^® America – Tampa Bay.  The Tampa Theatre party is one of only 49 official parties sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that will be held across the country on Oscar Night. 

Red carpet festivities and the reception begin at 6:30 p.m. and the live telecast of the Academy Awards begins at 8:00 p.m.  The event will benefit the not-for-profit Tampa Theatre Foundation which supports the Theatre’s artistic and education programs.  Tickets are on sale now at www.tampatheatre.org or at the Tampa Theatre box office, 711 N. Franklin Street, Tampa.  $40 General Admission including an official Academy Awards® Program, the same program distributed to guests at the Oscar^® presentation at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center^® in Hollywood.

National College Fair for All College-Bound Students

The Tampa National College Fair is Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Tampa Convention Center. The event open to all college-bound students the event will feature more than 150 college representatives to answer questions and provide information about their colleges' academic programs. Although the event is also free prior registration is recommended to make navigating the fair and collecting information from multiple colleges and universities much easier for students. By registering, students can print a bar-coded confirmation to be used on-site at the fair as an electronic ID. Click here for more information.

galaRE:

As part of the Gasparilla Arts Festival, Tampa Museum of Art will host the First Annual galaRE: on Saturday, March 3rd. This exclusive art and cultural event showcases award-winning work that was juror-selected from the Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts and provides attendees the opportunity to network with the honored artists and to purchase their work on-site.
 
“galaRE: represents a new and exciting chapter in the festival’s 42 year history,” said Mark Stenson, President, 2012 Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. “We will provide the opportunity for our guests to mingle with the artists, juror and festival organizers in an amazing setting, showcasing recognized art.  This will be a great evening that will help define the Tampa art scene.”

The VIP reception begins at 7:30 p.m. and the event opens at 8 p.m. Event tickets are $100 for general admission, $175 for VIP admission. The Tampa Museum of Art is located at 120 West Gasparilla Plaza, next to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa.  Click here for ticket information.

2012 Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts

Held Saturday, March 3, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 4, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.in downtown Tampa’s Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, it is a true showcase. Featured art includes ceramic, digital, drawing, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, watercolor and wood.  The esteemed event also features the works of local young artists, a weekend full of live entertainment and a children’s art activity area.  So make plans to attend for one of the most memorable and inspiring weekends ever – as an artist, visitor, volunteer or sponsor.  Click here for more information.

All That Glitters Gala Auction and Dinner for Tampa Preparatory School Tampa Preparatory School's Annual Gala Auction and Dinner takes place Saturday, March 3, 2012, at A La Carte Event Pavilion from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m.; Join them as they celebrate the school’s mission to provide students a place to think, create, be themselves, aspire to excellence and go beyond. Click here for more details.

Gasparilla Music Festival Celebrates Region’s Diverse Music Scene

A first of its kind in Tampa Bay, the Gasparilla Music Festival will transform downtown Tampa into a unique concert venue featuring the best music in the region. The family-friendly event is community funded and organized by the Gasparilla Music Festival Corporation, whose mission is to create a sustainable community event for the Tampa Bay region while promoting arts education and benefiting local organizations and businesses.The festival will take place March 10, 2012 at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and Kiley Gardens Park in downtown Tampa. Gates open at 11:00 a.m. Click here for more information, and to purchase a ticket. Bands interested in performing can submit an inquiry by clicking here.

Best of Broadway Season Tickets on Sale!

The David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts’ 2012-2013 Bank of America Best of Broadway Tampa Bay season is filled with Tony Award-winners, hit songs, amazing spectacle and exciting drama.  The new season offers the singing and dancing nuns of Sister Act, Cole Porter’s classic Anything Goes, feel-good romps with ’80s hits like Priscilla Queen of the Desert’s “I Will Survive” and Flashdance’s “Flashdance – What A Feeling,” the chilling return of Jekyll & Hyde, the poignant and spectacular drama War Horse, the exhilarating and evocative Traces and the all-singing, all-dancing celebration of the Gershwins in ’S Wonderful.  Click here for more information.  
 

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City Development & Transportation

Mayor’s Economic Competitiveness Committee Final Report

The Mayor’s Economic Competitiveness Committee was convened last year to review the City’s development and construction regulatory system and make recommendations to reduce the cost burden of regulatory oversight and streamline the planning and permitting process.  Click here for an online copy of the city’s final report.  Click here to read the article by the Tampa Tribune.

Colliers International to Market Proposed Office Tower

Colliers International Tampa Bay has been awarded the leasing assignment for the downtown Tampa office project being developed by Trammell Crow Co.  The project, called SouthGate, includes a 20-story office tower and 350-room luxury hotel. It is proposed for a 4 acre parcel north of the Tampa Convention Center and east of the USF CAMLS (Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation.  Click here to read more of the Tampa Bay Business Journal article.

Construction Begins on Zack Street Promenade of the Arts - Phase 1 Construction of phase 1 of the Zack Street Promenade of the Arts began Monday, February 13, 2012.  The $1.2 million investment consists of the construction of a pedestrian-friendly area with an emphasis on the integration of public art into the streetscape. The construction is expected to be complete by August of 2012. During construction of the project traffic will be maintained at all times on Zack Street. Click here for more information.

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