Multi-Chamber of Commerce Event: August 3, 2016 @6 pm

U.S. Attorneys: Central District of California

 U.S. Attorneys » Central District of California » News

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Central District of California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, July 28, 2016

O.C. Man Previously Accused in Investment Schemes Charged in New Indictment that Adds Allegations of $3.2 Million Green Energy Scam

            SANTA ANA, California – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment that now accuses a Laguna Beach man of defrauding victims out of more than $3 million in an investment fraud scam related to green energy.

          Peter Heinrich Conrad Reinert, 61, was arrested in April 2015 after a grand jury charged him in two investment fraud schemes that allegedly caused $3.6 million in losses. Since that time, federal authorities have continued to investigate Reinert for additional crimes.

            According to the 35-count superseding indictment filed yesterday in United States District Court, in addition to the two scams outlined in the 2015 indictment, Reinert ran a third scheme out of the Irvine-based Income from Waste Corporation (IFW). Reinert told victims that IFW was developing a technology to convert used tires into oil. As part of the scheme, to gain legitimacy with victims, Reinert falsely claimed to be a United States Secret Service agent and a veteran.

            Between January 2014 and his arrest on April 14, 2015, Reinert used IFW to fraudulently obtain $3.2 million dollars from victims from across the country, including a family of farmers in Missouri. Instead of spending the money to develop the purported green energy technology, Reinert used the money to pay for personal expenses and luxury automobiles, sales commissions and purchases at Apple’s iTunes store, as well as sending money to an account in Poland.

            In addition to the IFW scam, the superseding indictment alleges that Reinert fraudulently obtained and used a United States passport in the name “Peter Michael Berger” after falsely claiming he was born in Maine. During the investigation, authorities learned that Reinert actually was born in Germany.

            Finally, the superseding grand jury adds charges alleging that Reinert failed to file a corporate tax return for 2010 for another company he controlled, Green Energy Enterprises, Inc.

            “This defendant is charged with operating a series of fraudulent companies, falsely claiming that the companies were good investments,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “Worse still, Mr. Reinert’s schemes preyed upon his victims’ desire to contribute to the public good, either by improving the environment or increasing the security of identification documents. This defendant’s fraudulent activity was widespread and harmed victims across the United States.”

            Reinert has been in custody without bond since he was arrested on the original 14-count indictment, which alleges he fraudulently raised money for two other companies that were purportedly developing technology to increase gas mileage and prevent the counterfeiting of government-issued identity documents. The original charges were included as part of the superseding indictment.

            “These latest allegations against Mr. Reinert suggest he is a serial con artist who continues to cheat investors into funding his schemes and his lifestyle,” said Deirdre Fike, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Field Office. “Investors can verify federal and military employment and, in many cases, the legitimacy of an investment, by doing research before handing over their savings.”

            The superseding indictment, which alleges that victims cumulatively suffered losses of approximately $6.8 million, charges Reinert with 19 counts of wire fraud, 13 counts of mail fraud, two counts of passport fraud, and one misdemeanor tax count.

            Reinert is expected to be arraigned on the superseding indictment in United States District Court in Santa Ana on August 8. United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton previously ordered Reinert to stand trial on September 20.

            An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

          The fraud charges for the investment scams each carry a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The passport fraud charges each carry a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years. The charge of failure to file a tax return carries a statutory maximum penalty of one year.

          The investigation into Reinert was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS Criminal Investigation.

          The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Vibhav Mittal of the Santa Ana Branch Office.

Forget Tornadoes. Rain Bombs Are Coming for Your Town

Climate change is weaponizing the atmosphere.

Evidence shows that the sky is coming down on our heads—the watery part of it, anyway, in larger and larger cascades. It’s largely our own fault.

The past two months have seen some doozies just in the U.S. The Empire State Building was struck by lightning twice on Monday during a storm that brought an inch of rain down in what felt like a single sheet.

Last month, at least 23 people died in West Virginia flooding. At its peak on June 23, more than 8 inches to 10 inches fell within half a day—a once-every-1,000 years rain storm. Maelstroms in May and early June dropped five times as much rain as normal near Houston, seriously challenging the definition of normal. More than a dozen people died. It was the city's fifth major flood in just over a year. (Rainfall is trending higher nationally, though paving over much of Texas probably doesn't help.)

The most dramatic recent image came from Bruce Haffner, a Phoenix TV helicopter pilot, who snapped what looks very much like a 20-megaton warhead going off. This is informally known as a “rain bomb": 

The phenomenon is known in meteorology circles as the more sober “wet microburst.” They are supposed to happen rarely; conditions must be just right. A thunderstorm runs into a dry patch of air that sucks some moisture away. The air underneath the storm cloud cools, making it more dense than the air around it. The cooler air begins to drop into even warmer air and then accelerates. When the faucet really flips on, air can blast out of the sky at more than 115 miles per hour. It deflects off the ground and pushes winds outward, at or near tornado strength. The Phoenix event above was actually a “macroburst,” with a radar footprint wider than about 2.5 miles, said Amber Sullins, chief meteorologist at ABC-15 News.

Scientists understand the mechanics of small-scale weather events such as rain bombs, tornadoes, and severe thunderstorms. The past few years have seen modest improvements in projections of how these storms might behave in a changing atmosphere, region-by-region.

“The research showing rain events for us being less frequent but more intense, due to climate change, seems to be our new reality,” Sullins said.

What’s known with much greater confidence by climatologists is that storms should continue to intensify. There's little question that by stockpiling water vapor, the atmosphere is building a worldwide arsenal of “rain bombs”—or, if you like, wet microbursts, macrobursts, or just your typical, Noah-scale deluges. And unlike, say, the study of climate change and its relationship to war, why the sky keeps falling is clearer:

• Human activity has increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the air by more than 40 percent above pre-industrial levels.

• The CO2 and other climate pollutants trap more heat in the atmosphere. 

• A hotter atmosphere holds more water—about 4 percent more for every degree-Fahrenheit rise in average temperature.

• More water vapor and energy in the system mean more intense storms. And lots, and lots, and lots of water. 

• The U.S. is experiencing more frequent rain storms that should typically occur only once in five years. The green bars show the percentage increase in 5-year storms. This graphic ends in 2012; the year 2015 brought an 80 percent increase above the norm. SOURCE: U.S. National Climate Assessment

From 2001 to 2012 (the right-most green bar shown above), once-every-five-year storms occurred 40 percent more often than normal for the U.S., or about every three years. In 2015, these five-year storms happened 80 percent more frequently than expected, according to Ken Kunkel, a scientist with NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. 

It's not just that the amount of rain is increasing; the amount of extreme rain is increasing. All over the Earth's land masses. The year 2010 had 88 percent more broken records than might have occurred in a stable climate, according to a study last year by German researchers. From 1981 to 2010, 12 percent more record-breaking rainstorms occurred worldwide than would have happened without human influence. “This implies that over the last 30 years, roughly one in ten record-breaking events would not have occurred without climate change,” they wrote. 

Scientists can’t say where the next rain bomb may land. They still don't know where lightning will strike next. But it’s clear from wide-ranging research that human activity has weaponized the atmosphere.

Don’t Blame Divorce on Money. Ask: Did the Husband Have a Job?

A Harvard study finds it’s more complicated than financial strain, zeros in on the guy’s employment status.Harvard study finds it’s more complicated than financial strain, zeros in on the guy’s employment status.

Financial stress and fights over money can eat away at a marriage. But do they cause divorce? That’s a more complicated matter.

A Harvard University study suggests that neither financial strains nor women's increased ability to get out of an unhappy marriage, starting in the 1970s, is typically the main reason for a split.

The big factor, Harvard sociology professor Alexandra Killewald found, is the husband's employment status. For the past four decades, she discovered, husbands who aren’t employed full time have a 3.3 percent chance of getting divorced in any given year, compared with 2.5 percent for husbands employed full time. In other words, their marriages are one-third more likely to break up.

Examining 46 years of data on more than 6,300 married couples in the U.S., Killewald found a big shift in the risk of divorce in the mid-1970s. Couples married before 1975 were likelier to split up if women and men divided the housework equally, perhaps because the husband saw a threat to his traditional role in the household. Since 1975, housework hasn’t been much of a factor. The guy's job has. 

“Wives have more freedom in how they ‘do’ marriage,” Killewald said, but husbands are still expected to be the breadwinner. 

The study, published in the American Sociological Review, didn't include same-sex couples. Nor did it address men who choose to stay home with the kids. The vast majority of men without a full-time job in the sample were involuntarily unemployed.

Killewald had to untangle a couple's working life—employment status, willingness to do housework—from their finances to see which of the two was the greater factor in divorce. She used a larger set of census data to predict wives’ economic dependence on their marriages—how much they would lose if they got divorced.

Her conclusion: The couples’ income and the wives’ economic independence didn't correlate with a higher risk of divorce.

That's surprising, said New York University sociology professor Paula England, but she said she finds the study's methodology "very sound" and its conclusions convincing.

"I'm sure that financial strain hurts people's well-being, but it doesn't seem to be causing marriage breakup," England said. 

What did correlate with divorce in Killewald's study? How a couple spends their time.

Wives spent 3.9 times as many hours as men doing housework in 1975, according to a 2012 study. More recently, in 2009 and 2010 data, wives were working around the house 1.7 times as long as their husbands—that is, still 70 percent more.

Couples married before 1975 who split the housework 50-50 were about 36 percent likelier to get divorced than couples in which the wives did three-quarters of the housework, Killewald found. Since 1975, however, there’s almost no correlation between the housework split and the marriage split.

Meanwhile, a husband’s job seems to matter more now. For couples married before 1975, the husband’s employment status barely affected their chances of divorce. It's the decades since 1975 that saw a dramatic increase in correlation between his job status and their risk of divorce.

It's hard to know whether husbands or wives are deciding to split in these cases, but England notes that previous studies have shown about two-thirds of divorces are initiated by women.

So what happened in 1975? Killewald said she saw similar changes when she divided her data at various points in the 1980s. Other sociological studies have suggested something did happen in the 1970s that changed men's and women’s attitudes toward work and marriage.

“The late 1970s were really a time of change in what women expected for their careers,” Killewald said. What hasn’t changed nearly as much is the role men are supposed to play as husbands.

The Best Fast Food, Picked by the World’s Top Chefs

Who knew the man behind the Gramercy Tavern's $125 dinner Tasting Menu loves Popeye's fried chicken with dirty rice and biscuits?

At the airport. En route to another critical meeting. Fast food is everywhere, and unavoidable. Even celebrity chefs producing the world's most-praised meals have an occasional hankering. So where do they get their fix? We asked them, and alongside the predictable Shake Shack and KFC were some surprising results. More were notable by their absence. We're looking at you, McDonald's.

The Big Brands ...

Vineet Bhatia (Indego by Vineet, Dubai): Pret a Manger - a British sandwich chain that has reached big cities in the U.S., China, France and Dubai. "The food is always fresh, with a good choice. It's quick and tasty and the staff always smile. I like their hoisin duck salad wrap and their chicken avocado sandwich."

Heston Blumenthal (Fat Duck, Bray, England): Five Guys - a hamburger chain that started in Virginia before expanding abroad. "I've had their burgers a few times and I like them. They make me happy. And the guys behind the counters actually have some interest in food. They do a great milkshake, too."

They make me happy” - Heston Blumenthal on Five Guys.

Massimo Bottura (Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy): Shake Shack - an international burger chain founded by restaurateur Danny Meyer. "They care about the ingredients and that is what makes the difference. Danny Meyer really cares about what kind of meat, what kind of bread, what kind of sauce."

Daniel Boulud (Daniel, New York): Le Pain Quotidien -  a Brussels bakery now in major cities from Tokyo to Los Angeles. "It was started by a young chef (Alain Coumont) who used to work with me in New York. I like the consistency and quality of his bread with the simplicity of the food he creates around it. I have my own bakery on the West Side in New York, but when I am at Daniel, Le Pain Quotidien is closer, so I go there."

• The Best Burgers in New York City
• Top Chefs Choose London's Best Restaurants

Helene Darroze (Helen Darroze, Paris): Shake Shack - "They serve beautiful burgers and hot dogs with amazing quality of bread and meat. And it is also a place where you can meet people from everywhere."

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Danny Meyer (Gramercy Tavern, New York): Popeyes , a U.S. chain serving Louisiana fried chicken, and Chipotle, a Mexican grill that has expanded internationally from its U.S. base. "I treat myself to Popeyes a couple of times a year and I am wickedly happy downing a few pieces (wings and thighs best) of their crispy, spicy chicken - with a side of dirty rice and biscuits. Or I'm completely satisfied making a lunch of a salad from Chipotle, loaded with grilled chicken, pinto beans, shredded cheese, extra cilantro, and spicy dressing."

Tom Sellers (Restaurant Story, London): Nando’s - founded in South Africa and now serving spicy Portuguese-style flamed chicken from New Zealand to the U.S.  "I go because they serve a tasty product. It’s simple but you can build your own meal. And everyone loves chicken."

Karam Sethi (Gymkhana, London): KFC - Kentucky Fried Chicken. "I only go for the Zinger Tower Burger. It's got a fried, battered breast, hash brown, a spicy tomato salsa, mayonnaise and crispy iceberg in a sesame bun. The chicken is always juicy."

Claire Smyth. 

Clare Smyth (Gordon Ramsay, London): PizzaExpress - a London-based pizza chain that's gone to the Middle East and Asia but yet to hit the U.S. "It is quick, it is always good and it is consistent. Pizza is a great fast food, and they use good, solid ingredients."

... And Something a Little More Local

Gastón Acurio (Astrid y Gastón, Lima): La Lucha Sanguchería - a Lima-based sandwich chain. "They prepare their sandwiches individually each day with Peruvian-flavor marinated meats and Peruvian sauces."


José Andrés (Minibar, Washington, DC): Pans & Co. - a sandwich chain with outlets across Spain. "They do really great sandwiches on tasty bread, with great fillings and sauces. I can never understand why they haven't made it in the U.S. and elsewhere overseas."

Angela Hartnett (Murano, London) : Byron - a London burger restaurant now found around the U.K. "I am so bored with the burger scene in London - burgers everywhere, it does my head in. But I was at the Port Eliot Festival dancing my head off at 3 a.m. and I bought a Byron burger and it was just delicious. Since then, I've started going in London: They have great consistency, yet each store is a bit different."

Pizza at HomeSlice

Nuno Mendes (Chiltern Firehouse, London): Homeslice - a pizza restaurant founded in 2011 that now has three outlets in London. "The pizzas are super-good. I am very impressed with the quality of the dough, the way they are baked and the toppings, which are super-creative. In the U.S., In-N-Out Burger is awesome."

Wolfgang Puck (Spago, Beverly Hills): In-N-Out Burger - a U.S. West Coast burger chain. "I like it because you can have a hamburger wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun. I feel like I am eating a salad. My wife loves it. With our burger, you eat the meat. With theirs, you eat the condiments."

Joan Roca (El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain): Beefsteak - a healthy-eating chain in the U.S. Northeast. "It's a new concept of fast food by José Andrés where the focus is on vegetables. It's gastronomic yet economic: tasty food for a society where people have no time. "

Simon Rogan (L'Enclume, Cartmel, England): Wasabi, a London-based chain serving sushi and hot Asian dishes that's now entering the New York market. "That's mainly because it is on the way to the station and I am always traveling. I can't say no to a katsu curry or sushi box."

You are invited: Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to Job Creation and Opportunities in our Community

What's Happening @ Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

Viewing this e-mail on a mobile device? Click here to view our web version.

MONDAY, 18 JULY 2016 Today's High Temp: 88° F/31.1° C Miami Beach Surf Temp: 80° F/26.6° C JULY/AUGUST TEMPTATION Greater Miami and the Beaches is renowned for luxury spas that are ranked among the "Best Spas in America." Celebrate with us during July and August as we feature Miami Spa Month where you can enjoy special treatments for $109 at Miami's premier spas. For more GMCVB Marketing Programs, visit MiamiTemptations.com. DID YOU KNOW... In 1944, the Miami-Dade Park and Recreation Department established the Fruit & Spice Park as the only garden park of its kind in the U.S. on 32 acres of fertile farmland in the area known as the Redland. It is internationally known for its more than 500 varieties of exotic and subtropical fruit, nut, spice and herb trees and shrubs. Visitors can sample and learn about many of these varieties and take daily guided tours and naturalist-led workshops. MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (MIA) #1 in Airline Carriers in the U.S. MIA Wins Telly Awards for its Mobile App 2.0 Video The Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) received a 2016 Telly Award for its MIA Airport Official 2.0 mobile app video. The airport’s upgraded mobile app was launched in February. As part of its outreach efforts to educate users on all of the new app features, MDAD – in partnership with Diamond View Studios – produced, wrote and directed the video tutorial. PORTMIAMI Cruise Capital of the World™ Always was. Always will be. PortMiami to Host World's Largest Cruise Ships According to the Miami Herald, A new Royal Caribbean cruise terminal will bring world’s largest cruise ships to PortMiami, thanks to a partnership between the line and Miami-Dade County. Partnership deal will go to a final vote before the Miami-Dade County Commission on July 6, 2016. Royal Caribbean Cruises and Miami-Dade County recently announced that they have reached a deal to build one of the biggest cruise terminals in the country at PortMiami, a move that will — finally — bring Royal Caribbean International’s massive Oasis-class ships home. CUSTOMER SERVICE CORNER Miami Begins with Me Customer Service Champion Program Register today for our next training session! GETTING AROUND TOWN Miami-Dade Transit Tracker App The free Miami-Dade Transit Tracker App makes it easier than ever to have a fun-filled Miami-Dade County vacation on public transit. Metrorail, Metrobus and Metromover offer excellent travel value in Miami. They connect you from airport to hotel to scores of popular tourist destinations, by rail or by road. It’s a big system, but the MDT Tracker App puts it all in order for you. Download MDT Tracker App from the App Store or Google Play now!  More Than Just A Ride To The Airport Now your SuperShuttle pick-up is faster and more efficient than ever with their new App! Faster booking & check-in, secure transactions and you can even locate your shuttle! SuperShuttle is the “official” airport shuttle operator at MIA and has “exclusive” curb side access at the MIA arrivals terminal. Their service offers shared-ride or private transportation to or from the airport, ports, hotel, home, or office. You can download the App and book your ride or call 305/871-2000.   More Options Than Ever No matter where you’re headed, getting around Miami and Beaches is easier than ever thanks to new and exciting transportation options. From the Citi Bike program operated by DECOBIKE to the free trolley service available in several neighborhoods, quality taxi and limousine service and the ultra-convenient Miami METROMOVER and METRORAIL including direct service to MIA—we promise you’ll get there. Miami will soon enjoy access to high speed rail thanks to the new GoBrightline train service connecting the destination with other major cities in Florida. Digitally Dispatched Car Sharing Services The popularity of this type of service available through mobile apps continues to grow for companies such as UBER, which is now available in 45 countries and more than 270 cities around the world. A similar service is offered by LYFT in more than 90 cities enabling passengers who need a ride to request one from drivers who have an available car. Get a Taxi in One App ZabCab, ZabCab Driver, and ZabCab Front Desk are companion apps for consumers, drivers and businesses. They work together to help passengers find taxis – and taxi drivers to find passengers – quickly and easily from a smartphone. They are available to download at the App Store and Google Play. CORPORATE PARTNER ANNIVERSARIES A strong CVB begins with a strong partnership base. The support of our corporate partners aids us in promoting Greater Miami and the Beaches to the world. Join us in recognizing the GMCVB's Corporate Partners who are celebrating their membership anniversary this month: BIRTHDAYS The GMCVB wishes a happy birthday to our friends and family... GMCVB PHOTO ALBUM GMCVB Team members are busy selling and promoting Greater Miami and The Beaches at home and around the world. Click through to see recent photos of the GMCVB Team in action.  RESOURCE CENTER Travel Updates • Mobile Passport Control App at Miami International Airport (MIA) • Get in the Fast Lane at MIA! TSA Pre-Check Now Available for Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Local Interest • Florida Tax Watch Study Details Benefits of Expanding Florida Tourism • National Travel and Tourism a Big Win for Industry COUNTDOWN Days until: 14 15th Annual Miami Spice 43 La Cita de las Americas 68 AfrICANDO 2016 Trade & Investment Conference and Trade Show 83 Miami Broward Carnival 137 Art of Black Miami 139 Carnival Vista arrives at PortMiami 332 WorldOutGames 2017 358 MLB Midsummer Classic 88th All-Star Game 1295 Super Bowl LIV 2020 ABOUT THE PUBLISHER William D. Talbert III, CDME President and CEO, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau Download Outlook® V-Card Newsletter Archive | Story Archive TOP STORY - 2016 OVERVIEW: KEY INDUSTRY INDICATORS During January – April 2016, the number of Greater Miami’s overnight visitors reached record levels with a +1.8 percent increase compared to the same time last year. Rankings among Top 25 markets also remained strong for January – May 2016, as Greater Miami held the #3 slots in Revenue Per Available Room (RevPar) and Average Daily Room Rate (ADR) while ranking #5 in Occupancy. Employment figures for May 2016 also remained strong with a 2.7 percent increase in Accommodations & Food Service jobs and a 2.2 percent increase in Leisure and Hospitality jobs. Additional Hotel Statistics for the destination during January - May 2016 also included positive increases in the numbers of Rooms Available and Rooms Sold, growing 4.1 and 2.5 percent respectively. Record Overnight Visitors January - April 2016 % Change vs. 2015 3,644,140 +1.8% Ranking Among Top 25 U.S. Markets for Jan-May 2016 #3 RevPar #3 Average Daily Rate #5 Occupancy Accommodations & Food Service Jobs May 2016 % Change vs. 2015 123,400 +2.7% Leisure & Hospitality Jobs May 2016 % Change vs. 2015 137,200 +2.2% Hotel Statistics January - May 2016 % Change vs. 2015 Occupancy 81.3% -1.5% Room Rate $223.45 -2.6% RevPar $181.62 -4.1% Rooms Available 52,618 +4.1% Rooms Sold 6,457,920 +2.5%  HEADLINES THIS WEEK It's Time to Spa! GMCVB's 9th Annual Miami Spa Month Returns July 1, 2016 Miami Spa Month, one of GMCVB’s most popular monthly Temptations programs, returns to the destination beginning July 1, 2016! Greater Miami and the Beaches is renowned for luxury spas that rank among the “Best in America,” and are beloved by spa connoisseurs around the world. WWE Entertainment Ranks #21, #22 and #25 in Nielsen's Cable Top 25 Ratings for the Week Ending July 10, 2016 WWE's WrestleMania Week drew record-breaking crowds to Miami and Beaches in April 2012. Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by the Nielsen Company in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of TV programming in the United States. GMCVB President & CEO to be Featured Guest on “Eat This, Drink That, Go” TV/Radio Show with Jimmy Cefalo on July 19, 2016 GMCVB President & CEO William D. Talbert, III, CDME will be a featured guest at a taping of the “Eat This, Drink That, Go” radio/TV Show with Jimmy Cefalo on July 19, 2016 – the show will be broadcast on Saturday, July 23, 2016. The show airs on WIOD 610 AM, iHeartRadio and The Beach Channel from 8-10 a.m. GMCVB President & CEO to Welcome the Host Global Alliance’s Global Forum at Turnberry Isle Miami on July 22, 2016 GMCVB President & CEO William D. Talbert, III, CDME will be welcoming participants of the Host Global Alliance’s (HGA) 4th Annual Global Forum on July 22, 2016 at Turnberry Isle Miami. In previous years the HGA Global Forum has included highly rated sessions on top educational topics, including human trafficking and event cybersecurity. Zoo Miami Unveils New $19 million Entry Plaza on July 15, 2016 On July 15, 2016, the GMCVB joined Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Dennis C. Moss, other elected officials, Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation & Open Spaces Deptartment Director Jack Kardys, Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill and the Zoo Miami Foundation to unveil the new 1.5 acre Entry Plaza. SwimShow Takes Center Stage in Miami Beach July 16-19, 2016 The Miami Beach Convention Center continues hosting the world's largest and most important tradeshow for the swimwear industry. The SwimShow, organized by the Swimwear Association of Florida, returns to Miami Beach through July 19, 2016. TSA Precheck Enrollment July 19-23, 2016 A TSA Precheck enrollment event in the Miami area has been scheduled for the week of July 19-23, 2016. The site will be located at the Hilton, Miami Airport, located at 5101 Blue Lagoon Drive, Miami, FL 33126 USA and will be open for enrollments during the following hours: Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Common Threads 2nd Annual Cooking For Life Sunday Brunch to be Held September 25, 2016 Common Threads’ 2nd Annual Cooking for Life Sunday Brunch, hosted by Miami Chef Michelle Bernstein and Alberto M. Carvalho, Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, features a select group of the country’s most renowned chefs, all to support our mission of empowering children and families to get them cooking for life!  GMCVB UPDATES Advertising & Digital Marketing Website Traffic Boost due to Special Offers In May, the Special Offers section of MiamiandBeaches.com saw a 32 percent increase in page views over the previous month, mainly due to interest in Miami Museum Month offers, as well as Special Offer media promotions. It’s So Miami Campaign The It’s So Miami branding campaign is expected to generate 1.3M impressions for the month July. Share Vote Miami 2016 Video on Social Media for Chance to Win Miami Vacation On Tuesday, June 12, 2016 the GMCVB hosted the Vote Miami campaign rally in New York City. The event gave the public the chance to “Vote Miami” and win instant prizes, including a chance to enter to win a trip for two to Miami. Sports Tourism 2016 FISU World University Netball Championships Miami was the proud host of the Fédération Internationale du sport Universitaire's (FISU) World University Netball Championships played on the campus of St. Thomas University through July 17, 2016. City Bikes IRONMAN 70.3 Miami Returns October 23, 2016 City Bikes IRONMAN 70.3 Miami, set for October 23, 2016, promises to deliver an exciting race, and is a great choice for athletes seeking a big city event experience in a major urban center. The course starts out on beautiful Biscayne Bay for a single-loop, 1.2-mile swim near PortMiami. Convention Sales & Services GMCVB Convention Sales Sells and Promotes Greater Miami and the Beaches to Meetings Professionals in Washington, D.C. GMCVB Convention Sales Team will be in the nation’s capital on July 18, 2016 for the Professional Conference Management Association’s (PCMA) Capital Chapter Reboot event. Session topics will cover professional development, network security at meetings and conferences and more. Travel Industry Sales GMCVB Sells Greater Miami and Beaches During Annual UK Sales Mission GMCVB Travel Industry Sales Team traveled to the UK July 11-15, 2016 for the Annual UK Sales Mission to London and Dublin. The Team was joined by six GMCVB partners: JW Marriott, Charles Group, South Beach Group, Grand Beach Hotels, Hard Rock and Miami Seaquarium. Media Relations & Promotions #VoteMiami2016 This Campaign Season In the spirit of the upcoming 2016 election season, the GMCVB officially kicked off its national #VoteMiami2016 campaign in New York City igniting Americans to stand up for their right to take vacation! Coinciding with the campaign, the GMCVB launched a fun, interactive video component encouraging Americans to keep vacation alive and vote 3-0-5! Everyone is encouraged to view the video here. GMCVB Media Relations Hosts Meetings Incentive Press Tour GMCVB Media Relations will be hosting a group of international journalists from Latin America, Europe and the U.S. July 19-23, 2016 for the MICE with a Sports Twist press tour. During their visit, the writers will experience Miami’s unique meetings and incentive venues, programs and our sports opportunities for corporate and leisure groups. Multicultural Tourism & Development GMCVB Multicultural Tourism Vice President Discusses Heritage Tourism Updates with Hotel Concierges GMCVB Multicultural Tourism Vice President Connie Kinnard was joined by Ed Ponder of The Betsy South Beach and members of the GMCVB’s Multicultural Committee at a dinner hosted at The Betsy Hotel with various concierges from South Beach hotels on July 13, 2016. Miami New Times Iron Fork Miami Spice Kickoff Event to Serve up Multicultural Experience at the AmericaAirlines Arena on July 28, 2016 The GMCVB in collaboration with New Times Iron Fork will host the 2016 New Times Iron Fork Miami Spice Kick Off Event at the America Airlines Arena July 28, 2016. The highly anticipated event is expected to draw thousands of diners and food lovers from across Greater Miami. GMCVB Partnership Events & Opportunities GMCVB Partner Networking Luncheon at Perez Art Museum Miami On July 6, 2016, the GMCVB hosted a successful July Partner Networking Luncheon at Verde located at the Perez Art Museum Miami. GMCVB Partner Networking Luncheon Thursday, July 21, 2016 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Marlins Diamond Club @ Marlins Park 501 Marlins Way Miami, FL, 33125 USA Global Network News GMCVB representatives domestically and all around the globe promote Greater Miami as the premier destination for leisure and business. Read their updates here. • Caribbean • Europe • Latin America • U.S. & Canada  CALENDAR OF EVENTS July 7/1-8/31   Miami Spa Month 7/14-7/18 Miami Beach Bruthaz 7/16-7/19 SwimShow 7/19 Wynwood Art Walk, Second Saturdays 7/20 2016 Miami Spice Mash-Up/Mix-Up Round Two 7/21 Dance Band Night at The Bandshell - Summer Folk Dance Intensive 7/22 Big Night in Little Haiti 7/22-7/24 Miami Marlins Vs. New York Mets 7/23 6th Annual Overtown Music and Arts Festival 7/27 Miami Short Film Festival: Focus on Argentina 7/28 New Times Iron Fork Miami Spice 2016 Kickoff Event  MEETINGS AND CONVENTIONS Meetings & Conventions Meeting Date Venue Attend. National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers - 2016 Annual Membership Meeting 7/19-7/22 Fontainebleau Miami Beach 350