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August 26, 2010 Sign up Forward Archive Advertise News for the sign and visual communications industry   The Storefront    Omni to build $250M Nashville convention center hotel   Source: WSMV-TV Omni Hotels & Resorts plans to build a $250 million hotel in Nashville, Tenn., to capitalize on the city's construction of the Music City Center convention center and upgrade of the Country Music Hall of Fame. The 800-room hotel will be built next to the convention hall. The project is being privately financed, although the city is offering incentives. American City Business Journals/Nashville, Tenn. (8/24), WSMV-TV (Nashville, Tenn.) (8/24) Giants and Jets to share gadget-packed stadium The $1.6 billion Meadowlands football stadium, which will be shared by New York's Giants and Jets, is to be packed with high-tech toys intended to give 82,500 fans a best-in-class experience. The stadium will include more than 2,200 high-definition video screens, four JumboTrons, and a high-speed wireless network complete with mobile applications to keep fans up to speed on the progress of the game they're watching. New York Post (8/23), CNET (8/23) Costco eyes shopping mall sites Costco is planning to open more locations in shopping malls. The warehouse chain recently announced three such openings, including two in former department stores. "Our preference is to never be in a mall or by a mall," said co-founder and Chairman Jeff Brotman. "But in metro areas there just is not that much land, and we still want to expand. We will continue to penetrate areas" with the mall approach. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model)/Dow Jones Newswires (8/24) Other News Bloomingdale's branches out with first outlet stores Women's Wear Daily (subscription required) (8/20) 3M offers bright, consistent lighting that's "cool" 3M™ Flexible Light Mat for custom configurations and slimmer light boxes uses exceptional heat management properties to provide long LED life with optimum light output. Unique light reflecting film properties produce consistent color and light output. Fast and easy to use. Learn more at www.3Mgraphics.com/lighting   Technology and Trends  Theater chain adds pop to popcorn signs UltraStar Cinemas has begun transforming its concession-area and box office signage into digital displays at the dozens of theaters it owns in Arizona and California. Food counter displays air movie trailers alongside the menus, and LED-illuminated ads for snack specials have led some concessions to sell out faster than anticipated, the company said. ScreenMediaMag.com (U.K.) (8/17)   Government and Regulatory  Officials in S.C. city are set to debate comprehensive sign-law changes City leaders in Greenville, S.C., are gearing up to propose sweeping changes to the city's sign ordinance, including rules that would lower maximum-allowed sign heights and set requirements for landscaping around signage in specific areas. The goal is the same as it was during a similar exercise five years ago: to reduce clutter and make the town's outdoor public spaces more attractive. WYFF-TV (Greenville, S.C.) (8/23) Changes to Virginia county's zoning codes would include signage Arlington County, Va., leaders are considering relaxing zoning and building code regulations that require almost all new commercial buildings to include retail space on the ground floor. The goal is to make the rules, including those governing signage at new buildings, more flexible and less one-size-fits-all. American City Business Journals/Washington, D.C. (8/23) Other News Arizona mayor says town's businesses are already seeing benefits from June sign ordinance changes The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) (8/20)   ISA Update  Clearing the air in Clearwater, Fla. On Wednesday, ISA staff members and the Florida Sign Association joined representatives from the Clearwater, Fla., Chamber of Commerce in proposing business-friendly changes to the municipal planners. Members of the business community are attempting to increase allowable sign sizes, loosen restrictions on EMCs and simplify compliance with permitting requirements. In the coming weeks, ISA, FSA and the local chamber will present a detailed proposal to the city. For more information, please contact kenneth.peskin@signs.org or FSA President Ken Soday. Urging OSHA ISA is representing the on-premise industry as the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration considers new regulations on fall-protection safety. This includes submitting comments on Monday asking OSHA to exclude motor vehicles -- such as the trucks that many sign companies use every day -- from any possible requirements to install permanent and expensive fall equipment on them. For more information, please contact bill.dundas@signs.org. Learn more about ISA -> Join ISA  |  Calendar of Events  |  Industry Resources  |  ISA Store   SmartQuote  Like all [disenfranchised] classes, they begun by asking to have certain wrongs redressed, and not by asserting their own right to make laws for themselves." --Elizabeth Cady Stanton, leader of the U.S. suffrage movement, quoted for Women's Equality Day, Aug. 26, 2010     Subscriber Tools       Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Advertise Sales Account Director:  Brian Yellin (202) 407-7808   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful website for SmartBrief readers including: Readers' Choice Search Archive Grab our News Widget Get this RSS Feed       Recent ISA SmartBrief Issues: Thursday, August 19, 2010 Thursday, August 12, 2010 Thursday, August 05, 2010 Thursday, July 29, 2010 Thursday, July 22, 2010     Lead Editor:  Rebecca Pollack       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005     © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information