1. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS DINNER RETURNS TO ITS COMEDIAN HOST FORMAT: The funny has returned to the White House Correspondents Dinner. Saturday Night Live’s Kenan Thompson has been tapped to host this year’s iteration of the Beltway’s “nerd prom,” which will be held on April 25. The Hollywood Reporter: “The actor and longest-tenured Saturday Night Live cast member will lead through the evening a year after a historian was picked as host. Hasan Minhaj, the host of Netflix’s Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj, will return to the dinner as featured entertainer. ‘Kenan and Hasan are two of the most engaged and engaging entertainers in America. I’m thrilled they’ll help us celebrate the role of a free press in our democracy,’ said Jonathan Karl, chief White House correspondent for ABC News and president of the WHCA." 2. WALT DISNEY WORLD VASTLY EXPANDS PLANT-BASED MENUS IN ITS HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, AND PARKS: Walt Disney World has selected over 400 new and proven plant-based options for the menus of all its food locations, including park restaurants, food carts, and hotels. A similar effort is taking place at Disneyland. Park officials only ask that the dishes aren’t called vegan. CNN: “‘Most research shows that the word "vegan" appeals to vegans but the trend is much broader than that,’ explained Cheryl Dolven, a manager for food and beverage health and wellness with Walt Disney World Resort Development, Optimization and Standardization. ‘Plant-based is much more broadly appealing.’” 3. NYC & COMPANY STRIKES UP CROSS PROMOTION DEAL WITH NEW ZEALAND'S LARGEST CITY: Possibly helping planners promote international attendance at events around the country, NYC & Company has forged a partnership with its counterpart in Auckland, New Zealand, to market the two destinations while sharing best practices on sustainable tourism. The move follows several similar arrangements New York’s destination marketing organization has made with other such organizations across the world. Adweek: “The pact ... is NYC & Company’s first in the South Pacific, which means it currently has partners in all continental regions worldwide except Antarctica. In North America, the New York tourism marketing group works with Toronto; in South America with Buenos Aires, Argentina; in Europe with Amsterdam, Madrid, and Manchester, U.K.; in Asia with Tokyo; and in Africa with Cape Town, South Africa.” | 