Fast Company Now Blog by Fast Company Calendar

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iDate Internet Dating Conference

This conference makes us think of those happy couples in the eHarmony ads (gag), but the side of Internet dating that most of us don't see is actually the most financially successful. The biggest casual-fling sites, such as Adult FriendFinder, each attract 20 million monthly visitors -- nearly quadruple the typical tally at a major relationship-focused site like eHarmony -- who shell out $30 a month to take part. Sites that serve niche audiences cost even more: The Ashley Madison Agency targets married folks with the motto "Life is short, have an affair" -- for $60 a month. Industry analyst Mark Brooks says more women have started visiting adult-dating sites because that's where the men are. "There's a saying -- guys lie about wanting long-term relationships, and women lie about wanting short-term relationships," he says. Ah, lust. -- SS

Thu, January 28
Seek
iDate internet dating conference Miami

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World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

Hello, home-court advantage! According to new data from the World Economic Forum, Switzerland -- which hosts the WEF's annual meeting -- has the most competitive economy in the world, besting the second-ranked United States, which had held the top spot since 2004. "The U.S. government has been spending beyond its means for a long time," says WEF senior economist Jennifer Blanke, "and the stimulus packages have only increased its debt." Blanke suggests that boosting the savings rate in the U.S. -- as has happened over the past year -- will help. But China, which comes in No. 29 on the list, could assist by persuading its consumers to buy American and "take the cash out from under their mattresses." Or maybe we could just move the WEF to America. -- DM

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Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show

Beef lovers, take note: The 6,000 ranchers at this bovine confab may not look like power brokers, but they're ultimately in charge of a $76 billion industry -- and the products that land on your plates. Lately, they worry, too little of it is Angus or Kobe (not that they're having a cow about it). "We've seen a lot of evidence that though people may have been holding off on fine dining lately, they're anxious to return as the economy strengthens," says Tom Field, executive director of producer education for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. To help cattlemen (and women) help diners back to the table, former Waldorf-Astoria executive chef John Doherty will be teaching a session on leadership. These are some high steaks. -- ZW

Wed, January 27
Slaughter 
Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show San Antonio

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Sundance Film Festival

When the Sundance Film Festival started in 1985, it was rare for independent directors to have their films picked up by major studios. Not anymore, and in recent years the festival has acquired a more mainstream Hollywood vibe, complete with way too many Paris Hilton spottings. For the 2010 edition, the festival's organizers are returning to their humble roots with a new out-of-competition section called "Next," showcasing low- and no-budget feature films. Call it a redeclaration of independence. "Now there's a new wave of using nontraditional ways to distribute film," says Sundance programming director Trevor Groth, "and we want to support that." -- EW

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National Pavement Expo

For the 2,000 attendees at this annual road show, the recession could have been one giant pothole. "When the economy goes bad, the guys who usually work on highways and state roads step down into the smaller pavement markets, so there's less work for the smaller businesses," says expo organizer Allan Heydorn. Thank goodness for federal stimulus funds, up to $30 billion of which are for road projects. "Some of those people who had stepped down are now going back to the roadwork," Heydorn reports. To which we can only respond: Smooth move, President Obama! -- ZW

Wed, January 20
Seal
National Pavement Expo Nashville, Tennessee

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American Idol Season 9

In its eighth season, the television juggernaut that is American Idol brought in an incredible $850 mil-lion in advertising revenue and attracted a Nielsen-topping 27 million viewers per episode. The bad news: Ad revenue was down more than 5% from season 7, and viewership was down 7%. As its ninth season debuts, Idol is swapping one brand of zany (Paula Abdul) for another (Ellen DeGeneres) in an attempt to regain some of its lost mojo. Will it work? Don't ask me. I'm still bitter about Adam Lambert. -- SS

Tue, January 12
Sing
American Idol Season 9 Hollywood, California

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Consumer Electronics Show

Every year, thousands of geeks gather in Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, the world's largest consumer technology trade show. This year's keynote speakers feature regulars such as Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer and newcomers including Zhou Huajian, the chairman of Chinese consumer-electronics giant Hisense. But the real stars of CES are the gadgets. Last year, the Palm Pre became the first mobile device to take home the Best in Show prize. This year, watch out for e-books. In June, CES announced the creation of a new area devoted entirely to e-book technology; by September, all the available stalls were sold out. -- EW

Thu, January 07
Geek Out
Consumer Electronics Show Las Vegas

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BCS National Championship Game

America hates the Bowl Championship Series. Even its fans acknowledge that college football still doesn't have fair postseason matchups, and President Obama has called for an eight-team playoff, saying he's "fed up" with the BCS's computerized rankings system. But love it or hate it, one part of the system's value is undeniable: Last season, the BCS bowl games brought more than $1.2 billion in economic activity to the four host cities. This year, Pasadena will see an extra trail of tourists and cash as it hosts both the Rose Bowl and the National Championship Game -- the city of just 145,000 will welcome nearly 700,000 hot-dog-chomping, sweatshirt-buying, hotel-room-filling visitors in a week. Touchdown! -- SS

Thu, January 07
Cheer
BCS National Championship Game Pasadena, California

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National Candy Cane Day

Sweet-toothed consumers will spend $214 million on candy canes this holiday season -- 2 billion of them in all. Sales are expected to be up 2% over last year -- growth that Dylan Lauren, founder of the New York sugar palace Dylan's Candy Bar, ascribes to the candy cane's consummate affordability. "People are thinking about every penny," she says. Confectioners are feeling the pinch, too, as sugar prices reach a 28-year high, the result of poor harvests in the world's two largest sugar producers, India (too little rain) and Brazil (too much). We can think of just the thing to cheer them up: a candy cane. -- STEPHANIE SCHOMER

Sat, December 26
Treat
National Candy Cane Day

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10th Anniversary of Chinese Sovereignty in Macau

After nearly 500 years as a Portuguese colony, Macau returned to Chinese rule in 1999. The territory has always technically been connected to China -- it is, after all, primarily a peninsula -- but in other ways, the two are worlds apart. As the Chinese government says, it's "one country, two systems." Nowhere is this more apparent than in Macau's casinos, where gambling giants Las Vegas Sands and Wynn generate more than two-thirds of their worldwide revenues, up from zero a decade ago. A huge percentage of Macau's gaming tourists come from mainland China, where gambling is illegal. Last year, in an effort to curb excessive gambling, China began limiting its citizens to one Macau visit every three months, which seems to have forced gamblers to double down. After a recession-induced slump in early 2009, casino revenue rose 12% in August from the year before to set a monthly record of $1.4 billion; in September, it leaped 53% from the same month in 2008. And in October, Wynn capitalized on the Chinese passion for games of chance with a new one: It launched an IPO on Hong Kong's exchange. -- EW

Sun, December 20
Commemorate
10th Anniversary of Chinese sovereignty in Macau Macau

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