How To Use Products As Event Decor

Getting ready to launch a new product? A product launch is a critical time for an early stage company and if products aren’t properly launched, companies can’t generate revenues, growth, or even survive in todays dynamic economy. Today, there are great pressures to be more competitive and profitable, so solid launches are even more critical. ABCey has gathered 5 of our favorite events that have made the best use out of their products!

1. Bridgestone | For the 2010 Superbowl, Bridgestone used it’s tires and stacked them to create tables at the ESPN the Magazine Next Big Weekend party.

2. Jameson | During the Northside Festival this June, whiskey brand, Jameson, hosted the Black Barrel Lounge and decorated the space with chandeliers made from deconstructed flame-charred Jameson Black barrels.

3. Clinique | Clinique celebrated it’s Dramatically Different lotion at an event by creating a hallway for guests to enter through that was lined with more than 4,000 bottles of the 45-year-old, award winning lotion.

4. Mattel | For Barbie’s 50th anniversary, Mattel created a real life version of the doll’s Malibu Dream House with a huge wall of Barbie dolls.

5. Godiva | At InStyle’s Golden Globes after party in 2009, Godiva decked out an entire suite with chocolate decor, including a mosaic of individual chocolates beneath a glass topped dining table.

We love all these creative ideas that companies used to promote their product! Which one is your favorite? Let us know in a comment or on Facebook or Twitter! Make sure to stay updated with ABCey for event posts, ideas, and tech news!

Tech Tuesday: Chirp

Tech Tuesday highlights the best and brightest ideas in the tech world. ABCey would like to recognize these up and coming companies for their innovative ideas and ability to think outside the box!

There are tons of ways for people to share information via their phones. People can use Dropbox, “Bump” their phones together, or even use a good old text message. Well what about singing? Thankfully, you won’t have to belt out any tunes because now your phone can do it for you. Introducing Chirp, the newest iPhone app to use song to transmit information. When the song is heard by another phone, it triggers an automatic download of that file. Could you imagine sending event info, or recaps, to your customers using sound? This would revolutionize the way you transmit information to your clients.

The CEO of Chirp, Patrick Bergel said he turned to nature for inspiration. He also said other means of transfers, such as Wifi or Bluetooth, are alien like — invisible and inscrutable. The advantage of this app is that it can be used without needing an internet connection or being paired to another device. If a user is offline, the app will remember the “chirp” and download the file when internet connection is resumed. Another advantage of this app is how it can be used across different technologies. An example would be if a speaker system, such as a radio or TV, emits the chirp, the file can also be downloaded that way.

Chirp is a unique app that can eventually be developed to transmit information to tons of users at the same time. Not only will users be able to send pictures, but even tickets, coupons, and videos etc.

Do you think you would ever use Chirp for your events? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter and Facebook!

Startup Monday: Waze

The San Francisco Bay Area is truly a beautiful place. Every year thousands of tourists, visitors, and newcomers flock to our beloved city. Unfortunately this leads to more congestion and even more traffic. San Francisco was actually just rated one of the top 3 cities with the worst traffic. Thankfully there’s an app that can help with this problem. If you haven’t already heard of Waze, it helps users share real-time traffic and road information.

Imagine all the millions of drivers around the Bay Area, working together to outsmart traffic and finding the best routes. Waze not only gives turn-by-turn voice directions, but also helps in alerting drivers about potential obstacles on their routes. It learns the favorable routes drivers take and can even locate nearby gas stations.

Waze has also successfully integrated social features. Users earn points every time they contribute road information. These points help solidify their position in the Waze community (such as “Waze Baby” to “Waze Royalty”). This app also uses a live drive-time integration. Users can even see live updates of their friends’ position on the map as they move.

Waze is easy to use and the additional features, such as voice navigation and the ability to see others live time really puts this above other apps.

What do you think about this app? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter!

Event Spotlight: Web Summit

The Web Summit event this October 30th and 31st in Dublin, Ireland is going to amazing this year! We wish we were going!

This years Web Summit will have more than 350 speakers, from the world’s leading founders, investors and CEOs to inventors, designers and thinkers. Some speakers and attendees include Tony Hawk, the founder of the Tony Hawk Foundation, Joe Lonsdale, co-founder of Palantir, Drew Houston, Co-Founder & CEO of Dropbox, Padmasree Warrior, CTO & CSO of Cisco and many more! This event will bring together more than 6,000 people who are leading our tech industries.

Not only will the days be filled with tech talks, but the evening will be filled with fun exploration activities to really get to see the city, so don’t expect to just go back to your hotel room at the end of the day! Best explained on their website, “It’s Ireland for the love of god, you do follow ups over a pint whilst watching locals eating raw potatoes with their own bare hands.”

Which speakers are you most excited for? Let us know in a comment or on Facebook or Twitter. Make sure to stay updated with all of ABCey’s event and tech news on our blog as well!

ABCey’s Weekend Line-up: 10.11.13 – 10.13.13

According to Angela Montenegro, “the whole point of the week is the weekend.” And don’t worry, because it’s almost here! ABCey presents the Weekend Line-up, the five events we are most excited for this weekend!

1. Dew Tour |Friday October, 11th – Sunday, October 13th | 1:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Civic Center | The Dew Tour is back! Come watch some of the greatest young athletes of the day duke it out in a three day Skateboarding, BMX (biking), and FMX (motocross) contest. The event is free, and the action is endless.

2. Urban Air Market | Saturday, October 12th | 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Haight and Fillmore | Enjoy the last couple days of Indian Summer with over 130 indie designers and live music all day long. It’s a celebration of art, music, sustainable design, and community. We will definitely be there, so hopefully you will too!

3. Biketoberfest | Saturday, October 12th | 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. | Fair-Anselm Plaza, Fairfax | Biking and beer! Can it get much better than that? With 35 different brewers, a bike expo with 70 different exhibitors, group mountain and road bike rides, and four live bands, this event could not be

4. Transbay Fest | Saturday, October 12th| 6:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. | Dimenson 7 Studios | It’s a interactive expo with tech talks, in celebration of film, video, apps, games, and augmented reality. Listen to interesting lectures from some big tech gurus, and with two major performance sessions. Make sure to RSVP to secure your ticket. The event is free, but a donation from $5-$20 is suggested.

5. Italian Heritage Parade | Sunday, October 13th | 12:30 pm. | Fisherman’s Wharf to Washington Square | This is the cities oldest celebration of heritage, and the United State’s longest running Italian-American parade. It begins at 12:30 at Jefferson and Stockton in the Wharf and ends in Washington Square. Here, there will be a Ferrari car show, and activities for both kids and adults.

Got any fun weekend plans? Let us know in the comments, or on Facebook and Twitter!

“A Party Without Cake Is Really Just A Meeting”

In the words of Julia Child, “a party without cake is really just a meeting,” and we couldn’t agree more. That why ABCey has decided to put together 10 of our favorite cake designs that you can use as inspiration for your next event!

1. Rice Krispie Cake | This is such an easy and fun cake for any event! Kids and adults alike will love this adorable cake!

2. Black Cake | Black is definitely an underrated cake color. We think it looks so classy and sleek! Your cake will be the center of attention.

3. Ombre Cake | This color shifting cake looks beautiful on display at any event and will be sure to catch guests eyes!

4. Cookie Cake | Who doesn’t like cookies? This cake will make every guest happy and tastes great paired with ice cream!

5. Sprinkle Cake | Can’t pick a color for your cake? Why not use them all with sprinkles! So simple and cute!

6. Simple & Natural Cake | We love the simplicity of this white cake with a few plants placed on top. There is definitely beauty in simplicity, and this cake proves that!

7. Candy Cake | Next time you make a cake, spice it up with adding candy on top! This one has Whoppers on top! Cute and tasty!

8. Metallic Cake | Since sequins don’t really work on cakes, this is definitely the next best option to add a little “bling” to your cake and event!

9. Sweet & Salty Cake | There’s something about sweet and salty that satisfies everybody’s taste buds. This one has bacon and peanuts on it! YUM!

And last but not least…

10. Pumpkin Cake | Tis’ the season! This super easy cake (two bundt cakes!) makes the perfect Fall party accessory!

Which cake is your favorite?! Let us know in a comment or on Facebook or Twitter! We might just have to try them all to give you our answer! Make sure to stay updated with ABCey for more event ideas and tech updates!

Tech Tuesday: KeyMe

Tech Tuesday highlights the best and brightest ideas in the tech world. ABCey would like to recognize these up and coming companies for their innovative ideas and ability to think outside the box!

Oftentimes when I’m in a rush to get ready, everything seems to go wrong. I end up spilling coffee everywhere, forgetting my wallet, or even accidentally locking myself outside the house. I don’t have anything that will keep my coffee in place or wallet by my side, but I do know a device that can prevent myself from being locked out, yet again. Instead of paying the local locksmith, I can download a new app called KeyMe.

KeyMe is an amazing new app that scans keys front and back. In doing so, users save time and money, instead of having the locksmith do all the work. KeyMe allows users to store keys on their iPhone through the actual app itself. The stored key can be accessed at any KeyMe kiosk, shared with family members or ordered through the mail as a replacement.

Just by simply placing the key on a flat white background, the app can begin to scan the front and back. One safety feature is that it only works on keys scanned with a white background. The reason is so someone cannot just take a random or oddly angled picture of the keys. Credit card information is also used to verify if the keys belong to the correct user. If going to a KeyMe kiosk, users also have to verify their keys via fingerprint. After scanning the keys, users can go directly to a locksmith to have the keys replicated! Awesome!

Do you think this app would be useful? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter!

Event Spotlight: Re:Make by Brit+Co

It’s finally here! We are so excited to announce that the Re:Make event is starting TODAY! This two day event at Fort Mason is hosted by Brit+Co. Dubbed by the press as “Silicon Valley’s Martha Stewart,” Brit Morin is the founder & CEO of Brit+Co, an online platform and e-commerce company that inspires and enables the digital generation to make.

Since the start of the company in late 2011, Brit + Co. has attracted millions of people across web and mobile devices. They have partnered with businesses like Pinterest, Intel, Fab, L’Oreal, YouTube, UNIQLO, Alloy Media, 3M, Nikon and more. Brit has also been featured in publications like the Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, People, Lucky, Forbes, Parade, USA Today and Fortune. She is a regular DIY/lifestyle correspondent on The Today Show and is the tech correspondent for Katie Couric’s daytime talk show, Katie, nationally syndicated on ABC.

Day 1, today, is invite only and will feature creative leaders for an intimate conversation about how technology is changing creative industries. We have speakers like Chris Anderson, Ayah Bdeir, Aaron de Simone, Bridget Dolan and many more all making appearances!

Day 2, Saturday, October 5th, is FREE and open to the public! Join us and shop from nearly 1oo local makers and attend free hands-on DIY workshops!

If you aren’t coming today, we hope to see you Saturday! Let us know what you’re most excited for about this event in a comment or on Facebook or Twitter! Stay updated with ABCEy’s blog for more posts on our upcoming events, event ideas and tech news!

ABCey’s Weekend Lineup: 10.4.13 – 10.6.13

The weekend is almost here! Get though these last couple days by checking out ABCey’s weekend lineup, the events we are most excited for this weekend.

1. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival | Friday, October 4th – Sunday, October 6th | 11 a.m – 7 p.m. | Golden Gate Park | Hardly Strictly is back! With over 90 bands, this has become the largest free music festival in the county. Make sure you check out the lineup on the event website so you don’t miss your favorites!

2. Re:Make by Brit + Co | Friday, October 4th – Saturday, October 5th | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Fort Mason | We are SO excited because the Re:Make by Brit + Co is finally here! Day one is exclusive, consisting of dozens of guest speakers including Jess Lee from Polyvore, Jennifer Hyman from Rent the Runway, and Susan Gregg Koger from Modcloth. Day two is an artisan craft fair open to the public, where over 90 vendors will be showcasing their crafts. Make sure you stop by on the second day, it’s going to be a lot of fun!

3. Sunset Season Closer | Sunday, October 6th | 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. | Stafford Lake, Novato | Come celebrate the last warm days of summer with live entertainment, and a party at Monarch afterwards. There’s no cover charge, but there is a parking fee.

4. Oaktoberfest Beer Festival | Saturday, October 5th | All Day | Dimond District, Oakland | This family friendly beer festival includes live entertainment, an amateur skate competition, German food, and of course a biergarten. The event is free to get into, but make sure to bring money for beer and food.

5. First Fridays Art Crawl | Friday, October 4th | North Beach | 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Every first Friday of the month, art galleries, museums, bars, and restaurants in North Beach stay open late for self guided tours. There are over a dozen participants, including Focus Gallery, Live Worms, and Park and Pond.

What will you be doing this weekend? Let us know in the comments, or on Facebook or Twitter!

5 Event Trends This Fall!

As the weather gets cooler and you start gearing up for a busy event season, ABCey has gathered some of the most popular fall trends for your upcoming event! We want to incorporate them all into our next event!

1. Mini Food and Drinks | These trending menu items are so fun and easy for guests to eat. The portion sizes are great to pass around and get a party started!

2. Clustered Votives with Candles | Candles in pretty votives give any party a more relaxing and beautiful atmosphere. They look beautiful on tables and throughout the entire party, even hanging!

3. Signature Drink | Give your guests a new drink recipe to help them remember the night and make sure to name it after something fun! Who know, your guests may even find their new favorite drink!

4. Woodland Motifs | Incorporating a natural element into your event is all the rage, and there’s so many fun and easy ways to do it! We love anything with tree branches!

5. Jewel Tones | Jewel tones stand out anywhere and we love that they will appearing so much this Fall! Not only do they all look good alone, but when combined together, they are exquisite!

Which of these Fall trends are your favorite? Let us know in a comment or on Facebook or Twitter. Make sure to stay updated with ABCey for more event ideas and tech news!