6 Fun Invitations For Any Party!

What’s the point in planning a great party if you’re not going to show it in the invitations?! ABCey has gathered some of our favorite and unique ways to invite guests to your next event!

1. Pantone | These cute invitations are so simple and classic! Matching everything to a Pantone color is all the rage now, too. We love that they used them as chocolate wrappers!

2. Popsicles | These adorable invitations just provoke thoughts of summer days! They’ll be sure to catch any guests attention!

3. Cut Out | These invitations are so intricate and delicate and would work for any party theme! We think bright colors look best!

4. Fringe | The fringe at the bottom of these invitations are so fun and can be used for any party theme, not just a fiesta!

5. Balloons | This interactive invitation is sure to get guests excited for your event! It’s so simple, yet so clever!

6. Baseballs | What a great keepsake! These invitations would be perfect for a little boys party or even a sports game viewing at your house! And guests get a free baseball!

Which invitation do you like best? Let us know in a comment or on Twitter or Facebook! Also, make sure to check out our Pinterest for more great party ideas!

ABCey’s Weekend Lineup: 9.27.2013 – 9.29.2013

With the weekend rapidly approaching, it’s time to start making plans! ABCey is proud to bring you the Weekend Lineup, a list of the free events we are most excited about this weekend.

1. Now And Zen Music Festival | Sunday, September 29 | Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park| Noon-5| For 15 years, Alice has been putting on a free, end of summer concert and gourmet food festival in Golden Gate Park. And we’re so excited that it’s finally back! This years headliners include the Go0 Go0 Dolls and One Republic, with other musical guests stars the Plain White T’s, Larking Poe, and Walk the Earth. The gates open at 11, and the music begins at noon. Make sure to get there early to ensure good seats!

2. Smithsonian Free Museum Day | Saturday, September 28 | All Day | Various Locations | On Saturday, 17 Smithsonian sponsored museums throughout the bay area will open their doors and offer admission for free! San Francisco locations include the de Young museum, the Legion of Honor, the Museum on Vision, the Chinese Historical Society of America, California Historical Society, and Cartoon Art Museum of California. The event is free, but make to sure to reserve your ticket in advance here.

3. Treasure Island Flea| Saturday, September 28 – Sunday, September 29 | All Day | Great Lawn, Treasure Island | “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” This weekend, the theme of the flea market is kites! Bring a kite to fly, or make one at the market. And of course shop for eclectic, one of a kind items from dozens of different vendors.

4. Mobile Park Day | Saturday, September 28 | India Basin Shoreline Park | 11 a.m – 2 p.m | This one’s for the kids! Mobile Rec is San Francisco Parks and Recreations new program that encourages kids to “Get out and Play” both now, and for the rest of their lives. On Saturdays throughout the school year, equipment for such activities as rock climbing, skateboarding/BMX, disc golf, and sea kayaking are transported to different parks throughout the city. Kids can come and play, for free, and all equipment is provided. But of course participants are welcome to bring their own. (Please note that helmets are required during skateboarding and BMX activities.)

5. Glen Park Fall Carnival | Saturday, September 28 | 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Glen Park School | Another one for the kids. Come to the Glen Park school carnival in celebration of the start of fall. There will be live music, tacos, baked goods, carnival games, a bounce house, and much more. All proceeds will benefit Glen Park school.

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

Event Spotlight: Mobile Theory All Hands Company Retreat

We’re gearing up over here at the ABCey HQ for this week’s company retreat for Mobile Theory Inc., a division of Opera Mediaworks and the 3rd largest US mobile network! Mobile Theory is a a mobile advertising network that provides technology, solutions, and services to deliver advertising campaigns for brands, publishers/app developers, advertisers, and end users.

We were super thrilled to help out with their first ever All Hands event at the Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa Valley. Their jam packed itinerary includes a private event at the acclaimed Artesa Winery, daytime work sessions, a private wine tour, tasting and luncheon at Silverado Vineyards, and of course some poolside lounge time!

Mobile Theory has taken the executive role in everything from founding brands to building brands for top interactive companies like Tribal Fusion, Quantcast, Greystripe, Collective Media, Engage, Unicast, 24/7 Real Media and Glam Media. MT’s network of premium-quality mobile sites and apps provides exclusive, unduplicated reach to 90 million mobile Internet users, accessing 8 out of 10 US smartphone users via 1.2 billion impressions per month. WOWZA!

We can’t wait to meet the Mobile Theory team. A big welcome goes out to the NY, Midwest, LA, and Boston offices. Stay tuned for an event recap and be sure to leave us your thoughts below or on Facebook & Twitter!

Tech Tuesday: BYOB – Be Your Own Bartender!

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!

Having events are always fun, but juggling between being a host and a bartender can be overwhelming. Add on loud music, with talkative guests, and you’re bound to mix a wrong drink or two. Luckily there’s a robot, (yes, robot!) that can help rectify your situation. Introducing Bartendro – a cocktail dispensing robot.

The Bartendro is a robot that can mix over 50 different cocktails. It uses a router board, which is linked to peristaltic pumps. These pumps dispense a certain amount of liquid with each rotation of the motor. Each cocktail is said to be made in about 10 seconds. With tons of drink orders to take, time is really of the essence.

The great thing about this is how hosts can set up drinks ahead of time. Now when their guests are ready, all they have to do is connect their phone to the Wi-Fi network. Once connected, guests can actually use their phones to order their drinks through the Bartendro ordering page.

What fun drinks would you like to create using Bartendro? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!

Event Spotlight: Khazanah Nasional

We are super excited to be producing an event this coming Sunday, September 22nd, for Khazanah Nasional! They will be opening up a new office in beautiful downtown San Francisco. The event is Malaysian themed and they will be welcoming their Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak!

Khazanah Nasional Berhad is the Government of Malaysia’s strategic investment fund. They promote economic growth and make strategic investments on behalf of the Government. They have invested in over 50 major companies around the world which range over a broad spectrum of work.

ABCey was hired to manage all aspects of event planning and production including, AV, lighting, catering, decor, florals, entertainment, videography and photography, and we couldn’t be more thrilled!

ABCey’s Weekend Lineup: 9.20.13 – 9.22.13

Relax, it’s almost the weekend! To help get you through the next couple of days, ABCey presents you with the weekend lineup: the 5 FREE San Francisco events we are most excited about this weekend.

1. Polk Street Blues Festival | Saturday and Sunday, September 21-22 | 10 a.m – 6 p.m | Polk Street between Pacific and Union | As the only free blues festival in the city, the Polk Street Blues Festival is a celebration of music, food, and friends. Come out for live entertainment, gourmet food trucks, and art made by local artists. Let’s help make this one of the best free blues festivals in the nation!

2. America’s Cup Finals | Saturday, September 21st | 1:10 p.m. | Pier 27 and 29 | The long anticipated finals are FINALLY here! Watch America and New Zealand duke it out live in the final race this weekend. Make sure to get there early, because everyone is going to want a piece of the action and it will be crowded. We’re rooting for ya, U.S.A.

3. Dance Party Flash Mob | Sunday, September 22nd | 2:30 p.m. | Powell Street, in from of WestField Mall | At ABCey we LOVE to dance, and therefore we are partial to anything that requires it! The dance is not choreographed, so just come in a costume of your choice and be ready to show off your moves.

4. Midnight Mystery Ride | Saturday, September 21st | Midnight | Mystery Location | Meet first at a local bar, and once the clock strikes midnight the ride begins! Destination: unknown. But we can guarantee that it will be awesome. Make sure to bring snacks and drinks to share once the final destination is reached. All levels of riders are welcome, and rain or shine, the ride must go on! Check out the Midnight Mystery Ride website the day of the event for destination information.

5. Tour de Fat | Saturday, September 21st, | 11 a.m – 5 p. m | Lindley Meadow, Golden Gate Park | Bike mayhem, booze, food, and music. What could be better? The bike parade begins at 11, and the drinking and live entertainment at noon (it’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right?)

Which events are you most excited for this weekend? Let us know in the comments, or on Facebook and Twitter!

10 Of Our Favorite DIY’s For Your Next Event!

We all know that planning events can get costly, so why not save some $$$’s and make a few things on your own! Creating your own decor saves cash, gives the event a personal touch and is tons of fun! Here are a few of ABCey’s favorite DIY’s that you can try for your next event!

1. Glitter Letter Banner | Use these signs to direct guests to food or the event. They would look great for bride and groom chairs or your upcoming holiday party.

2. Outdoor Cabana | Outdoor events are always fun, but give your guests a beautiful place in the shade to hang out when it gets to warm.

3. Tissue Paper Flowers | A cheaper alternative to real flowers, these tissue paper flowers are super easy and look great at any party.

4. Glitter Mason Jars | Not only are these beautiful alone, but put a candle in them at night and the reflection they make is amazing.

5. Gilded Piñata Makeover | This piñata makeover is so simple and let’s you have a piñata that fits your party theme.

6. Hand Dotted Tumblers | You can buy glasses at the dollar store and transform them for dirt cheap! These tumblers are a great addition to any party.

7. Tassel Garland | Not only do these look great at an event, but they also look great as a decoration at home. (Our’s is above our desk!)

8. Coasters | Every event has some sort of beverage, so save your furniture by offering these natural coasters to guests.

9. Bottle Cap Candles | These candles burn a little over an hour, so they’re a great quick fix for any party and look cute scattered about.

10. Squash Bowling | If you’re having an outdoor event, keep guests entertained with this fun homemade game of bowling.

Which of these DIY’s do you like best? Let us know which one’s you’ll try in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter! Happy crafting!

Tech Tuesday: Gym-Spiration?

It seems that every time we make a promise to ourselves to get back in shape, it always ends the same way; a never ending list of excuses as to why it can’t happen. We’re too busy, our family is in town, our cat is dying, you name it. We’ve used them all.

We’ve discovered an app that makes going to the gym seem less like a chore and more like, let’s say, a job? GymPact is an app that holds you financially responsible for your physical activity (or lack thereof).

So how exactly does it work? First, you begin by deciding your “workout-per-week” goal. This simply means how many times per week you want to engage in serious physical activity. Secondly, users identify exactly how much money a missed workout means to them. Finally, all that’s left to do is hit the gym!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZoRT9iYPn4

For every day of missed activity, your credit card gets charged the amount you specified. But, for every day you do go, you get a share of the money that was collected from those who couldn’t stick to their “GymPact.” Yes, you read that correctly. You make money simply by doing something you should already be doing in the first place. This app eliminates the ability to miss a workout due to lame excuses.

What do you think of GymPact? Do you think it would help motivate you to get back into shape? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!

Startup Monday: GetAround

Startup Monday is ABCey’s weekly post that features some of the best and brightest companies in the Bay Area. They are often companies that we have our eye on or have worked with in the past that we would like to share with friends and followers of ABCey Events.

It can get really expensive to own a car in a dense city like San Francisco. That’s why short-term car rental services are getting more and more popular for being eco-friendly and budget-friendly at the same time.

Today we want to introduce GetAround, a company that provides a peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace that enables car owners to rent their cars- from Priuses to Teslas- to a community of trusted drivers by hour, day, or week using their smartphones. The platform is fairly simple. Car Owners can post their cars on the site that are available for rent. Those interested in rentals can search for rentals in their neighbourhood or near an address for a fixed time. GerAround’s all inclusive package, which includes insurance, 21 hour roadside assistance, a Getaround car-kit, iPhone app and a web app makes it easy for people to conveniently car share any where.

While facing competition from services like Zipcar, GetAround has the advantage of setting no monthly fees or dues. It is free to join and car owners can instantly rent their cars without any additional fees other than the rental charge. GetAround also take the advantage of utilizing unused inventory as its product base.

GetAround can be very helpful when we are planning for big events. They have a good variety of cars available for hourly rental. It can be a fun and convenient option for event transportation.

One of the goals of GetAround is to help build a world with fewer cars, fewer traffic, and less pollution. This San Francisco based company is running successfully in multiple cities and is gradually working towards its goal.

What do you think about the idea of community car sharing? Would you share your car or use their rental service? Let us know what you think in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!