Tech Tuesday: Scentee

Tech Tuesday highlights some of 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!

Choosing the right alert sounds for your phone can be pretty difficult. Some people like the longer tones, others like shorter ones. Some people like classical music tones, others might like a simple beep. Well, the days of hearing these alerts may soon be long gone. Thanks to some creative minds in Japan, they’ve come up with a device that releases different scents for each notification your phone receives!

This device, cleverly named Scentee, plugs directly into the headset of any smart phone. It works in conjunction with another app that tells it to spray a scent when the notification is received. There’s already a ton of scents available with the device such as lavender, mint, and rose, to cinnamon roll, corn, and even Korean BBQ!

Users can customize when the scents will be emitted too. It can be programmed to go off according to texts, alarms or Facebook alerts. Each model of Scentee is said to have 100 bursts of scents with only $5 refills. The company’s latest video features this device in a typical Japanese soap opera style. Watch it below and let us know what you think! Leave us a comment or visit us on Facebook & Twitter.

Startup Monday: Attendify

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 & would like to share with friends and followers of ABCey Events.

The great thing about attending events is the ability to meet all kinds of people. However, sometimes networking isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Some have the ability to dive right in and come out with five new clients and a new gym buddy. For the rest of us, we end up with some awkward and monotonous small talk! Luckily, one of San Francisco’s newest start ups, Attendify may be able to help with that.

Attendify is the newest private social network for event planners and attendees. Users can create their own profiles and then manage their accounts. This app is also great because people can express their personal objectives, which makes it easier to connect with other people with similar goals. It can also be used to replace printed brochures at events, because it allows the user to upload schedules, speaker times, and maps!

A big bonus of Attendify is the way it combines social media tools and a management control panel. Users are able to see a live timeline, just like on Twitter, where people can post their status and pictures. They can also message one another to keep a conversation going. Event planners can monitor these messages by moderating the content and sending push notifications. If you want to learn more about Attendify, be sure to check out their video!

Let us know what you think about this app. Would you try it?! Leave us a a comment below or on Facebook & Twitter!

Make A Wish Brings Batkid to San Francisco

By now, many of you may have heard about San Francisco turning into Gotham City on November 15th?! Make-A-Wish Foundation rose to the challenge so this real life hero, 5-year-old Miles can embark on a series of crime-solving adventures and will get to live a day in the life of Batman! Amazing!

Miles’ crime-solving day is part of the foundation’s mission to turn dreams into reality for sick children. Miles has leukemia.

Miles will set across the city to accomplish tasks ranging from rescuing a damsel in distress from the Hyde St. cable car tracks in Nob Hill, capturing the Puzzler in the act of robbing a downtown vault and will of course have to take a break and stop for a burger at the Burger Bar. While at Burger Bar, he will get a special message from the Chief of Police to go to the window – where he will look down and see a huge group of volunteers jumping up and down asking for Batkid’s help because the villainous Mr. P. will be kidnapping a famous San Francisco mascot!

The getaway car will be visible on Union Square (a convertible so that everyone can see what is happening), and the chase will be on! After catching Mr. P., Batkid will make his final stop at City Hall, where the Mayor and the Police Chief of San Francisco will thank him and give him the key to the city. We’re in tears!!

Make A Wish encourages volunteers to show up at certain points throughout the day to cheer him on! If you would like to participate in this epic event, be sure to RSVP.

We know we’ll be there to encourage Miles and we hope to see you there too! Let us know if you’ll be joining in the fun in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

ABCey’s Weekend Lineup: 11.8.13 – 11.10.13

Congratulations, you’ve made it over the hump! Now, you’ve got only a couple more days before you can really let loose. Whether you’re looking for an amazing all night DJ set, or family game day, ABCey has hand-picked some stellar events for you to check out!

FEATURED EVENT: The One Series presents SFO005: Simon Shackleton | Saturday, November 9 | 12am – 6am | Location: TBA | He’s back at it again! Simon Shackleton, aka Elite Force is bringing down the house with an awesome 6 hour long set (Yes, 6 hours)! For those that attended last year, you know how great this event will be. With amazing visual installations from All Of It Now Visuals, attendees will be left with a fun and unforgettable experience.

1. Sean Hayes | Friday, November 8 | 9pm – 12pm | The Independent | This San Francisco based songwriter is making an appearance this weekend for his adoring fans. Taking inspiration from Otis Redding and Nina Simone, Sean Hayes’ warm and vibrato voice is sure to leave fans wanting more. So much more, that they even added a second show for him on Saturday. Get your tickets now before it’s too late!

2. Star Trek Convention | Friday, November 8 – Sunday, November 10 | Hyatt Regency SFO Airport | Yup, you read it correctly. The Star Trek Convention is back in full swing, so all you Trekkies can rejoice! It will definitely be a star-studded event with William Shatner & Jeri Ryan set to attend.

3. LAUNCH Hackathon | Friday, November 8 – Sunday, November 10 | Friday 5pm – Sunday 9pm | Metreon City View | It’s back, bigger & better. LAUNCH Hackathon #2 is offering a grand prize of $100k investment or $10k cash, awesome food, VIP service for all participants, massages, additional prizes from API partners, and all participants get a free LAUNCH Festival 2014 pass. The best part? It’s free!

4. The SnowBomb Ski & Board Festival | Saturday, November 9 – Sunday, November 10 | 11am – 6pm | AT&T Park | Get ready for the winter season at the 2013 Snowbomb Ski and Snowboard Festival with two full days of ski resort exhibits, gear booths, free lift tickets plus a BMX and skate showcase with X Games alumni showing off their skills on the halfpipe. This is a great chance to speak directly to ski, snowboard and travel experts with season pass deals and show specials!

5. Come Out & Play Festival 2013 | Sunday, November 10 | 11am – 4pm | Mission Recreational Center| Think urban spy games, giant capture the flag games, as well as brand new creations and iterations like Capture the Tag. Come Out and Play offers the public new ways to enjoy and experience their city through games played in public spaces. It remains a leader in identifying trends in public gaming and an inspiration for games festivals worldwide. Bring the whole family for this fun event!

Do you plan on attending any of these exciting events this weekend? We’d love to know. Leave us a comment below or on Facebook & Twitter!

Vendor Spotlight: Giggle and Riot Funbooths!

At ABCey, we are always looking for new and innovative ways to take our events to the next level. Giggle and Riot Funbooths, a Sacramento based interactive open air photo booth rental service, recently came and set up their photo booth at two of ABCey’s most recent events, one being my personal engagement party!

G&R provided super high resolution on-the-spot prints, social media functionality so people could text or email their photos, funny props, and more backdrops than a crazy cat lady has cats! No kidding! They also do custom work if there isn’t a perfect match. You can fit tons of people in each picture, and we’ve heard their record is 26!

Giggle and Riot was created by top notch wedding photographers Caroline Winata and Josh Daniels at Milou and Olin Photography so that guests could have a “non-lame” photo booth experience at events! Their mission is to reinvent the boring old photo booth concept using high powered studio lights, modern DSLR cameras, their sick sense of humor, top notch customer service, gobs of style, a little giggling and a lot of rioting. The result: a hilarious funbooth that’s as unique, supertastic and fun-filled as you are!

What do you think of Giggle and Riot?! Be sure to keep up with their news and fun photos via Facebook, or to view all of their online galleries, click here! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter.

Tech Tuesday: Pro Party Planner

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!

If you’ve ever planned an event, then you can understand that it’s a massive undertaking. There are literally hundreds of things to organize, plan and create before the actual event. Here at ABCey, we’ve stumbled upon a new party planning app, Pro Party Planner that may help make this process a bit easier.

Regardless if you’ve ever planned a party or if you’re a professional, the Pro Party Planner App is an amazing tool. It helps keeps track of your guests, budget and logistics. Once an event is added, you can begin adding people to the guest list. The best part is you can add guests directly from your contact list or Facebook.

There are many other great features that come with this app such as a planning module that allows you to edit the menu, entertainment, and party favors. You can design a venue floor plan with drag-and-drop seating charts for attendees or delegate important tasks to your organizing team. There’s also a helpful party timeline that provides alerts and reminders as the event approaches and includes a unique Augmented Reality module that will let you visualize all your information directly on the location’s pictures!

With all these amazing features, it’s hard to believe this app only costs $4.99 at the Apple app store. Go ahead and give it a try! Leave us a comment below or on Facebook & Twitter. Tell us how this app worked for you!

Startup Monday: Transit & Trails

Some people get so involved with the hustle and bustle of San Francisco that oftentimes they forget about the beauty of this city. When you look past the busy streets, tall buildings and city noise, there’s a whole other world waiting to be discovered. Anytime you’re looking for a quick getaway, Transit & Trails can help get you there.

The Transit and Trails app lets you find nearby trails or parks you may not know about. What’s wonderful about this app is that it helps you find, plan, and even share your adventures with others. Once you find a trail, you can then find public transportation or directions through the app. Also if planning a trip is too difficult, you can use an existing trail that has been saved on the website.

Nowadays, what’s exciting about an adventure if you can’t share it with others?After your trip, you may use the app to post on Facebook or Twitter. There’s also a fast growing community of users on the Transit & Trails website. This allows users to share pictures and experiences with others about their recent adventure. If you want to learn more about how they work, check out the video below!

Which trails do you like to hike? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or Twitter!

5 Fall Table Settings We Love!

Sadly, Halloween is over which brings October to a close. But, ABCey would like to welcome in November with 5 fun outdoor table settings that are perfect for any Fall soiree.

1. Long tables allow for a beautiful set up that seems much more intimate than seating that is all spread out at different tables!

2. We love how simple the flatware and plates are with that beautiful Fall shrubbery as a centerpiece. So chic and simple! Blankets on the chairs for guests are also a smart touch as things start to cool down.

3. These neutral colored feathers are elegant and really add a pop to this otherwise simple set up.

4. Again, incorporating nature into a Fall table setting is a must and these wood place card holders are so rustic and classy! Small votive candles always add a nice ambiance!

5. Okay okay, we don’t want October to be over just yet either, so incorporate some pumpkins/gords into your table setting too! We love these white pumpkins that give this table a fresh look!

Which of these looks is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!