Startup Monday: Kickstarter

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.

As many of you know, Kickstarter is the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects. Every week, tens of thousands of people pledge millions of dollars to projects from the worlds of music, art, design, technology, film, publishing, games, fashion, food, and other creative fields. Since its launch in 2009, 5.8 million people have pledged $1 billion, funding 57,000 creative projects! They also recently won the most coveted award at the 7th Annual Tech Crunch Crunchies for Best Overall Startup of 2013!

What’s so great about Kickstarter is that each project is independently created. The unique creators have complete control over and responsibility for their projects. Creators are able to keep 100% ownership of their work, and backers support projects to help them come to life. Together, creators and backers make projects happen.

Kickstarter believes that creative projects make for a better world, and are thrilled to help support new ones. Anyone can launch a project on Kickstarter as long as it meets their deadlines. The startup is based in Brooklyn, New York and will support any creative minds! The Bay Area is filled with innovation and creativity, so if you have a project or idea you want to see come to life, Kickstarter is the right platform! Take a look at the thousands of projects launched from the San Francisco Bay Area or highlights from 2013, or the best projected Kickstarter projects of 2014.

What do you think of the Best Overall Startup of 2013?! Would you use it to launch a project? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

ABCey’s Weekend Lineup: 3.6.14 – 3.9.14

We can’t believe it’s already time to figure out our weekend plans! There are tons of unique events taking place in the Bay area, from Mardi Gras celebrations to music festivals and much more! Here are our top picks for the days ahead.

FEATURED EVENT | French Quarter Jack Daniels Mardi Gras Party | Supperclub | Friday, March 6th | 10pm| Become part of our Mardi Gras Mystic SOCIETY and celebrate! Dress up, eat, drink, and dance! There will be complimentary Jack Daniels tasting, a food tasting station, Jack Daniels VIP Bottle Service & Bar Specials, and Jack Daniels party favors. SF Club Hits will be playing all night long, and there will also be an aerial performance! The dress code is cocktail dresses for ladies, and men must be in collared shirts. No flip flops, hats, athletic attire, sweats, baggy jeans or shorts will be allowed.

1. The Time is Now – 20Mission Bitcoin Art Show & Meetup | 20Mission | Thursday, March 6th | 7pm Bitcoin inspires individuals around the world and certainly can spark creativity. On Thursday, March 6, 20Mission will host the first ever Bitcoin Inspired Art Show entitled, “The Time is Now”. As Bitcoin truly prompts individuals to rethink finances and the future of our financial system, now this innovative technology has also inspired artists. Bitcoin Magazine was pleased to learn of this event.

2. YMCA of San Francisco’s Third Annual Y for Youth Luncheon: Fire Up the Startups| Yerba Buena Center for the Arts | Friday, March 7th | 12pm |Because no start-up has more potential than our youth, the YMCA of San Francisco is pleased to offer opportunities to be a part of the next big thing at the 3rd annual Y For Youth Luncheon: Fire Up the StartUps, on Friday, March 7 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Join more than 400 corporate, philanthropic and community leaders who are investing in the community through their support of the YMCA of San Francisco, which serves 10,000 youth in SF, San Mateo and Marin counties every day.

3. The Art of Graffiti: “Letter Stylez” Workshop | 1AM Gallery | Saturday, March 8th | 12:30pm | Taught by the one and only Opaque, this class will cover a slideshow on various styles of graffiti lettering, a drawing lesson, and finally, piecing together your own letter style to go home with. In addition, the class comes with a complimentary KRINK paint marker. Get your ticket for the workshop here!

4. Nick Waterhouse, Boogaloo Assasins | Great American Music Hall | Saturday, March 8th | 8pm| Nick Waterhouse at just 25 is the New Breed – An R&B fanatic who combines an uncanny old-school sensibility with a charged, contemporary style. For Waterhouse, his muse is the over-modulated sound of vintage R&B, and his take on such a time-honored tradition evokes the back-alley thrill of New Orleans, Detroit and Memphis in their heyday. He combines an astute attention to detail with an honest desire to match the emotional impact of the music that inspires him.

5. Wes Anderson in 35mm | Roxie Theater | Saturday, March 8th | In anticipation for The Grand Budapest Hotel, the latest film from classic rock aficionado and saviour of Latin, Wes Anderson, San Francisco’s Roxie Theater will be hosting a retrospective of his filmography. Not only will every film be screened in 35mm — fitting for the retro-inspired director — but every ticket buyer for any screening is automatically enrolled in the Zissou Society Members which affords each member a ticket to a sneak preview of a new film on March 13th.

With so many great events to choose from, which ones stood out?! How do you plan to spend the weekend? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

Behind the Scenes: FireEye Guardians of the Galaxy RSA Party

Last week, ABCey Events had the pleasure of producing FireEye Inc.’s Guardians of the Galaxy themed party for RSA Conference attendees. We had a blast with FireEye and their guests all night long! Here are our 10 favorite elements that made our Marvel Comics inspired theme fantastic! Check out the full gallery here.

1. Superhero Theme: We were so excited with the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ theme we practically ran away with it! It was a great way to join old school comic book artistry with new age space hero design. We brushed up on our comic book knowledge as well as made sure to watch recent films, and it resulted in detailed accents fusing together both superhero worlds. We ordered tons of Marvel comic books to disperse around the venue, as well as action figures from Guardians of the Galaxy. We were not surprised that they were all gone by the end of the night!

2. 3D Projection Mannequin Mapping: 3D Projection mapping, LED installations and superhero LED installations, it was all tech and cutting edge for FireEye, renowned for its security. Guests we able to stand in as superhero cyborgs and mapping was used to project those images onto mannequins posed and ready to save the world, showing them just what they’d look like suited up in an Iron Man like costume. View the full gallery of the mannequin mapping results here.

3. Suit Up: What better way to get in the superhero mindset than to watch Catwoman and Black Widow mark their respective territories? Or converse with Supergirl at the door? Guests were delightfully treated to super interactions with superheros and performers spinning LED programmable hoops, spying around the venue as well as just greeting you at the door with a big smile! We loved SpinFX and their superhero inspired LED performances throughout the night.

5. The Green Monster: The Green Monster has been one of the coolest performers we’ve brought to an event at ABCey. The monster performs and dances with guests and is a great piece to get guests talking and interacting at your event. We loved the space monster’s moves on the dance floor as well as ability to get guests moving too! Can you believe that there are two people in there?!

6. Giggle and Riot Photobooth: Giggle and Riot is one of our favorite “fun” booth companies in San Francisco. Outfitted with an awesome customized life-sized comic backdrop and more superhero props than you can imagine, guests were able to pose right in a comic book page and take home the best keepsake, a photo strip of their adventure! Check out that gallery here.

7. Space Themed Arcade: No comic themed party would be complete without a superhero arcade! Guests were delighted to find classic arcade style games ready for them to set highscores on! Games included Galaga, Space Invaders, Area 51, Tron, Star Trek Pinball, and more!

8. Marvel Comic Themed Trivia Game: Lucky guests even got to test their superhero knowledge in a Marvel Trivia themed game. Guests won prizes in a battle of speed and wit hosted by Batman and Robin!

9. Snacks and Treats: After a long day at a conference guests want to kick back, mingle and snack while enjoying delicious drinks. We loved having yummy KIND bars scattered around as well as the fun finger foods provided by Temple SF. Our favorite drink of the night by far had to be the Malware Margarita complete with Silver Tequila, Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice, Cointreau, and Triple Sec!

10. LED Installations: Our favorite florist and designer, Neil Hunt of Hunt Littlefield created some amazing mixed media installations complete with submersible LED floralytes, bright red Colorfill vase gems, metallic silver balls, action figures & KAPOW signs. No need here for florals with the mostly male tech crowd!

10. DJ: DJ Celeste is one of our favorite ladies on the decks these day, and she brought her tunes to keep guests entertained and dancing all night long. She knows just how to bring the theme into her sets and even spun in some superhero themed tunes throughout the night along with the hottest Top 40 beats and indie-inspired tracks!

The RSA Conference was a successful week long event, and we are thrilled to have helped produce such an awesome RSA Party! We loved FireEye’s theme, as they are superheros who work diligently to protect against cyber attacks to ensure Internet security!

What do you think about going behind the scenes of our latest event production? What was your favorite detail? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

Tech Tuesday: 5 Event Startups to Engage your Audience

The world of technology is constantly changing and is adding value to the event industry! Here at ABCey, we love to keep up on current startups and trends that can enhance the event experience for attendees. We did some digging to find 5 event startups that will engage your audience and make them active participants throughout your event.

1. Postano: Put your attendees in the spotlight and make them feel like social media rockstars through this unique platform! Bring your conversation to life at your next event by showcasing your attendees’ social content, tweets and Instagrams on social media displays. Attendees can actively participate rather than simply listen and this will enrich their experience and create visibility for your event.

2. Catchbox: The world’s first throwable microphone was created for audience engagement. It is a great way to get participants talking! Catchbox lowers the barrier for people to comment and present questions. The box comes in different bright colors and is easy to throw or pass from one audience member to the next, making participation easy and fun!

3. PowerVote: Maximize the value of your event by engaging your audience, encouraging your participants, and encouraging their feedback. If you want your to gather information about your audience’s opinion, PowerVote can instantly display voting results in an graphical format. Presentations can be directly streamed to the audience’s mobile devices and people can vote or provide feedback in the moment.

4. Sopreso: Through this unique platform, your audience can ask, comment, and like your presentation live. Once you develop a presentation and run Sopreso on your laptop, the audience can connect to the presentation with their smart devices. Additionally, this platform extends the lifetime of your presentation! You can easily follow up on your leads, answer all questions, and keep the community alive.

5. TweetWall Pro: A TweetWall offers a great opportunity to interact with audiences. Rather than asking a few audience members questions, inspire all attendees to share their thoughts. People can ask questions on Twitter and get live responses. Interesting topics can quietly be discussed, and interaction is highly encouraged. Onlookers of TweetWalls find it difficult not to participate, inspiring engagement from all viewers. Post event reports allow you to follow up with attendees directly!

With so many advances in technology, passive audience participation is coming to an end. We love each of these startups, and Postano really stands out to us because you can see what people are saying about your event and what popular topics of interest are, as well as create visibility for your event! Which of these unique event startups would you use to engage your audience members? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!

Startup Monday: Postcard

At ABCey, we are often juggling multiple social media accounts of our own as well as our clients for event marketing efforts. As many of you may know, managing multiple social media accounts can be absolutely insane. These days, social media is the way many people market themselves, products, or services. So, how do you manage posting to so many different sites?

This is where the app by WordPress blogger Kyle Newsome comes in handy. Postcard was designed to be the platform linking all social media accounts. You can set any one social media site, even your personal website, as your content host and post from there. Your multiple twitter accounts will re-tweet, etc. It is a pro-tool for those looking for an easy, all inclusive way to manage their many personal and business based social media accounts.

Postcard gives you that post-by-post control of where and how your message should be shared. This even includes WordPress, which gives Postcard the upper hand many other similar apps don’t have. We love the ease of use it offers as well as the ability to manage our personal website running on WordPress!

The app comes with support for 3 networks, with additional network support available via in app purchase. Do you manage multiple social media accounts? Would Postcard be useful to you? Let us know in the comments below, or on Facebook & Twitter!