Tag: around the web
Behind The Scenes: SGN at GDC16
On March 14-18, 2016, developers and gamers from across the country took the Bay area by storm for this year’s Game Developers Conference. Some of the most brilliant minds in the gaming industry took to the streets of downtown San Francisco for GDC16. While other shows are about the fans, GDC determines the future of this industry: it’s the world’s largest gaming conference attended by a record breaking 27K professionals in its 30th year. Nearly half of developers here are building mobile + tablet games!
ABCey Events paired with SGN to showcase their newest game Genies and Gems, and also had a great time bringing awareness to their biggest game Cookie Jam. Between the moments that brought laughs in between sessions and the surprising and exciting moments that changed an attendees day, a powerful question was also addressed to the gaming community, #WHYDOYOUPLAY?!
TOP 5 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EVENT
- THE GENIE OF SF
SGN, the fastest growing growing major mobile games studio in the U.S., has just released it’s newest match-3 puzzle game. Genies & Gems is a spellbinding adventure that takes its players on a magic ride. Famous Youtuber Jesse Wellens from Prank vs. Prank brought this game to life in downtown SF with his motorized magic carpet. For those that spotted our magic genie, they were in for a lucky surprise!
2. (REAL!) GEMS
If you’ve gotten the chance to play, then you already know Genies & Gems is a game that’s true to it’s name. As the players cross through the magical worlds they recover lost relics, collect gold bars, and are taken on a journey with their enchanted keys. To celebrate the game’s launch SGN brought the game’s realities to life! Lucky San Franciscan’s scored some major gems from our genie that included- $20/$50 bills, silver coins, silver cufflinks, and (real!) gemstone rings!
3. COOKIE JAMMERS
With more than 70 million downloads, SGN’s top grossing game Cookie Jam showed it’s followers some serious entertainment for GDC16. Rocking out in front of the Moscone Center were our very own Cookie Jammers. If the outfits didn’t scream cookies, their lyrics surely would. San Francisco’s favorite cover band Pop Rocks twisted some of your most favored songs into actual cookie-filled jams (Just Eat It, Eat It, Eat It)! These life-sized cookies fueled up GDC16 attendees as they were headed to their next session!
4. COOKIES
We couldn’t promote a cookie game without thousands of FREE cookies! SGN provided attendees with a yummy snack to keep them going throughout the day. Who doesn’t love free cookies?
5. WHY DO YOU PLAY?
GDC16 determines the future of this industry, and because of this they are capable of bringing together a global community to attend their annual conference. It was the people in attendance that play a significant role in the creation and lifespan of games, and SGN had a thought provoking question to ask attendees- Why Do You Play? We can get lost in a game, but we can forget what really motivates us to play. We interviewed hundreds of people and received a variety of answers ranging from fun, stress relief, escaping reality, and interacting with friends or family. Our favorite answer may have been to “Escape From Trump!”
So, the question we have for you today is- Why Do YOU Play? Let us know in the comments below or find us on Facebook and Twitter!
#TechTuesday: SummitSync
#TechTuesday highlights the best and brightest ideas in the tech world. ABCey would like to recognize these up and coming technologies for their innovative ideas and impact on the event world!
Networking is an essential part of the business world. When it comes to events, meetings and conferences, networking helps to develop meaningful relationships and connections that can unlock future business opportunities. However, when at a conference with thousands of attendees, finding those connections can sometimes be nerve-racking and just flat-out awkward. SummitSync is the solution to that problem. Like Tinder for conference apps, it brings the fun and excitement back into networking, making it more efficient and easy.
How it works.
First you sign up with your LinkedIn account.
Then you can choose which conference you are attending and in which city.
Once you have your selected conference, you can scroll through profiles of event attendees.
Swipe right if interested or left (not interested).
And just so swipe lefts don’t get too awkward, the app only allows you to connect with attendees that reciprocate your interest.
Once a connection is made, you can then message through the app and plan a time to meet at the actual conference.
SummitSync is transforming the way conference attendees engage; making it easier to discover and develop valuable business relationships. Gone are the days of countless handshakes accompanied by awkward and forgettable conversations. Instead, build those relationships beforehand and spend less conference time worrying about making the right connections and more time engaging in the actual conference.
Planning on using SummitSync before you attend your next conference? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter!
RSA Conference: Find out what the Mobile App can do!
Today marks the first day of the RSA Conference! This yearly event began in 1991 and has become as a forum for cryptographers to gather and share the latest knowledge and advancements in the area of Internet security. The conference is taking place at the Moscone Center and the week will be filled with live keynote sessions, seminars, tutorials, networking and more! Here at ABCey, we are so excited to be producing FireEye’s Guardians of the Galaxy themed event this Wednesday in conjunction with RSA.
With so many opportunities to take advantage of this week, how will you build your schedule? The RSA Conference Mobile App is a great solution! This mobile app allows you to:
- View agenda items and explore sessions
- Build your personal schedule and manage meetings with fellow attendees
- Access speaker profiles, sponsor information, and find networking opportunities
- View interactive maps of the Moscone Center and of the expo floor
- Participate in the conversation on Twitter through the #RSAC stream
- Update – a quick way to share photos, comments, where you are, and which session you’re attending
- Activity – see what other people are doing, view photos of the event, find trending sessions and topics, and “like” and comment on other attendee check-ins
- Agenda – view the full agenda and related information (session time, room number, etc.)
- Attendees – see who is at the event and connect with them through the app
- Sponsors – find sponsors, check-in to leave comments and feedback
- Profile – you have an official app profile which highlights your name, profile photo, title, and company
Startup Monday: Education
Silicon Valley’s biggest event of the year is finally here! Tonight, we find out which companies will win Tech Crunchies Awards. Here at ABCey, we decided to dive into those nominated for Best Education Startup. We think each company in this category has made valuable contributions to changing the face of education. Let’s take a look at the nominees!
1. Code.org: This non-profit organization is committed to growing computer programming education. This startup believes every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science, and the subject should be included in the core curriculum of U.S. education. Code.org’s mission is to spread the word that there is a worldwide shortage of computer programmers, and that it is much easier to learn to program than you think. Online courses, brick + mortar schools, and summer camps can provide students with computer programming education!
2. CreativeLIVE: The world’s leading live, online classroom is designed for creative entrepreneurs. This startup is transforming the $100 billion continuing education market by offering complete access to the brightest teachers in the world via a social and interactive video platform. Anyone in the world can watch the live-streamed classes for free. Copies of the courses are available to purchase at any time. Since the company was founded in 2010, more than one million students from over 200 countries have utilized the platform, and popular classes have attracted more than 150,000 students!
3. Duolingo: This free language learning service is fun and user-friendly! While you are learning a new language, the users help translate the web, completing sentences, and rating other users’ translations. This startup offers courses in Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Portuguese! An independent study was conducted that proves Duolingo trumps university-level language learning. The app is also available for iPhones and Androids so you can be productive on the go!
4. Khan Academy: A free world-class education is available for anyone anywhere. This educational non-profit produces a collection of free online micro lectures on various subjects such as mathematics, finance, physics, computer science, history, astronomy, economics, chemistry, and biology. Game mechanics are also incorporated to reward students with badges for reaching certain skill levels. Khan Academy’s resources and materials are available to anyone and it is free of charge. Stats are available to track what you’ve been learning and whether or not you are hitting your goals.
5. Treehouse: Affordable technology education is available for people everywhere! In order to help subscribers learn web design, development, and iOS development, Treehouse uses short videos, quizzes, and badges. The service comes at a cost of $29 to $49 dollars per month. You are guided each step of the way. To start, just hop onto a track. Tracks offer guided pathways through the content. Content is structured in a way that makes it quite simple for you to learn skills within a specific role.
Technology is truly changing the dynamic of education and educational resources are readily available for professors and students with access to the web. Each of these startups are helping people achieve their dreams. Which one do you think should win an award? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!
Tech Tuesday: Watsi
The world is constantly experiencing change due to advances in technology. With the 7th Annual Crunchies Awards just a week away, we decided to reflect on companies that made the biggest impact in 2013. Watsi came right to mind. The global crowdfunding platform for healthcare enables anyone to donate in order to directly fund life-changing medical care for those in need.
The idea was developed by co-founder Chase Adam when he was visiting Watsi, a small village in Costa Rica. Chase noticed that while he was riding a bus through the village, a woman was walking through the isle holding a red folder and speaking to the passengers. The woman had a picture of her son who had an incision across the width of his stomach. Chase realized that although the bus passengers could help, what if he could connect the woman with his friends and family back home?
The story of how this idea came to live is truly an inspiration, and has motivated many to donate to people in need. Watsi thrives on a few core values: impact, innovation, efficiency, and transparency. The overall goal is to fund low-cost, high-impact medical treatments for a million people in need. Here is a breakdown of how the donation process works:
1. Connect. Browse different profiles on Watsi.org and connect with a person in need that you would like to support.
2. Fund Treatment. Make a donation of any amount you choose, as little as $5 can go a long way. This will fund a life-changing medical treatment for helping the person of your choice.
3. Get an Update. Not only can you fund a patient. Watsi goes even further. Receive an update about the outcome of the treatment you funded. You can directly learn about the difference you made in one’s life.
Watsi has an empowering vision: A world where people no longer die from conditions that society has the knowledge, resources, and power to treat. This non-profit startup is bringing the world together and giving us access to become connected with those in need.
We are seriously impressed with this platform and the social impact it has made! What do you think of Watsi? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!
10 Interesting Social Media Facts
Social media plays a huge role in our lives, whether we like it or not! To honor our Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts, ABCey compiled a list of the most interesting social media fun-facts. Enjoy!
1. Half of all smartphones connect to Facebook every hour of every day!
2. 20% of Google searches every day have never been searched before. Which begs the question: what the heck are you searching??
3. The most optimal photos (ones that get the most likes and repins) on Pinterest are photos of salad.
4. “Earlybird” is the most popular Instagram filter, yet 47% prefer #nofilter.
5. The average LinkedIn user is a male college graduate.
6. Twitter handles more search queries per month than Bing and Yahoo combined!
7. Links about sex are shared 90% more than any other link. (Doesn’t its inclusion on this list say it all?)
8. 53% of people on Twitter recommend products in their tweets, which is important because most people trust recommendations from friends versus the 14% of people who trust advertisers. Social media is more important to business than you’d think!
9. 7% of Americans have never heard of Facebook. We don’t know how this happened.
10. More than 350 million users suffer from Facebook Addiction Syndrome.
Want to channel some social media yourself? Tell us what you think of this article with a comment here or on Facebook & Twitter!
Tech Tuesday: Tout!
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 really want to wow your social media followers, stop typing that status update! We’re in an age where we can share our lives in real-time, and there’s no better way to do that than with Tout.
Here’s how it works: using the Tout smartphone app, shoot a short 15-second video. After uploading your video to Tout, the app makes it super easy to share with your friends. Tout was designed to be a form of social media and to make it easy to share footage with the user’s other existing social media networks. You can tweet it, post it, use the blog widget, and more!
Everyone seems to be touting Tout! When you visit the homepage, you have your choice between subscribing to the Wall Street Journal, ESPN, or celebs like Shaq. This social media network is great for news junkies who love getting up-to-the-minute updates around the world. Of course, it’s also cool to post a video of your cat sleeping.
Have you used Tout? Tell us what you think! Send us a comment below, a Tweet, or visit out Facebook!
Startup Monday: Instacanvas
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 the friends and followers of ABCey Events.
Instagram’s filters and effects can make anyone with a camera look like a talented photographer. And, with the help of Instacanvas, that Instagram of your breakfast could be hanging on the wall of someone’s living room!
Instacanvas is an online service that allows people to buy and sell real-life prints of Instagram pictures. Instagram users can create a profile and choose which photos they want to feature in their gallery. The gallery is then published on the website for consumers to peruse and purchase.
As of now, you can turn an Instagram print into a canvas, framed print, 3D prism, greeting card, or iPhone case! More products are in the works, such as wearable art. Can you imagine people walking around with your art proudly displayed on their phone case?
Instacanvas is a compelling startup because it combines social networking and e-commerce to create a product that benefits both the producer and consumer. The photographer receives around 50% of the profits from the purchase and retains all rights to his or her product. That’s big news for someone who is casually sharing their photos with their Instagram followers!
Do you think your snapshots are gallery worthy? Share your thoughts with us in a comment or on Twitter and Facebook!
Top 5 Pop-up Hotels
At ABCey, we’ve heard of everything from Pop-up stores to Pop-up cafes. Now, the latest trend to come upon us is the Pop-up hotel! This new idea utilizes freight containers as convenient portable hotel units. This means you can “build” your hotel in any cool location to cater to your specific clientele. Imagine the events you could host in these container hotels! We’ve compiled a list of the Top 5 leaders in this trend.
1. Sleeping Around: Sleeping Around is a “hotel” composed of 20-foot-long recycled shipping containers. Some containers are bedrooms, complete with high-end bedding, a rain shower, an iPod docking station, and air conditioning. Others are designed for eating meals or enjoying a sauna. Sleeping Around is currently located in Antwerp, but they are considering future locations.
2. Sleepbox Hotel: Earlier in 2013, the first Sleepbox Hotel opened in an old building in Moscow with more than 50 pods that guests can book for overnight stays or just a few hours. Accommodations are admittedly barebones but, unlike at most hostels, travelers are ensured privacy with single and double capsule options.
3. Snoozebox Hotel: Snoozebox, a British company offers a hotel system that can be set up anywhere. Known as the Snoozebox Hotel, the portable lodge hosts 40-400 rooms which can provide supplementary housing during an event, a busy travel season, or a natural disaster. Similar to Sleeping Around, the Snoozebox Hotel can be built in atypical locations for nature-loving travelers who do not want to sleep outdoors. Each Snoozebox room is climate-controlled and offers typical hotel amenities such as flat screen TVs and WiFi.
4. The Deûle Insolite: A French hotel near the Belgian border north of will start taking reservations for a converted shipping container this September. The new shipping container room was designed in partnership with HouseUP, a French company that specializes in transforming the 20-foot-long steel boxes into vacation homes. Some units will even have balconies and kitchenettes.
5. Xiang Xiang Xiang Pray House: China exported 3.2 million shipping containers last year — more than any other country in the world. It is only fitting that its newest hotel covers is made up of 35 new shipping containers. The hotel covers 5,000 square meters and has 21 guestrooms in total. The rooms come in two sizes: 15 square meters or 30 square meters and windows are installed on one side of the containers as well as in the roof.
Do you think the freight container hotel concept could take-off in the United States? Do I sense a future Kickstarter campaign? Let us know what you think in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter.
Tech Tuesday: Twitter Walls
Social media has clearly become an integral part of any big event. Live social media displays are a great way to energize the crowd, source user generated content, and encourage people to tweet and Instagram away. There are many options these days for displaying your audience’s tweets, and moderating those that may be inappropriate or brand damaging! Check out five great recommendations for Live Tweeting!
1. Wall of Tweets: Wall of Tweets offers many different functionalities – from a basic display of text messages to very interactive involvement of attendees in discussions, Q&As, and video and audio streams. Essentially, if it’s digital –it can be included in your Wall of Tweets experience. Price depends heavily on the type of the event, its duration and expected number of visitors.
2. Visible Tweets: Visible Tweets is a visualization of Twitter messages designed for display in public spaces. It is definitely more about the visual display of the individual Tweets rather than the display of collective Tweets. It’s not for every event but it could be the perfect tool for a specific type of event like an art show. Give Visible Tweets a try on their website.
3. Tweet Wall Pro: Tweet Wall Pro is great because it allows for automatic moderation which ban Tweets containing a list of inappropriate words or swear words and/or one or several users. You also have the option of having a person moderate in real-time with the live moderation feature. Tweet Wall Pro is highly customizable and also provides Tweet analytics.
4. Revisit: Revisit is a real-time visualization of the latest twitter messages around a specific topic. Use it create your own twitter wall at a conference or an ambient display at your company or whatever other idea you come up with.
5. Another Tweet on The Wall: Another Tweet on The Wall also posts Tweets one at a time but puts a nice strong emphasis on the profile of the Tweeter. The background of the wall borrows the image from the poster’s Twitter Profile. This might be an interesting way to encourage live conversations at the event between the attendees.
Have you used a Twitter Wall for your events? At our most recent BlackJet SF Launch Party, we featured a Twitter Feed Wall on a giant LCD screen to display all the tweets with our hashtag #BlackJetSFLaunch. Let us know your favorite tool in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!