ABCey’s Tech Tuesday: 5 Best Event Website Templates

Want to build a buzz around your event and wow your registrants? The convenience and customization event websites offer to both event planners and attendees are amazing! Thus, today’s #techTuesday features 5 best event websites to help you create your next event website template.

1. Splash

Pricing Details: Free for personal events and trials, custom pricing for business licenses

From simplifying event asset creation to capturing attendee insights and measuring event impact, Splash is a great event marketing tool.Splash’s content management system makes it super easy to create your event website while maintaining brand consistency. You can also customize your invite, check-in guests, print your event badges, and more with this tool!

2. Squarespace

Pricing Details: Squarespace has 4 price plans, ranging from $12 to $40 per month.

Squarespace is a drag-and-drop website builder with the best quality templates in terms of design and flexibility. With this tool, you can have full customization control without the need for coding. Squarespace also has good SEO, and its pages all follow SEO best practices. It provides you the best tools to promote your brand.

3. EventCreate

Pricing Details: EventCreate has 2 price plans, ranging from $9 to $29 per month.

In addition to website creation, EventCreate is also a ticketing & registration platform. EventCreate uniquely offers fully white-labeled, custom-branded event pages and is the only platform that offers A/B ticket price testing, to help you maximize your event revenue.

4. Planning Pod

Pricing Details: Planning Pod has 4 price plans, ranging from $19 -$69+ per month.

Planning Pod is an online event management software that aims to help people and organizations that manage multiple or complex events and registrations. This tool offers a centralized platform to manage events, clients, staff, venues, vendors, payments and business details. More importantly, the floor plan feature allows event planners to customize designs for the venue, so they can help clients visualize the event.

5. Bookmark

Pricing Details: Free version available; Professional plan: $11.99/month; Business plan: $24.99/month.

Bookmark is one of the most advanced website builders when it comes to web technologies. Its AI software AiDA (Artificial Intelligence Design Assistant) can help you create an exceptional website in less than 90 seconds! The AI can help fill your website with blocks that suits the most, puts on sample content and customizes design colors. And all you need to do after is to change the text and images. This tool is super efficient and is perfect for non-technical professionals and small business owners.

Have you used any of these event website builders before? Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!

ABCey’s #TechTuesday: Make Event Planning Easier with Tech Tools!

#TechTuesday highlights the best and brightest ideas in the tech world. Today’s #TechTuesday features the 10 tech tools to make event planning easier!

1. Loopd

Loopd is a system that uses Bluetooth beacons placed around an event venue and chips guests wear around their neck to enable location-tracking for planners and guests. It keeps track of which exhibit booths and sessions attendees visit and also helps with networking! With one tap, guests are able to share contact information, so forget about shuffling around to pull out your phone! Additionally, guests can receive marketing materials and fliers from all the booths they visited via the Loopd app!

2. Hootsuite

Nowadays, every event planner turns to social media to promote their event, and we don’t blame them! It reaches large audiences and is extremely easy to use! The only downside is how many social media platforms are out there. With Hootsuite, you can manage all your social media platforms in one space, so you can close all your tabs!

3. Estimote

Ever wish the TV in front of you showed you exactly what you wanted to see? Estimote, with the help of Bluetooth beacons, can personalize content displayed on digital screens for guests! These beacons communicate with the smartphone in your pocket to show information based on your interests and buying habits. Now all your guests will have a custom experience and event planners won’t need to be concerned with irrelevant content!

4. Eventbrite Organizer

Lines are a huge deterrent, especially check-in lines! Eventbrite Organizer helps cut the lines by allowing the user to scan tickets directly from their phone! Also, you are able to check real-time ticket sales and can even become a mobile box office!

5. SelfieSpott

Instead of creating elaborate backdrops with only a small space for your event logo, event planners can design a graphic overlay with their event logo and some information on the back, if desired. SelfieSpott allows guests to receive their photos instantly and ready for social media by simply texting a number! Also, with their permission, planners can have access to the numbers for a follow-up!

6. Social Tables

Creating to-scale diagrams has never been easier, so put down those toothpicks and cut-out tables and pull out your computer! With the Social Tables software, you can adjust the placement of tables and also create a seating chart for your guests. You are able to customize every aspect of it to your liking, whether it be color, size, or label! It’ll make event planning easier by far!

7. Facial Recognition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3A9_XDirW4

Looking to amaze your guests and reduce check-in lines? Zenus has constructed a kiosk that will scan and display a guest’s badge upon their approach. If you prefer a less bulky option, their facial recognition software pairs with any device that possesses a camera, like an iPad! Check-in will be quick and your guests no longer have to waste precious time waiting to be checked in!

8. Slack

If you find yourself switching between iMessage, Facebook Messenger, and other channels just to reach all your event staff, we recommend you try Slack! It’s a workplace messaging system that can help you keep all your communications in one channel. Also, you can create groups within the chat to help you keep organized!

9. Speecheo

Ditch the pen and paper! Speecheo allows all your guests to take notes while simultaneously providing feedback to the speaker! Planners and speakers can see the most popular part of the presentation, and the audience can create bookmarks and record audio to later share on social media.

10. Dropbox

Forget lugging around huge binders full of documents! Dropbox keeps all your necessary documents in one secure place. Access can also be shared among all your event staff to avoid losing printed copies and to be a little eco-friendly!

How will you make event planning easier?

We know that event planning can be extremely difficult and demanding. These tech tools are meant to help every planner be a little more organized and to make event planning easier! Are there any tech tools you use? Which ones did we miss? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!

ABCey Presents: How To Incorporate Nature Into Your Next Event

Humans love feeling connected to nature, and it can be very therapeutic too! Well, there’s a new emerging trend in the event industry that relies heavily on the bioliphic design concept. It also seeks to incorporate naturally designed spaces into your events. Read more to learn about the many benefits of nature-inspired events, both for the event planner and the attendees.

There are 4 Main Benefits of Nature-Based Design that have been scientifically proven. These include, improved well-being, improved productivity, enhanced creativity, and an increased likelihood of positive emotions. These all come from feeling connected to the outdoors, and all of them are helpful for event managers seeking to make their guests happy!

How to Do It

There are two key strategies to incorporating nature into your events:

Look for venues that naturally showcase the outdoors!

This could include outdoor terraces and balconies, views of the water, such as the ocean, lakes or pond, and abundant natural light through skylights and large windows. Green walls and water features, gardens and outdoor greenspace, or décor that uses natural materials, like wood and stone are also good options!

Bring the outdoors to an indoor venue! There are several ways to do this, such as:

Seeing nature: You can accomplish this through digital signage and walls, backdrops, artwork, and murals that include elements of nature. Live herbal centerpieces, hedge rows, or an indoor garden, forest, or water feature can also give your guests a sense of being outside!

Hearing nature: Events can get pretty loud and busy, so what’s more desirable than a nice spot to get some peace and quiet? Start by selecting a location within the venue that’s as quiet as possible. Offer speakers or headsets with natural sounds of running water, ocean waves, bird song, etc. that your attendees can listen to when they want to relax!

Feeling nature: Textures like wood, sand, water, stone, and grass stimulate biophilic responses, so try to find a way to incorporate these into your event space! These materials could be used in onsite hubs, lounges, and exhibit booths, for example.

Smelling nature: Even just the smell of the outdoors can connect people to the outside world. Try infusing your event space with natural scents using essential oils. By picking the right scent, you’re sure to generate positive feelings among your guests!

What’s one of your favorite nature inspired events?

How else have you seen nature incorporated in the events you’ve attended or planned? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!

Source: Event Manager Blog

5 DIY Wood Pallets Ideas for Your Wedding

Looking to have a rustic wedding, but don’t want to break the bank? ABCey has compiled 5 great DIY wood pallet ideas fit for a wedding! We love wood pallets because they can be crafted and used in so many different ways, from seating to signage.

1. Event Design

Pallets can be used as a main element of your event design! Set the stage using them as part of your opening ceremony, a backdrop or even a chandelier.

2. Lounge seating

Extra seating at weddings is always a good idea! Build your own benches or couches using wood pallets. Get out those power tools and click here for instructions!

3. Décor

Use pallets as a photo display or even place flowers among them for decoration! Easily hang, drape or pin pictures in the different sections for everyone to admire.

4. Signage

Pallets make for beautiful signs. Paint, stain or cut them however your like. You can write your favorite quotes or give your guests instructions. They are fun to make and look great!

5. Menu

Instead of printing out hundreds of menus for each guest, paint it onto a pallet nice and big. Everyone will be able to see it and it saves the environment!

Will you be doing one of the DIY pallet projects for your wedding? Let us know with a comment or message us on Facebook or Twitter!

Splash – The Best Event Management Platform!

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!

We recently came across Splash, a comprehensive event management platform that helps to maximize the impact before, during, and after an event.

Splash makes it possible for you to control every aspect of your event making it easier and less stressful to organize. When using Splash, you can organize the perfect invite list – every time, maximize the impact of every touchpoint, and measure the impact to your brand and community.

Before your event, you can create a beautiful website to represent your event and that can be seen from any laptop, tablet, or smartphone. The website includes cool features that allows you to promote your event with an integrated custom design email sender list, sell tickets, and collect info you need on the perfect RSVP form!

While enjoying your event, Splash allows your attendees to share the action as it happens! The Splash On-Site Mobile App allows you to check in guests and scan their tickets. The App also has a live stream where the guests can be updated on what’s going on during the event and share the amazing moments they have just experienced.

After the event you can analyze the web traffic on your website, email performance, and more social activity. You can also create a targeted contact list with the profile information from your attendees.

Splash offers three great different packages to get you started:

The Event Marketing Package this package gets you: dedicated account management, completely flexible and customizable web design, and the full power of our CRM and email marketing tools.
The Influencer Marketing Package includes everything within the first package but with this package your community members are empowered to create their own events.
The Sampling Package extend beyond awareness with Splash software see measurable upticks of local sales, community membership in key demos and produce the type of social content that has a real viral co-efficient.

Would you use Splash to help organize your next event? Let us know by commenting below or on Facebook or Twitter.

Startup Monday: Smore, Design Online Flyers

Smore allows you to easily design online flyers to showcase your upcoming events with customizable layouts! Simply update your flyers to capture your event’s theme, send your creation to all of your subscribers, and track your success!

How it works: With the easy-to-follow format, Smore allows you to customize your flyer to match the theme of your event. From the Smore website, you can publish your digital flyer to all of your social media sites, over email, or on to other flyers in your city. With a special analytics capacity, Smore provides numbers regarding your top incoming traffic sources, how your recipients’ interactions with the flyer, and how effective your flyer really is!

Why we love it: Smore makes it so easy to design online flyers to really draw attention to your events. Our favorite part is how much information we can gather using Smore’s analytical technology and learn about what areas we can improve upon. With three different models to chose from, with prices ranging from $19 to $99 per month, Smore provides a variety of options to publicize events!

Will you use Smore to design and publish professional flyers for your next event? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!

ABCey’s Weekend Lineup: 11.15.13 – 11.17.13

Another weekend is coming up and we can’t be more excited! If you’re having difficulty making up your mind on what to do, let ABCey help you. We’ve got a list of awesome events that include helping a child’s wish come true to experiencing breathtaking theatrical performances. Read on to find out what else we have in store!

1. Make A Wish Day: SF Becomes Gotham City for Miles | Friday, November 15th | 10:30am – 2pm | Union Square or San Francisco City Hall | Watch as San Francisco becomes transformed into a real life Gotham City. The special role of Batman will be played by none other than a bright, cheerful 5 year old boy named Miles. He suffers from a rare form of Leukemia. So the Make-A-Wish Foundation is doing their part to help make sure his wish, of being Batman, comes true. The public is welcome to participate and cheer Miles on!

2. Cirque du Soleil: Amaluna | Friday, November 15th | 8pm | AT&T Park | Cirque du Soleil kicks off its newest show, Amaluna, this week in the Bay Area. Come experience an emotional and captivating story featuring some of the world’s best performers and acrobats. If you have never been to a Cirque du Soleil show, you definitely wouldn’t want to miss this!

3. Steve Aoki: Aokify America Tour | Saturday, November 16th | 8pm | Bill Graham Civic Auditorium | EDM party rocker Steve Aoki is back in the Bay Area and is said to have the most insane tour, ever! There will be no shortage of his usual crowd-rafting, cake-throwing, champagne spraying antics. However according to Aoki, he definitely has a few more surprises up his sleeve!

4. West Coast Craft | Saturday, November 16th – Sunday, November 17th| Fort Mason Center | This craft and design show will feature carefully selected designers, artists, and craftspeople living and working on the West Coast. Using a variety of mediums, including wood, metal, leather and paper, these designers create singular items that exemplify the mood and aesthetics of their West Coast lifestyle.

5. 2013 Korean Cultural Day Festival | Sunday, November 17th | Union Square | Come celebrate traditional and modern Korean culture. This free cultural festival includes a colorful Royal March with the Korean Dynasty’s costume parade, K-Pop music and dance, traditional folk music and dance performances. There will also be a ton of delicious food for visitors to try!

Where do you plan on going this weekend? We’d love to hear it! Let us know below or on Facebook or Twitter!