Tag: facebook
Startup Monday: Last minute hotels with Hotel Tonight
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! Today, we want to highlight Hotel Tonight, a useful app that helps you to book hotels last minute!
Event planning can get hectic and with your busy schedule, you might forget to book a hotel for you or your attendees. Don’t be forced to pay these outrageous prices that can rise up to 300%. At ABCey, we have an app to solve this problem: Hotel Tonight! This app was awarded the best-on-demand service at the 8th annual tech Crunchie Awards and definitely deserved it! Of course you should always try to book hotels in advance. But if you are stuck in a bind, Hotel Tonight is a great app that gives you the best prices for last minute hotel reservations.
Booking last minute hotels with Hotel Tonight:
After downloading the app on your mobile phone, you’ll have a great variety of available rooms! Also, we love this app because it includes the mood of the hotel. From hip to charming, you can experience hotels like never before! By comparing major travel sites, Hotel Tonight gives you the best hotel options and the biggest bang for your buck. Additionally, if you introduce this app to someone, both you and your friend get $25 off their first stay. But there’s more! They have amazing 24/7 customer support to ensure your last minute hotel reservation is perfect. So if you’re in a bind for a hotel, try out Hotel Tonight to get your last minute room for the best price and the best experience!
Have you used Hotel Tonight before or are you thinking of using this app? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and on Twitter!
SF Events: 7/22/16-7/24/16
Thursday is here and the weekend is near! ABCey Events has our Weekend Lineup with the top 5 Bay Area and SF events that you don’t want to miss!
Top 5 Bay Area/SF Events
1. J-Pop Summit 2016
Fri July 22nd- Sun July 24th, 2016 | Schedule | $20-$200 tickets here | Regency Ballroom, Fort Mason Center, NEW PEOPLE Cinema (check locations here)
Jump into the J-Pop world at this summit and discover Japanese tech, culture, music, food, and film! This huge event starts Friday with Kyary Pamyu Pamyu performing as part of their World Tour (tickets and info). Then prepare yourself for a jam packed summit Saturday and Sunday. You won’t run out of things do with with: meet and greets with J-Pop stars, live performances, tech tradeshow/sessions, fashion events, interactive Summit/Showcase, panel discussions, and workshops! If that isn’t enough for you, get excited for the amazing food trucks and vendors. Guys-they have a “Sake Summit”! Also throughout the weekend, head to the Japan Film Festival for exclusive live-action and animation films, appearances, and Q&A’s. So dress up if you’re feeling adventurous, and check out this top SF event!
2. Bubble Soccer with SF Deltas
Fri. July 22nd | 2pm – 5pm | FREE | China Basin Park, San Francisco
With this beautiful weather, why not get out there and enjoy the great outdoors-with bubble soccer! With an inflatable ball around your head and torso, you never have to worry about getting hurt! The San Francisco Deltas, an American Professional soccer team, invites everyone to come learn about their team, and if you arrive before 2:30pm you get a SF Deltas scarf free! Start your weekend off right this Friday and have lots of fun bouncing and rolling around!
3. A Mad Hatter’s Affair (7pm Dinner Show;10pm Dessert Show)
Sat July 23rd | 6pm-on | $118 and up tickets here | 21+ event | Lodge at the Regency Center: 1290 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Let the Mad Hatter be your host while you dine on an amazing feast and hangout with the cast of Alice and Wonderland! Get sucked into the magical wonderland, drink special elixirs and watch the characters and cirque, belly, and burlesque dancers perform for you. If the Cheshire Cat hasn’t hypnotized you enough, stay for dessert (extra purchase of tickets and dessert required). Now don’t be late for this very important date, jump down the rabbit hole this Saturday, and enjoy a unique experience you won’t forget!
4. McLaren Park Treasure Hunt & Fun Day
Sat. July 22nd | 10am-2pm | FREE *Register here ASAP before Fri. July 22nd | 116 John Shelley Dr., Group Picnic Area
Want to be a pirate? Well now you can! Grab your family or a few pals, and go searching for a buried treasure throughout McLauren Park this Saturday. Not only will you find a treasure, but you can also get prizes, eat great food, get your face painted, do Zumba, and play on the mobile recreation (rock climbing, biking, skateboarding, and slack lining)! So come out, and find the buried treasure!
5. SFMOMA’s Free Family Museum Day
Sun July 24th | 10am-5pm | FREE*up to 2 adults accompanying each visitor 18&younger | 151 Third St., San Francisco
Come and explore the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art with your family! To showcase their sonic installation, a collaboration with Chris Kallymer, the museum is hosting a free day where you’ll hear from his Paradise Choir (12, 1, 2, and 3pm) and Site-Specific Performances of his work (11am-3pm). Hear their stunning sound throughout the museum and join in on their mobile choruses, performances, and workshops. With so much to do, what’s stopping you from this free museum trip?
Will you be attending any of these Bay Area/SF events? Any other SF events this weekend you’re excited about? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook or on Twitter!
10 Ways to Use Snapchat For Events
Here at ABCey, we like to keep up with all the latest tech trends. As Snapchat has arguably become the most popular social network among teens and millennials, we’ve caught on to the idea that it can be used for event marketing, to enhance guest experience, provide event messaging, and even promote your speakers or sponsors. Here are 10 ways to use Snapchat for your next event using geofilters, ads, lenses and more!
*A snapchat account is needed in order to post stories, chat, and send snapchats directly to users; we suggest your company uses an account at least for the duration of the event.
1. Pre-event Hype
From the very start, you can build up suspense by event marketing with Snapchat! Send invites to guests via snapchat to create important interaction with guests. Long before the event, keep your guests informed and excited by sending them snaps and posting about your event through the transformation of the venue, decor, or anything else that goes into the event prep!
2. BTS (Behind The Scenes)
Market your event by showing behind the scenes snaps on the event prep. From snapchats of swag bag prep, setting up guest registration, or watching the AV team set up an awesome projection mapping display, guests will be excited long before their arrival.
3. Speakers/Sponsors/Performers/VIP’s
Are you bringing in speakers, sponsors, or VIP’s? Follow in the footsteps of other event producers and let them take over your Snapchat to talk about the event and post snaps!
4. Live Updates
Engage with and update your guests! Utilize Snapchat by sending snaps and posting throughout the event when there’s a speaker or performer. You can even use it to post info on the event/time changes, etc. With this app you can bring event engagement to the next level!
5. Thank you’s
After the event, engage with attendees to solidify relationships built and keep the success of the event in their minds. Use Snapchat for post-event engagement with your guests by sending snaps to them personally, messaging them, and posting on your event, and of course thanking them for attending!
6. Coupons, discount, or gift
One brilliant yogurt company let users send a snap of them with their product at their locations to the company’s snapchat account, so that they could receive a reply snap with a coupon. You can do the same thing for an event, possibly for a product launch. Just give users a discount on the event admission or a cool gift for buying the product!
7. Prizes for promoting
You can also give out prizes to people who use their Geofilter, and post the snap on Facebook or Instagram with the event or business hashtag. This can help promote your event through your attendees!
8. Ads: Lenses & Discover
Use lenses relating to your business or event to help with event promo’s by reaching tons of users. Snapchat’s Discover feature also has channels (ex: ESPN, Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed) that create new content daily. Get your ad featured on a popular channel to help spread your content!
9. Snapchat Live Story
Snapchat’s feature called Live Story is great for major sporting events or music festivals. This allows users in the vicinity to post to this story, and every snapchat user worldwide can view their snaps. If you are hosting a large enough event that gets OK-ed from Snapchat, Live Story can be an incredible tool. Over 100 million people use snapchat daily, so imagine what getting a live story can do!
10) On-Demand Geofilter
The On-Demand Geofilter feature allows anyone to make a filter that users who are at a certain place can use, during a specific time range. Whether it’s for the Oscars or for a birthday party, anyone can buy one, and they’re cheap! Event promotion is enhanced as guests use the filter and post their story or send snaps.
Do you use Snapchat for your events? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter.
#TechTuesday: 5 ways to use drones for events
#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. ABCey has compiled 5 innovative ways event planners are utilizing drones!
Although they were first used for military purposes, drones are becoming extremely useful tools for the event planning industry. Drones are not only used to capture stunning aerial images, but also in previously unimaginable ways that go beyond just pictures and videos. Here are 5 great ways to use drones for your next event!
1. Aerial Event Photos and Videos
Drones are now a popular tool for event planners, because they can capture amazing aerial footage from an infinite number of angles. They are also extremely versatile and can be used at conferences, trade shows, galas, festivals, and sporting events! This tech allows for extraordinary 360 degree views of all attendees, as well as close ups of speakers and performances.
2. Choosing the Perfect Venue/Site Selection
Drones can also be used for pre-event prep to collect venue images. Photos and videos make it so easy for clients and planners to choose the perfect site for an event! From images of massive event properties to inside meeting rooms, there is almost no place a drone can’t fly!
3. Entertainment Drones to Wow Your Guests
Companies have outdone themselves by using drones as a new form of entertainment for their guests! Intel is one company that impressed their guests and set the world record by having 100 drones create a unique light show! Others, like Amsterdam Drone Entertainment, have programmed their drones to dance for crowds which has truly set a new standard for event entertainment!
4. The Best Delivery Service
Some other ways to use a drone? How about deliver food, drinks and invitations! This interactive way of distributing items to people is mostly used by restaurants to give food to their customers. But, this kind of delivery service can just as easily be adapted to fit the event industry’s needs. Using a drone to deliver items to guests is extremely innovative, interactive, and a great way to make your event stand out!
5. Extra $ From Advertising and Sponsors
Drones can also be lucrative for your business! If you are hosting an event, sponsors may offer to pay you if you use drones to promote their business. Attendees are often drawn to drone tech which is seen as a great opportunity for companies to advertise. Because drones can drop off samples/products, hold up company posters, and display a brand logo, they are becoming the newest advertising trend!
Apps are also being made and adapted to incorporate drone technology. Facebook recently announced they have updated their live video stream application, Facebook Live. This update allows users to stream videos live from a drone. Twitter‘s similar live video streaming application, Periscope, also announced this feature.
By capturing stunning footage, helping venue selection, entertaining and serving their guests, delivering items, and increasing revenue and an event’s wow factor, drones are the new must-have gadget for anyone in the event industry!
Know any other ways drones are used? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and on Twitter!
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!
4 Tips: How to Send an Online Invitation!
Sending an Evite or Facebook invite can be a little tricky! Not everyone replies in a timely matter and sometimes it’s hard to get a hold of people with tight schedules. Plan for your gathering in an organized fashion! ABCey has put together some tips on how to successfully send an online invitation for your event!
1. Make a Guest List
First things first, know who you want to reach out to! It’s important to know who you want to include in your guest list. Family? Friends? Friends of friends? It’s important to take into consideration all those who should or will be present at your event! Rough estimating with numbers is a good start before jumping into an invitation.
2. Create the Invite
Short, simple, and to the point! The key to creating a perfect invite (especially online) is to keep it to the point! Nobody likes a lengthy description. Staying true to the “Who? What? Where? When? and Why?” should make it easier for guests to understand. Create your invite in a timely fashion. Your invitation is sure to be ignored or forgotten about if you send it 2 months in advance… 1 month in advance is your best bet!
3. Check-In with Your Invitation
Don’t create your online event invitation and expect people to reply! Always make sure to update your invitation with “Don’t forget!” or “Save the date!” ‘s from time to time. Reminders can help people remember your event! Also reaching out to guests individually may help you to get a better understanding of who will be present.
4. Get Creative!
Sending an invite isn’t solely about spreading news to people about your event. It’s also about getting them excited for the party/meeting that’s to come! Add pictures and use fun phrases when trying to publicize it! People are drawn to things that are pleasing to the eye. Have fun with it… Besides, this is an event to look forward to!
Were these tips helpful? Let ABCey know with a comment below or message us on Facebook or Twitter!
Canva Brings Simplicity to Graphic Design!
Whether your tired of seeking out a graphic designer or just want to spruce up the signage for your own business, Canva is the perfect site for you! Why? Well, it’s free but not only that, Canva is a design website that is accessible and simple to use for everyone!
How it works: It’s simple, Canva allows it’s users to create anything from flyers, to business cards, to a facebook cover. What you do, is select what type of signage you’d like to create and either use one of Canva’s preloaded images (at a cost of $1 to you) or your images for free. You will be able to added text using their banners, shapes, text bubbles, etc. and you even have the added flexibility of choosing your own colors and fonts. An added feature being that you can also insert icons, lines, and frames to your image!
Why we love it: Canva brings sophisticated design abilities to anyone, from students creating flyers, people who want to create cards for their friends or spruce up their social media look, or business looking to improve their image without breaking the bank!
Would you use Canva? Share with us in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!
Social Media Do’s & Don’ts for Conferences!
Here at ABCey, we understand the importance of using Social Media for events! It can create better brand awareness and provides great marketing without too much hassle. However, if used in the wrong manner social media can actually hurt your event messaging! That is why we are bringing you our tips in order to make social media the not-so-silent star of your next event!
Do: Create Compelling Messaging | One of the most crucial parts of social media for conferences is to understand the mindset of the “perfect” attendee. You should brainstorm very specific details such as: age, gender, their goal of the conference, and which trade sites they follow. After completing this exercise every Facebook post, tweet, or photo shared should be done with this ideal attendee in mind!
Don’t: Tweet & Run | When planning a conference it is especially important to constantly keep attendees updated with all information and changes. If a conference goes silent it could loose guest engagement or worse, attendees! So keep your social media platform constant with Tweetdeck or Social OOmph to automate your postings! However, make sure to mix automated posts with those written in real time to keep it from looking too spammy!
Do: Vivid Graphics | Whether planning a conference or company party there should always be a single vivid image that is used. It is also especially important to have this graphic ready to go well in advance for it to be used on guest and press invitations, website, and all related social media postings. This SXSW flier is a great example of creating a unique image that will remind guests and translates the message well between differing social media sites.
Don’t: Abandon Accounts | A simple mistake that we see over and over with conferences is the abandonment of websites and social media between events. Your “perfect” attendee demands engagement all year long from their conferences and a platform with old information will not benefit anyone! A simple fix is to create a year-long content strategy for your social media sites so that everyone knows what’s happening ahead of time.
Do: Social Media Displays | During any given conference there are many different attendee touch points that can both benefit the conference and attendees. Creating a “Social Media Hub” display where all social media platforms convene in one place where everyone can see is important. It allows guests to engage with other attendees while sharing the happenings across the venue space! We especially love Tint and Eventstagram for live display feeds!
Do you have any social media tips that you use in conference planning?! Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook and Twitter!
ABCey’s Weekend Lineup 6.12.14- 6.15.14
Looking for something fun to do this weekend in and around the City? Here at ABCey, we have you covered from electronic picnics to World Cup viewing parties to fun things to do with your dad on Father’s day!
Featured event: Sunset Island |Saturday, June 14|12:00am-9:30pm|Great Lawn, Treasure Island| What better way to celebrate the last official weekend of spring and usher in summer than an outdoor picnic and festival on Treasure Island?! The groovy musical guests include Phuture, Kyle Hall, Beautiful Swimmers, Awesome Tapes From Africa and many more! And the best part of all, the event will be bringing in some of the best local food trucks from around the Bay Area, including Senor Sisig, Mr. Nice, Eat Fuki, Curbside Coffee and Me So Hungry.
1. Waterfront Flicks: Outdoor Film Night |Thursday, June 12|8:00pm|Jack London Square, Oakland| Looking for good movies to watch this summer? Look no further than the kickoff movie night at the Waterfront in Oakland this Thursday evening in Oakland. This is a summer-long-event and is free every Thursday night! For this Thursday evening, they will be showing Gravity, and for the rest of the summer’s movie schedule, check out the website. They show a mix of new and old movies, perfect for everyone to find a movie or two they want to see over the summer!
2. 2014 World Cup Live Outdoor Big Screen Party |Saturday, June 14|9:00am|Civic Center Plaza| In honor of the World Cup “kicking off” this week, there will be an outdoor viewing party taking place in the plaza of the Civic Center! This is an all day and completely free event, so why not take your favorite sports buddies and friends over to the center on Saturday and watch Colombia take on Greece at 9am, Uruguay and Costa Rica at noon and Italy versus Germany at 3pm. This sounds like a great place to get into the soccer spirit and watch the World Cup!
3. Burning Man Precompression |Saturday, June 14|7:00pm-2:00am|8410 Amelia Street, Oakland|With only 81 days left until the renowned Burning Man festival in Black Rock City, Nevada, make sure to head over to Oakland to get a small taste of what is to come! This event is held at NIMBY and is an indoor/outdoor event, with 6 stages of epic beats, art cars, fiery installations and much more. Make sure to get there before 9pm, when tickets only cost $15, after that it bumps up $10 to $25!
4. North Beach Festival |Saturday and Sunday, June 14-15|10:00am-6:00pm|North Beach District, San Francisco|North Beach is celebrating its 60th annual festival this year. This two day event is free and welcomes you to come and explore! During these two days, the streets of North Beach shut down while food vendors, artists, musicians and craft vendors flood the area. Lovingly known as the Italian district of San Francisco, expect some of the best Italian food you will ever eat! You really do want to make sure that you make it over to this festival and bring dad as a special Father’s Day treat!
5. Giants vs. Colorado Rockies |Sunday, June 15|1:05pm|AT&T Park, San Francisco|Of course, there are always baseball games going on in the Bay Area, so that is nothing special. However what is special is that on Sunday, Father’s Day, the Giants play at home! If your father loves baseball and you have yet to get him a present, head over to Stubhub or the Giants ticketing area and pick up a couple of tickets to make your dad’s day as special as you can!
This Father’s Day weekend is filled with so many different things to do, it’s bound to be an incredible holiday! Let us know how your weekend goes in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter!
Tech Tuesday: Maptiv8
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!
In today’s events world, we are always looking for ways to engage event attendees. Maptiv8, founded by Seth Familian of Familian&1, is a new private directory visualization platform for students, alumni, event attendees, and supporters.
The Map Admin sets branding and adds the member list, which enables you to visualize the list in an appealing and simple way. Maptiv8 will then invite members via email, and reveal affinities within the community. Once members sign in with Facebook, LinkedIn, or email, the map will automatically take shape! This ignites connections and actions among the Map members.
Some of Maptiv8’s powerful features are an easy 30-second profile setup, activity feeds and profile notes, up to three custom affinity groups which can be based off of cities, industries, or companies, campaigns and events, and volunteer tools to drive engagement.
What’s great about this platform is there are three different options that can be used based on the type of groups you are involved with. GradMap is designed for students, alumni, faculty and staff. OrgMap is for members and supporters of both non-profits and for-profits. RSVPeeps is for attendees of events and conferences to utilize, which will enable event networking!
The pricing is straightforward and aligned with the number of Map members. Mini is used for up to 100 members, Midsize is up to 500 members, and Mega is up to 5,000 members. We love Maptiv8 because it has so much versatility and adheres to audiences made up of different groups and sizes!
Would you use Maptiv8 to engage your attendees?! Which features do you like best? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!