Tag: Phone App

Outside Lands 2016 Survival Guide
Outside Lands 2016 is almost here! In less than a week, you’ll be able to experience live events, shows, food and other amazing activities. At ABCey Events, we’re looking forward to all the festivities and decided to put together an Outside Lands 2016 Survival Guide to ensure that you’d have an easier time. Our survival guide will prepare you with 10 pro tips and all the ins and outs of Outside Lands!
By Jennifer Fong, Jessica Li-Jo, Madeline Norling-Christensen, and Kristi Fujimoto
1. Pack Correctly
Now that you’ve got your tickets, what do you bring to Outside Lands? We would definitely recommend reusable water bottles that you can refill throughout the day, a blanket to sit on, a backpack to hold all your necessities, and cameras. All of these are a great starter pack to go to Outside Lands. Pack light and stay hydrated! To see the full list of do’s and dont’s of what to bring, check here.
2. Dress Smart
LAYER, LAYERS, LAYERS! For this 3 day music festival, you’ll want to dress comfortably in layers. One minute it’s sunny and the next, it’s foggy. SF weather is unpredictable! Yes, we all want to look Coachella cute, but this isn’t the time to forgo bringing a jacket. Also, keep it light because at the end of the day you’ll regret lugging around a heavy jacket! Did we mention to dress in layers? It’s that important.
Comfortable shoes are ALSO a must! Make sure your shoes can handle it all. With so many acts on 7 stages/places located throughout Golden Gate Park at different times, you’ll be rushing to get to them all and standing a lot. So avoid sore feet with comfy shoes!
3. $$$
Every place you can pay with cash, you can pay with your card. But don’t be that person who holds up the line! Cash is simpler without worrying about tips or needing reciepts. All of the vendors at the festival will accept cards and cash, but that’s not all! This is what’s new. You can now use your wristband as payment! You heard that right- you can add funds to your account using the Outside Lands App! So take advantage of this foodie feast this weekend and indulge! In additions, for every $75 you add to your wristband, Outside Lands will give you $5. But this offer is only available before the festival so go, go, go!
4. Nom Nom Nom
One of the best things about Outside Lands (besides the music) is the FOOD! Over 75 San Francisco restaurant partners and food trucks will be serving round’ the clock to make sure your taste buds are satisfied! Oysters, tamales, tacos, crab rolls, frozen custard bars, falafels, veggie dumplings, chicken and waffles…there is something for everyone, even the pickiest of eaters. Don’t miss out an incredible highlight of Outside Lands!
5. Go Mobile: Outside Lands 2016 App
If you’re going to Outside Lands, download the app now! Seriously, you will thank us later. Over 200,000 people attend this festival, so getting separated from your friends is basically inevitable. Don’t panic. With this app you can track your friends wherever they are! Also, this app has everyday’s entire lineup, so you’ll always know when and where your favorite artist is playing. You can add each each artist onto your own schedule and then share it with your #squad to keep everyone on the same page!
6. Your Lifeline, AKA Your Phone Battery
Were you really there if you didn’t Snapchat, Instagram, Tweet, or FB about it? Obviously not… Like most of the big festivals, Outside Lands has charging stations to save you. But try not to waste time and miss a performance by bringing a portable charger! Close apps you aren’t using, turn on low battery mode, and pray. Also, we’re warning you now: signal there SUCKS. 200k people are on every social media site and the Outside Lands app so expect a lot of lag. That being said…Don’t stay stuck to your phone. Take those important pics and then stop and experience the festival!
7. Simply Getting There
Getting to the city can be a hassle if not planned correctly. First off, don’t drive. Unless you’re willing to walk the extra mile (milesss), leave your car at home. However, you could bike easily from your far parking spot or where ever you are! You can rent a bike from these suggested places and there is even a secure bike valet at the park! In addition, there is also a shuttle service for $48.00 from Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to the park! Also, you can try taking public transportation. Services like Bart, AC Transit, Muni, Golden Gate Transit, and CalTrain run all day every 15-30 minutes. But public transportation will be super packed. So if you want to avoid the crowds, you can always conveniently use Uber, Lyft or even Rideshare. For additional information regarding transportation options, see here!
8. Living Situation
No need to wake up extra early to beat the morning traffic to get here. If you’re from out of town, think of Outside Lands as a vacation by staying at an SF hotel! So to help you out, Outside Lands 2016 has partnered up with certain hotels to give you great discounts! The hotels and their discounts are here: Hotel Zetta , Hotel Zeppelin , Hotel Abri , Joie De Vivre , Cavallo Point, and Stanford Court. In addition, all of these hotels are accessible through Muni. To learn more, click here.
Passion Pit fans rock out at Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park on Saturday Aug. 11, 2012 in San Francisco. (Photo by Alison Yin//Invision/AP)
9. Much More than Music
Take a break from music and check out what else Outside Lands has to offer. Take a minute (or 10) to enjoy everything that this one-of-a-kind festival has! From mini golf courses, to Wine Lands, Beer Lands, Eco Lands, magic, a Heinekin House, an arcade, and a the wide variety of shows other than music! Check out the Official Outside Lands 2016 Website for more info!
10. Last Minute Tips: bathrooms, lockers, and rest!
Bathrooms
Waiting in line for the bathrooms sucks, and unfortunately you will be doing A LOT of this at Outside Lands…Because the bathroom lines are at least 20-30 people long, you’ll be waiting around for 30+ mins. So plan to go between sets and you won’t miss a thing!
Lockers
Rest assured if you want to pack a bit more. There are lockers for rent at Outside Lands. Instead of having to go to Outside Lands ridiculously early to beat the crowd to get a locker, you can now reserve a locker online! But don’t wait, they sell out fast – the large lockers are already all sold out!
Rest
Rally all day by taking rest stops throughout the festival! Bring a blanket or just plop on the grass, enjoy some food, and listen to some tunes. Be careful not to sit in the middle of major walkways, but this park allows for lots of space to lay out and enjoy the unique atmosphere!
What are you most excited for at Outside Lands 2016? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and on Twitter!

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!
Startup Monday: et al
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.
It has happened to all of us – your friends are planning a group dinner or a special outing and cannot decide what amazing restaurant in San Francisco to try, let alone coordinate a date or time that works well with everybody. This situation typically results in those dreaded long threads of back-and-forth email conversations that overflow your inbox. We believe we have found the perfect phone app that will resolve this issue!
Et al eliminates the email chains and instead give you a way to make plans with your friends in a way that is quick, easy, and most importantly, fun! The phone app allows guests to vote on date, time, and location options. Once votes are in, the details are finalized and an RSVP is requested by everyone. Et al also has text and email syncing capabilities so you’ll never miss an invite! Chat messaging and photo sharing are other features that add to this amazing phone app!
Jenny Hunt founded et al and the app is her vision for a simple and aesthetic experience that makes planning getaways and get-togethers with friends fun again. The app is available on the iPhone and the website offers full functionality as well. Et al is great for hosting a dinner party, bridal parties, weekend trips, or even wine night! We love that et al makes the planning process simple & easy; therefore we can spend more time enjoying the presence of others!
What do you think of et al? Will you be using it for your next get together? Please let us know in comments on Facebook and Twitter!