On Wednesday night, we attended the SF Weekly Holiday Event at the Academy of Sciences benefiting One Warm Coat. There were hosted bars, hors d’oeuvres, live music, games, crafts, raffle prizes, and most importantly – Fish! We had a great time, but have to say that it lacked some fundamental event planning and production elements. There was a rather large line to get in, and nothing differentiating the ticket holders from guest list or VIP invites. It was pretty chilly out, so we were super excited to get inside after a bit of a wait. There were only two people at the registration desk, so we’re guessing this was one of the reasons for the lengthy line. We know we’re hard to please, but these things are really important!

It’s hard to bash an event that offers a full hosted open bar and food from over 6 Bay Area restaurants. Again, we were super thankful to be invited in the first place. Upon entering, we headed towards the food which for some reason was all crammed in this back area that was almost like a narrow aisle. Everyone was jammed up next to each other and again, and more lines! Why wouldn’t you space out the food throughout the venue a little better? I’m not even sure I know who the caterers were as I wasn’t able to grab any business cards with the masses. We decided to skip dessert and grab a cocktail, but the lines again were so long upstairs that we headed down to the Aquariam and found Artesa, where we were able to get a few tastings. By the time we headed back upstairs for dessert, they were cleared and everything was gone! One vendor was left with some yummy scones, but the rest must have ran out. I was bummed!

There were plenty of Ugly Sweaters, and casino games were provided by Homefry’s. We wanted to play a round of blackjack but weren’t patient enough to wait. I think they needed at least another 5-6 tables or so. There was a mock photobooth set up, in which they used Victoria’s Secret paper as the backdrop. They also used this to cover the registration tables. While this looked nice and creative at first, it quickly began to rip and it just ended up looking like trash all over the floor.

We left as the Raffle was going on, and looks as if they were giving out $1,000 in prizes for donating a coat. Last year’s event donated over 1,200 coats. So, even if the event didn’t have flawless production, this is a pretty good feat! DJ Eric Sharp was great and have nothing bad to say there. We were able to dance for a bit and had a great time overall! SF Weekly- let us help you with your planning next year. We’d be happy to make your event run a bit smoother, and ensure that everyone leaves with raving reviews!

We stumbled across this fabulous invention, created by Lumacoustics, that allows you to create a graffitied masterpiece without making a terrible mess! The YR Wall is an interactive drawing art tool where users create virtual digital graffiti on a large wall using a modified spray paint can. It is basically graffiti with a can that contains no paint, only a button and IR light source which is tracked using a computer vision system. The digital paint appears when the can is sprayed and looks exactly like graffiti.  Now it is possible to graffiti a wall, the way you have envisioned it since a little kid, and not get in trouble! No paint, therefore no drips and no damage! And no arrests;)

The paint includes a wide array of colors, symbols, stencils, animated stars, swirls and drip effects.  You can even custom make a user’s name, picture, or logo.  After decorating the wall, YrWall can then turn your art into a t-shirt, sticker, or photo for a keepsake.

This way the user can work with digital paint to create their own digital graffiti art. No more swapping paint cans to change color or having to wear a face mask and gloves. This is entirely environmentally friendly and accessible by anyone without any prior computer or graffiti skills. Oh, the excitement of working in a virtual envirornment.

YrWall, which can be hired short- or long-term or installed bespoke, has already been quite a hit at events like the UK’s Secret Garden Party. They have also recently worked with Daydream Network and Royal Albert Hall on an exciting new exhibition. Adding to the concept’s appeal and branding opportunities, people can receive a free digital copy of their art to share with friends, or can have their design printed on t-shirts and stickers right after they’ve finished their piece. Virtual postcards can be sent as well.

This is great idea for events as a way to keep people entertained and having fun! We love this creation and hope that we will be able to use it at ABCey Events very soon!

Check out the demo and tell us what you think!

YrWall Digital Surface Demo (preview video) from Lumacoustics on Vimeo.

Friends! This Thursday, October 27th we have a really special event for you. Rise2Shine & Marilyn’s Mission is collaborating to bring their 1st Annual MONSTER MASH @ MARS Fundraiser to help alleviate the suffering of young underprivileged children, locally and in Haiti. Our local favorite Superstar DJ’s Clarkie and Dirtyhertz will be gracing the decks & providing us with some great tunes for the eve! The event will be held at Mars Bar, SF located at 798 Brannan St and will run from 9:00pm-1:00am. Costumes are optional and there will be some other fun stuff in store including a Raffle & great prizes! For more information and to RSVP, you can visit the Facebook Event Page.

Marilyn’s Mission has been supplying household necessities to children and families in need for 13 years. They work in conjunction with Holy Family Day Home, a day care center for homeless and low income children, and many other charitable organizations. Many people want to be charitable around the holidays, but the people who need it most, are in continuous need. Marilyn’s mission strives to supply all year round.

Rise2Shine (R2S) is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit organization established to help alleviate the suffering of young children living in impoverished developing countries worldwide, with a current focus on Haiti. R2S concentrates on helping the forgotten children, those children from six months to five years of age. These children live in abject poverty and are too young to attend public school, resulting in minimal access to essential food and educational services.They are super excited to finally announce the grand opening of their flagship location in Fond-Parisien, Haiti on 11-11-11 (only 2wks after this fundraiser).

With your help, we can all make this possible. To ensure a better future for our children, please RSVP today and come out and show your support! Suggested donation $15! You can also make donations on the Rise2Shine website here.

TechCrunch Disrupt has just wrapped here in San Francisco, and we’re excited to report on this groundbreaking event. There were over 2,000 attendees this year, 30+ newly launched startups onstage in the Startup Battlefield, and another 200+ people coming from India, Poland, Germany, and Korea! If you were unable to attend and interested in a recap of some of the hackathon, the talks, panels, launches, or startups that took place, you are in the right place. Startups presented a slew of new cloud-based services built to help small businesses and every team was truly inspiring to watch.

Out of the seven finalists which included Bitcasa, Cake Health, Farmigo, Prism Skylabs, Shaker, TalkTo, and Trello, Shaker won the true hearts of the audience, and, as we found out later, of the investors as well!  Shaker takes basic social gaming a step further by allowing users to meet new people (as opposed to playing the game with existing friends), which replicates the experience of being in an actual bar. Shaker looks at profile information to show what else you may have in common with seemingly random people in the room. Users from all over the world can go to a virtual bar, listen to the same music, meet each other’s friends, and even buy drinks, and all at the same time! The startup, which has raised $3 million in funding, is already seeing pretty good traction. The game received 80,000 MAUs in a matter of weeks, and had to block invitations.  You can view the TCTV backstage video with Shaker after their Disrupt victory here along with other footage from the event. Also, be sure to check out the the TechCrunch Flickr stream as well for more event photos!

ABCey Events would like to congratulate the winners and participants on all their success and hard work. We love you TechCrunch!

The Home Away From Homelessness 2011 Gala was a spectacular event!  Held at Terra Gallery on Harrison St., gala attendees enjoyed both a silent and live auction, a mock Oscars ceremony, and a delectable three course meal catered by Jane Hammond Events.  Appetizers were graciously donated by Jim’s BBQ and Radius.  The actual Oscars were homemade statues, and were presented to the children of Home Away who glowed with happiness throughout the entire evening.

During the meal, guests reveled in beautifully touching firsthand accounts of life in homelessness by people who had been through the Home Away program, such as Crystal Stermer, whose story saw not a single dry eye.  Guests also heard compelling keynote speeches made by Dierdre English and founder Jeanie Kortum.

The mood was contagious; the room buzzed with positive energy as attendees knew their tickets were well-purchased.  The auction items were much desired, and gala-goers went home with a sense that they were able to help raise money to keep this wonderful organization alive.

Terra Gallery sparkled with artwork by Eric Strasser, who contributed magnificent inflatable stars for the interior, and by Rob Bucholz, who built enormous building blocks that spelled out “Home Away” and placed them right at the entrance next to the red carpet.  Also gracing the entrance was Sterling Johnson, a man who creates amazing shapes out of bubbles.

The florals, done by Hunt Littlefield, were brightly colored arrangements, in keeping with the Home Away vibe.  A constant flow of ambient music was provided by DJ Deckard and all of the production elements were handled by Bren Taylor of Vidbits Productions.  The wonderful photographs below are courtesy of exceptional photographer, James Hall.

ABCey is extremely pleased with the results of this event, as we were not only able to help foster a beautiful gala environment, but we were able to help Home Away continue on its path of changing lives.

Thank you to all who contributed, all who attended, all of the volunteers who took so much time to make this the event that it was, and to everyone from Home Away for keeping the dream alive!

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On Monday, April 18th, ABCey Events will be conducting a Facebook contest that will run until Friday April 22nd. We will be giving away a pair of tickets to the upcoming Home Away: “Reaching for the Stars” 2011 Annual Gala. We ask, “What is one major contribution you have made to an organization or to someone less fortunate this past year?” We will choose the story that we feel has made the most difference. Ticket value is $300 and event includes Live and Silent Auction, Music by SF fav DJ Deckard, 3 course sit down dinner by one of SF finest caterers, and an Oscar style performance by the children in the program. To win this contest, you must also be a fan of the ABCey Events Facebook page. We are excited to hear your stories so please get them ready! Look to our Facebook page on Monday to submit them.

ABCey Events would like to formally invite you to join us in support of A Home Away from Homelessness, a nonprofit serving homeless youth in San Francisco and Marin Counties since 1994.  On Thursday, April 28, ABCey Events will be hosting “Reaching For the Stars”, the Home Away from Homelessness 17th Anniversary Celebration at Terra Gallery in San Francisco from 6:00pm-10:00pm.

This year our theme — Home Away: “Reaching for the Stars” — is built around an Oscar- style presentation designed to acknowledge and celebrate the amazing accomplishments of the children in our program. There will also be a silent/live auction and sit down dinner. Last year, over 200 people attended and we raised a record amount for Home Away.

To purchase tickets, please visit out page on Eventbrite.com!  Please RSVP by April 8th.

To get regular updates on the event, follow us on Twitter @HomeAway2011

ABCey Events is excited to be involved with NextAid again for Ladies of the House, an event geared towards raising awareness and money for NextAid’s work in Kenya and Sierra Leone and honoring National Women’s History Month this March. “Ladies of the House” will take place March 31, at Public Works SF from 7:30pm to 2:00am. This event is produced by Digital Bliss Productions and Boutique Electronique Records, two unique San Francisco based music production and promotions companies that are also thrilled to collaborate with NextAid in this important fundraising event.

For over seven years NextAid has rallied music industry leaders and enthusiasts from the electronic dance music community to action, channeling the positive energy from the dance floor to sustainable development projects that support orphans and women in Africa.

“Ladies of the House” will feature leading women DJs and electronic artists from San Francisco including DJ Icon (Illeven Eleven Records), DJ Dulce Vita (Opel Productions), Tamo (Angels of Bass/Space Cowboys), DJ shOOey (Space Cowboys) and Marissa Guzman LIVE (Juicy Lucy Records).

Other partners for this event include The Space Cowboys, Opel Productions, Nitevibe, Angels Of Bass, The Women’s Recording Mission, Sexyvisuals, ABCey Events, and Illeven Eleven Records. Each with its own strong following, they are joining forces to ensure that “Ladies of the House” will have a wide reach to a diverse and sophisticated audience.

In addition to the massive talent in the main room, there will be a second room upstairs dedicated to projecting footage of NextAid’s sustainable development projects for women and youth in Africa, food, raffle prizes, massages, and other activities to pamper the soul.  The event will also feature and onsite art gallery show by various artists and visual effects by: sexyvisuals- www.sexyvisuals.net.

We’d love your support, so please purchase your tickets at www.nextaid.org.  And remember, Public Works is 21+over! If you cannot make it, Please consider making a donation! http://nextaid.org/donation.htm

Did you know that 40% of San Francisco’s homeless are children?

ABCey Events would like to formally invite you to join us in support of A Home Away from Homelessness, a nonprofit serving homeless youth in San Francisco and Marin Counties since 1994.  On Thursday, April 28, ABCey Events will be hosting “Reaching For the Stars”, the Home Away from Homelessness 17th Anniversary Celebration at Terra Gallery in San Francisco from 6:00pm-10:00pm.

This year our theme — Home Away: “Reaching for the Stars” — is built around an Oscar- style presentation designed to acknowledge and celebrate the amazing accomplishments of the children in our program. There will also be a silent/live auction and sit down dinner. Last year, over 200 people attended and we raised a record amount for Home Away.

With the National Park Service as our partner, along with nearly 100 volunteers, the organization provides a variety of educational and outreach programs to more than 250 homeless and formerly homeless children and 200 families through three programs: Beach House, School House and Youth Leaders, in San Francisco and Marin.

Today the ability of non-profits like ours to provide children with a safe haven — and the educational and life skills required to succeed — is gravely threatened. Please join us and help us to make a difference in these children’s lives.  Home Away has received the Silver SPUR Award from the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association along with many other commendations and awards.

To purchase tickets, please visit out page on Eventbrite.com!  Please RSVP by April 8th.

To get regular updates on the event, follow us on Twitter @HomeAway2011

Asking good, hard questions often leads to getting to the bottom of something.  Finding the right way, understanding motivations, and breaking down all options, can be ways of achieving answers to these questions. These hard questions play a very important role in the nonprofit sector. In an article I found, they state that it’s important to move away from an unwritten rule that charities are doing things for the good of others, and shouldn’t be questioned. This being said, the article says that nonprofits need to continually ask the so-called “hard questions” to guarantee that they are using resources wisely and providing real solutions.

The article states these five hard questions nonprofits should ask themselves:

1. Do we know if we’re accomplishing anything?: Because nonprofits can’t examine a monetary loss, defining success is much harder than it is to forprofit organizations. According to Nell Edgington, “Nonprofits must create a solid strategy for creating change and then find a way  (as cheaply and simply as possible) to determine whether they are delivering on that strategy.”

2. Are we adapting to our external environment?: Studying the trend in the external environment (funding, competitors, community needs) and adapting to those trends to “survive and thrive”.

3. Is our board helping or hurting?: By expanding their footprint in the community, bringing in resources, driving a bold direction, and ensuring accountability, the board of directors can be the most influential part of a nonprofit. This group needs to take a look at themselves and figure out if they are a succesful governing body, whether they are helping the mission, or just getting in the way.

4. Do we really need that new building?: Nonprofits need to ask themselves if getting a new building is necessary in achieving the mission of the organization. There are better ways to construct the brand and raise money.

5. Are we using money as a tool?: Nonprofits should create a financial strategy to strategically help the organization’s plan. Many nonprofit companies shy away from these things, thinking because they are a nonprofit, they aren’t necessarily top priority. Money is very important for making the program and mission come about.

We at ABCey Events found this to be a very interesting article. Most importantly, we learned that nonprofits need to stray their businesses away from safe conversations, and ask themselves these 5 things. Questions lead to answers, and could be just what your looking for to meet the company’s plan and mission. Does your nonprof have different questions you ask yourself?

For the full article, click here!