Apple Lovers Unite! Get ready as Apple is holding an invitation only event for reporters, bloggers, and analysts here in SF on September 1st at the Yerba Buena Center. If you were not among the elite chosen ones, you can tune in with the rest of us to hear about some of their exciting new products. This event is expected to be geared around Apple’s devices such as the iPod/Pad, Apple TV, and iPhone. There is also a small chance that we finally see the Verizon iPhone get announced. The rumor mill is running like crazy on this one, but it could be a bit too close to the Apple iPhone 4 launch to really see this product.

This is what we’re hoping to hear about:

• New iPod touch: With a back-facing camera for still images and videos and a front facing video camera for FaceTime video calls.
• Lower-cost iOS-based Apple TV – possibly at $99
• 99-cent TV show rentals
• 7 inch Ipad
  
• Cloud-based iTunes service

Which of these products will you be purchasing? And, more importantly can someone get us on the list?!

Did you know that you can save money with calls to landlines and mobiles? By using the Skype application on your iPhone you are able to reach your contacts anywhere in the world at great rates when using Skype. You are able to text with “pay as you go credit” or with a subscription and receive unlimited calls to landlines and to even some mobiles in specific countries. Skype’s screens are able to sort contacts alphabetically and enables you to chat online with contacts as well. Skype-to-Skype calling on 3G is free until the end of 2010, after that there’ll be a small monthly free.

As an event planner, Skype can be especially useful for long distance meetings and interviews. It makes it much easier to keep in contact with event partners and those involved with the production of the event. Using video conferencing for meetings can not only be more cost effective than face to face meetings, but can make the brainstorming process move much quicker. This is much better than regular telephone conferencing where you can’t even see a person’s facial expressions. Video chatting makes the process much more personal.

Call and be called on Skype- wherever you go!

How amazing is it that you can make free Skype-to-Skype calls to phones abroad on Wifi or 3G? Skype for Iphone truly delivers Skype experience and now you can video chat from your phone from anywhere in the world which, makes conference calls easier too!

Top 4 Reasons to Love Skype for Iphone:

• Near CD-quality sound for Skype-to-Skype calls using wideband audio on iPhone 3GS or 2nd generation iPod touch and onwards.

• Enhanced call quality indicator, which will help customers choose the best moment to call.

• Improved start-up time

• Rapid access to the dial pad from the home screen

Have you ever used Skype for meetings? The bigger question on our minds, however, is just how big a blow FaceTime on the brand new Iphone 4G will deliver to Skype and other competing VoIP services.

The Ad:Tech Conference 2010 is back in San Francisco on April 19th-21st and we can hardly wait! For those of you who have not been, it’s been referred to as the #1 event for interactive marketing and the largest gathering of online marketers. Brands, agencies, publishers, and service providers from all around the world will come together to share, network, learn, and do business. If you’re in the business of digital marketing, you don’t want to miss this event. Some of the “best in the business” conference speakers include:

Razorfish – David Baker VP, CRM-eCRM Solutions
Kraft North America – Kelley Woodland Senior Director, Consumer Relationship Marketing

Keynote speakers:

Levi Strauss & Co. – Jaime Cohen Szulc CMO
eMarketer – Geoff Ramsey CEO and Co-Founder
Publicis & Hal Riney – Kristi VandenBosch CEO

There are always lots of fun after-conference parties and networking events to attend including the big Ad Tech Opening Night Party at Roe. Hope to see you all there!

On February 24th- March 3rd, ABCey Events produced and managed an 8 day PR and Media Event for L’Oreal/ Skinceuticals here in San Francisco and Los Angeles for 10 of the top editors from major publications in China such as Elle, Marie, Claire, Vogue, Bazaar and Femina. Next year, L’Oreal is launching Skinceuticals in China, an advanced skincare line used by dermatologists, plastic surgeons, medi-spas, and other skincare professionals in the United States and in over 35 countries worldwide. We worked closely with the L’Oreal NYC team to coordinate air travel, hotels, transportation, meetings, activities/tours, and helped them get into the hottest restaurants that both these cities have to offer. The gala dinner was held in the back room of Quince at their new location on Pacific Ave. in downtown SF and featured a wine tasting, a jazz soloist, and some beautiful orchids and lighting created by our team of creatives. The event began here in SF at the W Hotel, then moved down South to the Mondrian in LA, and concluded back in SF at the St. Regis. It was a pleasure to work with on this event and hope the editors had an amazing journey to California. Thanks to all of our incredible vendors who made this all possible!

Check out a short video on the event, created by Jeff Steinmetz of Urge Productions.

L’Oreal / SkinCeuticals San Francisco PR & Media Event from Urge Productions on Vimeo.

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Looking for new creative ideas or expert insight for the future of your event planning company? Well, look no further, the annual 2010 Event Solutions Conference & Trade-show will be hosted in Las Vegas with an estimated 5,000 attendees and more than 800 exhibit booths. The event is happening at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Paris Hotel during March 8-11, 2010.  Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman will discuss some of the current and upcoming trends in the travel, hospitality, and events industry.  Straying away from the Las Vegas reputation of the adult film industry, gadget geeks, and all the other characters that help hold true to the motto, “what happens in vegas, stays in vegas.” The city has been hit devastatingly by the current economic status, and all efforts are being made to turn around the city to get it back on its feet. The Mayor will be advocating the endless possibilities the city has for future events as well as the positive lights the city has.  With several other big names in the industry speaking about budgeting for your company, selecting a site, RFP’s, food & beverage, audio/visual technologies, and design & décor.

Over the course of the three day event, there are major event planners attending, speaking, and joining in on the new ideas to be spread around.  With several different seminars, meets and greets, and event boot camps to attend, everyone is guaranteed to walk away with new tips, ideas, and confidence for their business. Whether you are entering the business, have several years under your belt, or an old expert, everyone can learn something from this three day event. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re available, and if you’re serious about expanding your knowledge of the business from the experts!

From musicians twittering their every move and thought to artists like Nine Inch Nails releasing their entire album for donation based download, the music industry has become irrefutably intertwined with technology. The SFMusicTech Summit is a full day seminar followed by a cocktail reception where the leaders in technology and music will address the changing world of the industry and how it affects the consumers, the producers and everyone in between.

Whether this is evolution is positive (fans can now interact more directly with the artists they love, and local artists are able to gain a following without the giant recording company middleman) or negative (do you miss the old days of perusing the record store?), one thing is indisputable – it’s happening, it’s happening fast, and the greatest power through all of these changes is knowledge. Come get informed! Speakers include:

Attention Ladies! On Thursday, November 19th we’ll be hosting an event at Bacar in conjunction with sexandahealthieryou.org. Are you ready for a night of girl talk?? This will be a great opportunity to answer some of those burning questions you might have that you just didn’t feel comfortable talking to your health care provider or partner about. Don’t worry – it’s not clinical or scary, and you can just sit and listen if you don’t feel like talking!

Discussions in the past have covered everything from the differences between the male and female orgasm cycle, how social and cultural issues come into play when communicating about sex and health issues, why you should ask how certain medications affect contraception and desire, how to pick the best health care provider, and how to reignite intimacy in a long term relationship. Catering will be provided, so come hungry!

For a sneak peek on what we’ll be talking about, check out www.sexandahealthieryou.org

See below for more info and please let me know if you can make it so we can plan accordingly. And please free to invite other ladies!

Please RSVP to me at events@abcey.com or at 877.435.4036. Hurry, spots are filling up quickly!

Hope to see you all there,
Amanda

Thursday, November 19th, 7pm
448 Brannan St. San Francisco, CA 94107

Schedule:
7:00-7:30: Guests arrive, sign in, mingle and get something to eat
7:30: Brief introduction by Host and then hand over to Nurse Practitioner
7:30-9:00/9:30: Discussion

LADIES: We’re very excited to be working on the SF Bead and Design Show on November 20th-22nd at Hotel Whitcomb. Network with 150 artisans from around the world! Enjoy an assortment of glass beads, hand-woven clothing, ethnographic textiles, silk tapestries, Bohemian crystals, gemstones, designer jewelry, gold and silver, art, clothing, and interior decor.

SAN FRANCISCO BEAD AND DESIGN SHOW NOVEMBER 20-22, 2009

“…its creative spirit continues to move people in a very personal way…”

Garan-Beadagio, promoter of To Bead True Blue and Pasadena Bead and Design Show has launched a new and important exhibition, called San Francisco Bead and Design Show. It is November 20 – 22, 2009, at Hotel Whitcomb, 1231 Market Street, San Francisco.

The show will further expand Garan-Beadagio’s trademark theme of “bead and design”, showcasing fine handwork in a range of styles, ethnographic, abstract, impressionistic, figurative; single-media artisans to interdisciplinary artisans working across various materials, handwork techniques, and visual art forms.

Each exhibitor is chosen “by invitation only”, which makes for quality and balance. One hundred and fifty exhibitors from around the world, many with prominent international standing, will display and sell original design products, including contemporary, vintage, and antique beads, art clothing, designer jewelry, gold and silversmithing, metalwork, lapidary, textiles, ceramics, enamel, polymer clay, gemstones, antiquities, handwovens, millinery, embroideries, hand-painted silks, embellishments, and interior décor.

Garan-Beadagio CEO Anna K. Johnson believes the show’s theme, location and timing make a wonderful opportunity. “San Francisco is one of the great cities of the world and Hotel Whitcomb offers an authentic la belle époque experience. Attendees will enjoy an extravagant assortment of everything from handmade hats to thousand-year-old carved amber beads.”

She says this is an important not-to-miss engagement to meet the artisans and see how they have taken their art to higher levels by reviving lost techniques. It is also an opportunity to take a workshop, such as precious metal clay, jewelry design, chainemaille, bead making, wool felting, and silk ribbon work.

“We are seeing an increasing awareness that we are not separate from nature. There is a realization that ancient bead design was a sustainable art, inspired by natural materials, colors, and patterns –it was the original handwork and its creative spirit continues to move people in a very personal way.”

November 20 – 22, 2009, 12-8 Friday, 10-6 Saturday, and 10-5 Sunday. Open to public, $10 admission. Register online or at the door. Public transportation including Civic Center Bart Station at the hotel’s front entrance. $7 valet parking for attendees. For details go to sanfranciscobeadanddesignshow.com.

Sorry for the delay on our most recent event, but we’ve been busy prepping for Holiday Season!

ABCey Events was recently hired for Event Management Services including Decor, Florals and Rentals for Epitomics, an emerging Biotech company that specializes in Antibody Technology. Chinese Dignitaries came to hear an hour long presentation by the CEO and Founder, Guo-Liang Yu. Biotechnologist and entrepreneur Dr. Guo-Liang Yu has more than 12 years of experience in Genomics and 24 years of experience in Life Sciences research. Before cofounding Epitomics, Dr. Yu was Senior Vice-President of Research and Development at Mendel Biotechnology Inc.

This was a quick and small event for us, but still a great company to work for and it went off without a hitch!

Thank you Epitomics! We hope it was a great success.

Are you an Entrepreneur with a great idea, but not sure how to reach more customers, investors, or both? Or are you a Small Business Owner with a great product and service, but feel like your marketing just isn’t working and you are wasting a great deal of time and money?

If you answered “YES” to any of the questions above, please come join me at BizTechDay 2009.

When: October 22-23,2009 (Thursday & Friday)

Where: Hyatt Regency SFO, Burlingame

BizTechDay 2009 is a practical, hands-on and experiential Small Business Strategy, Social Media and networking conference where expert speakers and business leaders (from Google, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Yelp, Virgin America, Elance, Constant Contact, Justin.TV, WordPress, CBS 5, and Comcast Business Class) share their insights and experience and help your business get up to speed in this economic downturn.

Tim Ferriss (the author of 4-Hour Workweek) and Kevin Rose (Founder of Digg.com) will be joining this year!

Through high-impact keynotes & panels, small group executive round table sessions, hands on demos and one-on-one meetings, you will learn about Raising Money, Selling and Social Media Marketing for your business:

MONEY TRACK
* How to Raise $100,000 to 3 Million. Meet Paypal Angel Investor and Founder of the Keiretsu Forum.
* How to Raise $5000 – $100,000 for Your Business.
* How to Access Investment Capital and Make the Federal Stimulus Program Work for You. Meet Experts from the Governor’s office.
* Building Partnerships with Fortune 500 Companies

MARKETING/SELLING TRACK
* Building a Strong Business Brand. Meet Experts from Google, Yelp, Linkedin, Facebook & Twitter
* Securing Your Number One Spot on Google
* Selling to the Baby Boomer and GenY Communities
* Selling to Women & the LGBT Communities
* How to Make the Media Love You – Join Sue Kwon, Emmy Award Journalist with CBS 5
* 13 Things All Business Owners Must Know About a Compelling Business Website
* How to Use an Email Marketing Campaign to Build Your Database and Close Sales

SOCIAL MEDIA TRACK
* Twittering with the Star with Kevin Rose & Tim Ferriss
* How to Get Media, Celebrity or Blogger Attention for Your Business
* Strategies of Building Your Online Community from Zero to Millions
* Turning Visitors into Customers Using Viral Videos
* How to Market Your Business on Facebook
* How to Make Money on Twitter

Here’s the list of speakers you will meet at BizTechDay 2009:
* Tim Ferriss – New York Times Best Selling Author of the Four Hour Workweek
* Kevin Rose – Founder of Digg.com
* Porter Gale – VP Marketing at Virgin America
* Michael Gerber – World’s No 1 Small Business Guru per Inc Magazine and the New York Times Best Selling Author of the E-Myth
* Matt Mullenweg – Founder of WordPress
* Kevin Hartz – Paypal Angel Investor
* Fabio Rosati – CEO of Elance
* Joel Comm – Creator of iFart iPhone App – Over 1 Million downloads
* Gary Swart – CEO of oDesk
* Mark O’Leary – Regional VP for Business Services for Comcast
* Randy Williams, Founder of Keiretsu Forum. The World’s largest angel investor network – over $180m invested in 200 companies
* Chris Larsen – Founder of Prosper.com
* Michelle Broderick – Director of Marketing at Yelp
* Alison Covarrubias – Founder & CEO of Hatch Network
* Julie Castro Abrams – CEO of Women’s Initiative
* Justin Kan – Founder of Justin.TV
* Ramon Ray – Chief Editor of SmallBizTechnology.com

And 40+ more thought leaders and successful entrepreneurs.

Plus, you can sign up for one-on-one consultations on Raising Money, Social Media Marketing Strategy, Blogging, SEO, Paid Search Marketing, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and many other essential business topics.

COST
* Regular Conference Pass: $595

Click here to register. Use this Discount Code: “AmandaCeyVIP” for $200 off.