The video from the Apple Developers Conference (WWDC) that took place a few months ago is finally here! ABCey Events was hired to produce and manage the event on June 9th at Mezzanine here in SF. The BoxTone event showcased a history of Apple Tech including the original working Apple 1 & 2 computers from 1976. We created a mod style museum filled with first generation computers and Apple’s current technology, such as the ipad and new Apple “fan-based” iPhone/iPad application. Over 300 people were at the event and a few lucky attendees won gift certificates for the iphone 4G and the iPad!

Below is the video taken during the event.

What do you think about the video?

The non-profit aid group CrisisCommons has inspired people from around the globe to join together and help communities facing disasters. On July 16 more than 80 tech-industry leaders from five countries convened for the first international CrisisCongress in Washington D.C. The event was held to look for new and better ways to provide aid to both governments and citizens affected by crisis. One of the plans discussed was the implementation of additional social media and technology strategies in the event of future disasters or humanitarian issues.

Thus far the group has been successful through its use of social media tools to build a dedicated community spanning 10 countries, create CrisisCamps and eventually the Congress itself, and recruit and retain volunteers. The online community allows different countries to learn from other nation’s experiences and successes in order to prepare for and handle their own situations. Social media has also proven instrumental during a disaster because of the speed necessary to create and deploy tools and applications in the field.

While the Congress is a step in the right direction, CrisisCommons faces the challenge of preparing younger, less advanced countries for major catastrophes. As the internet and the use of social media continue to grow worldwide, one can only hope that these young international governments can learn from CrisisCommons and prepare themselves before the next major disaster strikes.

What are some other social media strategies CrisisCommons could look into?

We know it’s already sold out, but take a look at the line-up for the TEDxBayArea event on Tuesday July 20. If you don’t feel like waiting until the August conference, sign up for the waiting list, or if you’re really brave, show up on the day of and crash it!

Who: TEDx is a branch program of the “ideas worth spreading” campaign by the non-profit foundation TED (short for Technology, Entertainment, Design.) TEDx is a series of local, self-organized events that bring people together to discuss issues and advances in the technological, entertainment and design fields.

What: TEDxBayArea is offering lectures, video and speakers to engage attendees in discussion and connection in small groups. Special guest Professor James Fowler, School of Medicine and the Division of Social Sciences at UC San Diego.

Where: 1077 Independence Ave., Mountain View, CA.

When: Tuesday July 20, 2010, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Have you ever attended a TEDx event? How was it useful?

It’s that time of the year again…time to slide on your cowboy boots (only the most fashion forward ones, of course – we’re talking about Austin here), and perk up your listening ears, because SXSW is here.  We’re so excited to be attending the Interactive Conference in Austin, TX for our first time ever. We’ll be seeing all of the new films, listening to all the live bands, and checking out all the new gadgets and technology available, and of course, reporting back on everything that’s going on to you guys.

Each year South by Southwest (SXSW) conquers the film and music screenings by providing viewers with the most desired gadgets, eclectic music, and exposure of the hottest, up and coming creators. A staggering expectancy of over 12,000 people to attend the festival leads it to be single handedly one of the largest and highest revenue-producing music festivals in the country.  With the availability of listening to new bands, seeing new films, and testing out the newest technology…what’s holding you back from going?

Here are a few of the most talked about and anticipated events of the festival:

The Official SXSW Interactive Kick-Off, Sponsored by Ustream – Limited to the first 500 badge holders; experience the live performance of the Gym Class Heroes, Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, and other special guest appearances.  The atmosphere itself is enough to want to attend…so get there early and see the show!

Mozilla SXSW Happy Hour Party – only available to the first 250 guests – so hurry up and don’t miss it!  Join Mozilla for drinks and appetizers at Cedar House and learn what’s going on in the world of web today.

Diggnation LIVE at The Bigg Digg Shindigg – Digg and Revision3 are performing live and for free at the well-known Stubbs BBQ on Saturday, March 13.  It’s going to be a combo of old school beats with new age rhythm.

All the events are within the same eight days with 1,400 reported artists playing in over 80 venues.  The overall focus of the festival is new directing talent which goes hand and hand with creative technology and innovative ideas.  Having the creative talent meet the potential consumer of film, song, album, video game, or website.  Click here to find out more information about each event; including times, places, and who is involved in each performance. Are you going to SXSW this year?  If so, what are you most excited for?

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!

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.

This post is adapted from a chapter in Guy Kawasaki’s book “The Art of The Start.” I recently read it and it has some really great tips and advice for young entrepeneurs. If any of you need to create a powerpoint for pitching your company to either investors or clients, here is the suggested formula buy our favorite “Guy.”

First off, the 10/20/30 Rule:

10 = The Number of Slides
I won’t go into detail about the specifications for each slide. {Buy Guy’s book it’s GREAT} But this is the appropriate length for the power point. Long enough to create substance but not too long to lose your audience’s attention.

20 = The Length {in minutes} of Your Presentation
This gives you some of an idea about how long you will spend on each slide. Approximately 2 minutes per slide. Basically your not going to be sitting on one slide for too long, nor is your entire presentation going to last longer that 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, you are going to slowly lose the {undivided, focused} attention of your audience.

30 = The FONT size you should use
You may have realized that 30 pt. font isn’t going to allow you to put much text on your slides, and you shouldn’t. The powerpoint is there just to assist you in speaking, not to take the place of speaking. Your audience shouldn’t be able to understand the presentation without you to fill in the gaps.

A few other tips from Guy

Use a dark background- this suggests seriousness and substance
Use bullet points – Not line after line of bullet points, but a slide title followed by bullet points {aka you shouldn’t have to explain a bullet within a bullet}
Put your company header at the top of each page- repetition, ’nuff said

For more buy Guy’s Book “The Art of the Start” It’s a great read!

Why now, more than ever, we need to remember the value of real life meetings.

I might be just a little biased being an event planner, but I’d like to stress the importance of meetings and events as they are a crucial business practice. We need to keep meeting! In a social media frenzied world, it’s easy to lose yourself in online conferencing, chatting and communication.

The idea of reality has become so blurred that some may have forgotten the true benefits of meeting in person. Now don’t get us wrong, we are all for using social media to further your business, but when it comes down to it, there is no real substitute for face time. Corporate meetings enhance employee and partner performance, fuel company growth and profitability, support the needs of local communities and aid the American economy as a whole.

Check this video out…Ben Stein talks about the importance of business meetings.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Image via www.citehr.com

Keep America Meeting’s petition gained more than 22,000 signature in support of the events industry that the USTA delivered to the Senate Commerce Committee in May. TBA Global’s new whitepaper “The Value of Meetings” shows the perception issue facing the meetings industry and how companies can make their meetings more appropriate and effective during these times.

http://www.keepamericameeting.org

Here are some of the reasons why face-to-face meetings are still important:

Numbers Don’t Lie
While its hard to exactly quantify the importance of face-to-face meetings, it is clear that many people still believe they are an integral part to successful business practice. In an article by Richard Arvey, a professor in organizational behavioral phycology, he discusses a research project conducted by Hilton Hotels. In their findings, they showed that 85% of people believe that face-to-face meetings are “more likely to result in breakthrough thinking” and 82% believe that “meetings bring out the best in people”. (asiaone.com)

Conference Calls Just Don’t Cut It
Think a conference call might be a substitute for meetings? Think again. Conference calls allow for people to become easily distracted and unfocused. Look at these further findings from Hilton Hotels to really understand the ineffectiveness of a conference call:
During a conference call:
81% Admit to checking their email,
75% Admit to having sideline conversations with colleagues, and
35% Admit to going to the restroom!
(asiaone.com)

Efficiency
There is no doubt that in person meetings are the most time efficient. You can give and receive feedback in the moment, and will probably arrive at the same page more quickly than back and forth emailing.