Launching Event TALK! For Planners by Planners.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (May 15, 2013) EventInterface.com, a Scottsdale-based event management software and attendee engagement software company launched Event TALK! a bi-weekly podcast show by planner for planners broadcast on the Entrepreneur Podcast Network.

“Working with planners we are asked many questions that have nothing to do with our software.” said Al Wynant, company CEO. “Many times our staff becomes a consultant to the planner.  We believe that providing a content-rich podcast in which the best professionals around the country share their advice would be a fabulous additional resource to planners.” Wynant said.

EventInterface.com is partnering with the Entrepreneur Podcast Network in the production of the show. Eric Dye is the host. The inaugural show features Wynant who talks about why the show has been created and the types of topics that will be covered.

Upcoming guests are Valerie Bihet, Founder of The V!BE Agency in Miami, FL. who talks about best practices; Darren W. Johnson, Event Producer, Best Selling Author and Corporate Event Trainer will talk about the importance of site visits; Andy Perez, PR Guy Extraordinaire will talk about the do’s and don’ts of event public relations.

Catch the show at http://www.eventinterface.com/resource-blog.

ABOUT EVENTINTERFACE.COM
EventInterface provides innovative and cost-effective Web-based and mobile App software for meeting and event planners. We are a robust registration tool that lets planners manage registrations, speakers, private event social networks, virtual events and collaborations. We're one solution to manage all aspects of an event or meeting, and the software has been designed by planners for planners. Our clients include the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Expedia, Soroptomists, Up with People International Alumni Association, AHS, NAISA, Research Corporation Technologies among many others.  The company is based in Scottsdale, AZ. More information at http://www.EventInterface.com. 

Enough with the ice already.

I don’t have anything against ice-sculptures. Amazing artists create stunning translucent sculptures. Sadly these creations are temporary, lasting only a few hours. You rarely see the artist at work, and pictures never do the piece justice. Recently I went on a quest to find a more unique and permanent way to bring logo artwork into events.

During my research I came across a few recreations of company logos used at events. At closer inspection I learned they were made of LEGO block. Having won a LEGO building competition many years ago I was intrigued. My search led me to Mariann Asanuma, a former Master Model Designer for LEGOLAND California.

Mariann found her fascination with LEGO at an early age when she received her first set at the age of six.  Born and raised in the San Diego area, she is a self-taught LEGO artist.  When LEGOLAND opened in Carlsbad, CA in 1999 she fought hard to get her dream job. It took her 4 years to prove herself and get the coveted position. Visiting the park, you will recognize some of her handiwork. She worked on the life-size pirate, a four foot long lady bug, the Miniland Las Vegas sign and many others.

Mariann continued her Lego journey becoming the world's first female freelance LEGO Artist and LEGO instruction author in early 2007.  She has authored two books “How to Build a Round Ball with Square Bricks!” and “Beyond the Ball”. Now Mariann dedicates herself to designing and building custom LEGO models, speaking and special events. She was  commissioned  by Warner Brothers Interactive to design a mosaic for their ”LEGO Batman the Video Game” Launch Party hosted at the Natural History Museum in New York City in September 2008.  Google hired Mariann to create their Chrome logo for their 4 year anniversary.  The sculptures reflected the client’s needs and have become more enduring centerpieces of the events they were built for.

Using LEGOs to create your event centerpiece may not work for all events. It is however an interactive, creative and investment outlasting any ice sculpture. Interested in incorporating LEGOs into your event? Learn more about Mariann and her services here.

See pictures of Mariann's creations here.

- Al Wynant

Dutch hospitality and whimsy

Dutch hospitality, imagination and a sense of history are reflected in this newly opened hotel in Zaandam, The Netherlands. Minutes from Amsterdam and with a direct train connection from the international airport of Schiphol, this hotel is ideally located for any meeting or event.

 

 

Inntel Hotels, founded in 1982 has a handful of properties around Amsterdam and Rotterdam, each modern with friendly service and a unique sense of design. We were drawn to their property in Zaandam, just minutes away from Amsterdam. Built to look like a group of stacked Dutch row houses, the hotel is striking and perhaps a little puzzling to look at. It offers 160 guest rooms and meeting facilities for up to 350 attendees.  The 4-star property is located next to the Zaandam train station and offers its own Tourist Information Office.

MEETINGS

The Inntel Hotels Amsterdam Zaandam offers flexible meeting space. It supports small meetings to conferences with 300, and receptions for up to 350 guests. Meeting spaces are modern, with an industrial style finish, honoring the area’s manufacturing past. All meeting spaces are air-conditioned, have 10 feet + ceilings, offer complimentary WI-FI, and dedicated staff. 

The hotel offers meeting specials that include everything you need to host a successful meeting. Packages start at a 4-hour deal and go all the way up to a 32-hour package. Called the Saen Special, the 4-hour package include meeting room space, note paper and pens, use of flip-chart or whiteboard with markers, LCD projector with projection screen, office supplies, and unlimited coffee, tea and ice water.  Longer packages include intercontinental breakfast buffets, lunch buffets, 3-course dinners and overnight stays in a Taste Deluxe Room.

GUESTROOMS

The hotel features 160 air conditioned rooms, and all of them are unique.  Rooms are modern and spacious with plush bathrooms and beds. Some rooms offer Montis sitting areas, extra-large beds, a whirlpool bath and private sauna. We especially like the large mural depicting the regions proud history and people.

FOOD AND BEV

The onsite restaurant Puur Saen presents seasonal meals made from local ingredients. The menu is friendly for an international clientele with options ranging from local to Italian, American, Mediterranean and Asian inspired dishes at reasonable prices.  For groups, the hotel has a unique offering of interactive dinner games to entertain guests.

RELAX

The hotel offers a well-equipped Wellness Club with indoor swimming pool, Finnish sauna, Turkish steam bath and a Life Fitness Gym.  Massages are offered also.

MORE INFORMATION

To learn more, book your meeting or event at the Amsterdam Zaandam click below. More pictures at http://www.eventinterface.com/blog-article?id=95

http://www.inntelhotelsamsterdamzaandam.nl/Inntel-Hotels-Amsterdam-Zaandam.html

- Al Wynant

Partnering for success

Collaboration; how one festival skyrocketed to success in its first year. More than 350 collaborators, hundreds of volunteers and countless science, technology, engineering and math professionals came together to produce over 200 events for 220,000 plus attendees.

 
Read the full post here.

EventInterface launches iPhone App that enhances the event attendee's experience

EventInterface continues to revolutionize the planning experience for meeting planners and their attendees. Our newest tool, the EventInterface iPhone App enhances the attendee’s experience by placing all event data, communication tools and event social media at their fingertips.

“The App was designed to seamlessly fit in with our online management tool.” said Rod Bridges, company CTO and App Lead Developer. “Some registration software companies provide ticket scanning tools. Some companies provide costly one-time use Apps for conferences. At EventInterface, we aimed to provide the planner with an App that streamlines operations and engages the attendee, creating a much richer and more valuable event experience at no extra cost.” said Bridges.

The EventInterface iPhone App allows attendees to quickly access event confirmations and QR-Coded tickets. They can view and share event photographs. Planners can easily post schedules, event documents and videos to view pre-, during and post-event. Attendees can effortlessly gather other attendee contact information by scanning QR-Coded nametags. The App’s chat feature invites attendees to communicate with other attendees at the event using the App, a great tool to ask questions, set meetings, find each other, and even send pictures to other users. The forum feature allows attendees to view and participate in event specific forums. There are event directions and a growing library of planner resources.

The EventInterface iPhone App is free to download from the App Store. This powerful and innovative App is for Meeting and Event Planners who plan and manage events using EventInterface.com. Click here to download the free EventInterface iPhone App.

To learn more about EventInterface, visit EventInterface.com.

An invitation hard to resist.

This summer, Seattle celebrates the 50^th Anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. We thought this would offer us a great opportunity to take a fresh new look at the city, and boy, we are not disappointed. Seattle is a vibrant city with fabulous venues, amazing new exhibitions, an exciting food scene, and attractions galore. With so many unique options to attract attendees and entertain them before, during or after the event, how can you resist an invitation to meet in Seattle?

Read the whole story here.

W Hotel Seattle

The new Le May Car Museum in Tacoma
Photo courtesy of David Imanaka

The Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibition

Read the whole story here.

Stunning views, first-rate service.

Set amidst stunning desert vistas, the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum offers one-of-a-kind meeting and event spaces for corporate events, conferences and social gatherings.  The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a world-renowned zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden, all in one place! Exhibits re-create the natural landscape of the Sonoran Desert Region so realistically visitors find themselves eye-to-eye with mountain lions, prairie dogs, Gila monsters, and more. The Museum grounds, features more than 300 animal species and 1,200 kinds of plants. There are almost 2 miles of paths traversing 21 acres of beautiful desert.

Founded in 1952 by William Carr and Arthur Pack, the Desert Museum is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the Sonoran Desert. Our current operations and future

The museum offers a variety of spaces for private parties and events, and although museum exhibits are closed after 5 p.m., all can be kept open for an event or meeting.

One of the museum’s newest venues, the Priscilla V. Baldwin Education Building is a versatile contemporary space, accommodating up to 200 guests for receptions, meetings and formal dinners. The building overlooks a beautiful desert vista and has a glass panel wall that opens up to an outdoor balcony.

The lush Desert Garden features two water ponds, bricked garden spaces, shaded seating areas, and private interior garden areas, an ideal location for a pre-dinner reception.

The Ironwood Terraces outdoor patios offer views of the Sonoran Desert unparalleled by any other banquet facility. Both the indoor and outdoor areas open onto beautiful desert vistas. The outdoor terraces will accommodate up to 130 inside and 170 - 230 guests outside. The combination of dining areas can accommodate up to 500 guests.

The Ocotillo Café is the museum’s regional, fine dining restaurant. It will accommodate 60 indoor dining and 30 outdoor dining on the private patio in a contemporary, private dining space.

Catering at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum is provided by onsite Ironwood Food Services. The chef specializes in combining foods that are indigenous to the Sonoran Desert to create sumptuous dishes in a wide range of menu options.

To inquire about availability and rental fees, contact (520) 883-1380 ext. 196 or online here. See more pictures on our Facebook page. Many more articles at the EventInterface Resource Blog.

- Al Wynant

Pictures by Al Wynant

Welcoming our newest Advisory Board Member

EventInterface.com is pleased to announce the appointment of Dave Saunders to the Company Advisory Board. Dave brings more than 20 years of experience and success in driving profit improvement, leading business growth, establishing and scaling operations and building operationally-focused teams. He has served a variety of industries including technology products and services, manufacturing, distribution, professional services and B2C services. He has held financial leadership positions with public and private companies ranging in size from start-up and middle-market to serving as the CFO for a $3 billion business segment of a global technology business.

Dave earned his Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and Master’s Degree in Accounting from the University of Iowa. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Management Accountant and a Lean / Six-Sigma Greenbelt.   Dave is currently a Partner with a CFO services firm where he provides financial leadership to several high growth technology, distribution and manufacturing businesses and assists them in improving profits, increasing cash flow and driving business value.   “We’re delighted to have Dave on our Advisory Board” said Al Wynant, EventInterface CEO. “His ability to help us achieve our business objectives and increase the value of our company will greatly benefit our team.”

Be yourself, be creative, take chances!

Imagine, classic rock pounding, a silhouetted artist stands before a wall-size canvas clutching six brushes at once, wielding them like a rock ‘n’ roll drummer. As furiously wrought images of icons like Mick Jagger and Marilyn Monroe emerge, artist Brian Olsen swivels and jumps, attacking the portrait with fistfuls of paint. The crowd goes wild.

Read the full story here.
Learn more about EventInterface here.

Be inspired

Finding new and creative ways to make your events stand out can be a challenging task. One has to find a theme, décor, entertainment, food and beverage that work with the theme, and design the overall experience of the event.

On many occasions, one ends up in a ballroom, with yet again the same meal, same linens, familiar looking center pieces, the only band in town good enough to play the event, as the previous event.  Rarely though do you get to attend an event where all pieces gel into a wonderful experience for the attendee.

Finding inspiration however has never been easier. The internet is full of sources and ideas to make your event stand out from the crowd. Our current favorite is Pinterest, a scrapbook type website on which individuals or companies "pin" their favorite photographs, much like a traditional scrapbook, but online. Those ideas can then be shared with the world.  Browsing the site we have found some fantastic inspirational sources.

Miss Millionaires’ Caviar Affairs Pinterest album is stunning album with almost 900 inspirational posts and almost 12,000 followers. Overall, this person has more than 34,000 pins in a variety of categories.Definitely worth a visit!

A sampling of pictures from Miss Millionaires’ Caviar Affairs Pinterest album.

Type in event décor, special events, catering and thousands of inspirational “pins” populate the screen. Start being inspired today and sign up for your own free Pinterest account.

Find more inspirational stories in our Resource Blog here.

Learn more about EventInterface here.