We think you'll love the DIY website creator, Wetpaint. Wetpaint lets you build a rich, online community around whatever-it-is that you’re really into. Utilizing the best features of wikis, blogs, forums and social networks, Wetpaint mixes everything you need so you can create, collect, and organize content on your own social website. The best part is you can create a completely advanced and sophisticated website and it's all FREE. What better way to chronicle your upcoming event than to build a community around your efforts and allow other event planners to pitch in?
If you don't feel like building your own website, you can also join a pre-existing site that is already created by another person with your same interests. Just use the search box up in the top right-hand corner and see who’s already started a page around any particular topic you would like to get involved in. Wetpaint is a great way to connect with other event planners and share ideas and experiences.
Click the video below to learn more about Wetpaint...
Living green is really about taking advantage of alternative methods of doing everyday activities. Whenever we hear about a new and improved way of doing ordinary things, we just have to share them with you. We recently heard about a company based out of Orange County California that is changing the way families and business pack and move to new locations. Meet EarthFriendlyMoving, the do-it-yourself pack and move solution that allows you to rent packing eco-friendly packing supplies. EarthFriendlyMoving recycles all of those hard-to-recycle colorful plastic bottles from under your kitchen sink, laundry room and garage shelves- like bleach bottles, household cleaning products, dishwashing and laundry detergent to make the famous: RecoPack™
The word RecoPack™ is short for "Recycled Ecological Packing Solution." Made in five consumer friendly sizes, these lightweight, stackable containers are rented to relocating households for a buck a box per week.
Following the move, the Recopacks are picked-up at customers’ new home by a fleet of vegetable oil powered trucks, cleaned, sanitized and then rented out to another customer.
EarthFriendlyMoving is currently operating in Orange County and Long Beach, and will expand throughout Southern California and then nation wide over the next three years. To learn more about EarthFriendlyMoving, click here.
I love gadgets! I’m always on the lookout for the next great digital device that I just can’t live without. Now although it’s nice to have a bunch of fancy gadgets, it’s not that great when you can’t remember where you placed them, or worse yet, if they were plugged in to be charged.
Now I’ve found a great digital gadget to help me out with all my other digital gadgets! It’s called “The Sanctuary” made by Blue Lounge. This clever device gives you a common place to keep all of your personal items such as your keys, wallet, cell phone, Blackberry, Bluetooth headset and iPod. Not only is The Sanctuary a sleek looking tray, but it also has adapters to charge all of your digital devices simultaneously in one location! The simple and compact design conceals a universal charger compatible with over 1500 electronic devices from most major brands and a USB port allowing hundreds more electronic devices to be charged using just The Sanctuary.
How it works
01. Plug AC adapter (100v ~ 240v) into the mains, lift inner tray and plug the adapter into The Sanctuary power socket.
02. Select your device connector(s). Replace inner tray with selected connector(s) on top of the inner tray.
03. Plug in your electronic devices and charge. Add keys, wallet and watch as desired.
04. OPTIONAL: Plug-in your own USB charge cord to the built-in USB socket and wind surplus cord length around the integrated cable management pins. Then plug-in and charge also Bluetooth headsets, portable game consoles, and hundreds more such USB devices.
The Sanctuary is great for your nightstand, hall table, office desk, or kitchen counter. All of your devices will be located in one place and they will be fully charged. Not to mention you will no longer have to hunt around the house or office to try and find an available outlet to plug in your devices!
Since Seattle and other Northwest cities like Bremerton and Everett rest along the shores of the Puget Sound, we have the opportunity to watch cargo ships enter and leave our ports, attributing to our area's economy. Our offices are located in West Seattle, so each day we drive parallel to Elliott Bay where hundreds of goods are transported each day. With as much action as our waters undergo, one has to wonder what effect each ship has on our environment. Recently we came across something quite unique that could change the way cargo ships travel from port to port. Meet SkySails. That's right, just like a sailboat moves through the waters by the force of wind against its sails, now the same energy source is being used to move large vessels.
It's a simple fact: wind is cheaper than oil and the most cost-effective offshore energy source. Yet, despite its attractive saving potential, it is not presently being used by cargo ships - for a simple reason: so far no sailing system has met the requirements of commercial shipping.
SkySails is now offering a wind propulsion system based on large towing kites, which, for the first time, meets the requirements of shipping companies. By using the SkySails-System, a ship‘s fuel costs can be reduced by 10- 35% on annual average, depending on wind conditions. Under optimal wind conditions, fuel consumption can temporarily be reduced by up to 50%.
So the next time you drive past a water port, be on the lookout for a "sailing" ship. You never know what the wind might bring.
If you've ever seen the CBS show Survivor you've probably seen the contestants travel to a water source and boil the water they collect before they can drink it in order to decontaminate and filtrate the water from bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and all other microbiological waterborne pathogens. You may have even gone camping before and had to do this yourself. Now, for the first time ever, comes a water bottle that produces filtered sterile drinking water quickly and easily. The LIFESAVER bottle is the first ultra filtration water bottle that incorporates LIFESAVER systems’ unique failsafe technology (another world first) which shuts off the bottle’s cartridge upon expiry, preventing contaminated water from being drunk. With LIFESAVER bottle there is no need for tablets, boiling, chemicals, tubes, shaking, scrubbing, waiting or effort. LIFESAVER bottle produces clean, sterile drinking water with no foul taste - fast!
The LIFESAVER bottle was developed as a response to the tragedy that unfolded due to lack of safe drinking water after the tsunami in December 2004 and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The LIFESAVER bottle has been designed to help save lives supplying people with clean pathogen-free drinking water.
The LIFESAVER bottle retails for $229, which may sound expensive, but as important as clean water is to your health, isn't it worth a few extra dollars?
We recently got a tip from one of our readers about a great new party ice-breaker called Mikon Mixers. Mikon Mixers are iconic stickers that event attendees and party-goers stick on their nametags that describe their personality traits and skills. They make great conversation ice-breakers. The website has a simple drag-and-drop application and thousands of images to choose from. (See below).
There are two ways to use MikonMixers at your event... (1) Free Form: At large events like Conferences, they are used a personal identifiers and people can freely meet other attendees. (2) Mixers - Meet and Greet: At smaller networking or social events you can use a more structured technique to encourage guests to meet. Click here to get the instructions. Generally, the attendees are asked to select the stickers that match them and the organizer instructs the group to find another person, and pick a mikon sticker and talk about it. The organizer should limit each conversation to 7 to 10 minutes then have the guests rotate to another person.
Today we have a completely non-business and non-event planning story for you all -- just for fun. We at banquetevent.com love animals (as most people living in the Northwest do) so when it comes to one our own pets, we basically consider them family members. This week, one of our staff members, Alexis, went through quite an ordeal with her cat, Gus, also known as "The Fat One." Gus was staying at a friend's house for the week, because Alexis is selling her house and she was worried he might sneak out during an open house. This is where our story begins.
Alexis' friend, a city dweller, lives in a 4-story condo unit on a very busy street. She also lives on the top floor. (See picture below). When she returned home she saw that her window, which she had left about a foot open, was missing its screen. That wasn't the only thing missing. Gus was gone too.
In a panic, she called Alexis and her husband and asked them to hurry over to start looking for Gus. When they arrived, and to make matters worse, Alexis' car broke down and at 10 o'clock in the evening they had to get it towed across town. After a few hours, and to no avail, Alexis and and her husband returned home, Gus-less.
For the next four days, "missing" posters were placed around nearby blocks, the shelters were notified, and the veterinarian offices were contacted, but still no Gus. By the end of the week, they were pretty much certain Gus was gone.
That afternoon, however, Alexis' friend got a call from a neighbor in her building saying they had found a black and white cat nearby and had placed him in the building's large recycle bin so he wouldn't escape. Alexis' husband hurried over and sure enough, sitting in a pile of filth, was Gus, the flying wonder cat.
Now, anyone who knows Gus, knows he's a tad (okay, alot) overweight, sweet but not active, and would much prefer lounging the days away sitting in the sunshine, rather than jumping out of 4-story buildings and cruising around the city for a week. It's most likely that he fell or slipped and suddenly found himself on the outside looking in. We're all just amazed that a cat could fall that far and survive, but animals are amazing creatures.
After taking him home and giving him a bath, Gus seems to be very happy to be in the safe compounds of his own domain, and we're pretty sure, he's been sharing his adventure, in cat language of course, to the other household pets. It all goes to show you the animals we consider to be our little angels must have angels of their own.
We're not here to debate whether cats or dogs are better than the other, because quite frankly, they are both delightful in their own way, but here is a little perspective on the difference between how cats and dogs see the world. This Diary was sent to us a while back and we hope you get a kick out of it as much as we did.
Dog Diary & Cat Diary
DOG DIARY
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing! 9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing! 9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing! 10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing! 12:00 PM - Lunch! My favorite thing! 1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing! 3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing! 5:00 PM - Milk bones! My favorite thing! 7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing! 8:00 PM - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing! 11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
CAT DIARY
Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of, however, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Jerks!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
Hello everyone! First off, let me introduce myself. My name is Mark Verner and today I'm the guest blogger for the EVENTive Event Planning Blog. I'll be stopping by each week to blog about event ideas, innovation and inspiration. I'm new to the blog, but I'm not new to Banquet & Event. I've done photography for Banquet & Event over the past several years, and I'm really looking forward to the 2008 Northwest Event Show. Have you registered? This year it's all about going Green! So save the date! September 23, 2008 at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center.
I'm an avid photographer and I'm always looking for innovative ways to show off my photos. I recently came across a product that allows photographers of every skill level to show off their best shots. Moo.com allows you to upload your favorite photos and print them out on different and unique cards.
One of their unique products are their minicards. They are a different type of business card. One side is a full color photo, while the other side can be used for your business information or any message you wish to print! They are unique in the fact that they are about half the size of a standard business card, so they will definitely stand out from the rest of the crowd! Most business card printers only allow one photo to be printed on all your cards, not Moo! Moo wants you to be creative and different. You can use up to 100 full color photos or designs on your mini calling-cards. So every card will be unique and special.
Moo.com also offers standard business cards. Just like the mini calling-cards, you can choose up to 50 different images to display on your business cards. Not only do you get to create unique, personalized business cards, but you can also do your part in helping out the environment by choosing to have your cards printed on recycled paper.
Minicards and Business Cards are just the beginning. You can also create postcards, greeting cards, notecards and stickers with your personal photos! So no matter what your photography skill level may be, use Moo.com to capture all those great memories and business opportunities!
We think you'll love the DIY website creator, Wetpaint. Wetpaint lets you build a rich, online community around whatever-it-is that you’re really into. Utilizing the best features of wikis, blogs, forums and social networks, Wetpaint mixes everything you need so you can create, collect, and organize content on your own social website. The best part is you can create a completely advanced and sophisticated website and it's all FREE. What better way to chronicle your upcoming event than to build a community around your efforts and allow other event planners to pitch in?
I'm an avid photographer and I'm always looking for innovative ways to show off my photos. I recently came across a product that allows photographers of every skill level to show off their best shots. 
