Web 2.0 Expo – What Is It and Why You Need to Attend

Nolan Apostle – Talent, Producer and Contributing Editor
Event City Live, Event City TV & Event City Creative

Web 2.0 is once again upon us (Year two) and we can’t wait to bring you the great details of this fantastic show. Unlike last year, when we just had begun our Email Industry Newsletter, this year we have both a BlogaZine and our Event City Creative Magazine to share with you all of the these great new technologies and how they relate to the Events & Creative Industries.

What is Web 2.0 Expo? Well, to be brief, Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco is a tradeshow featuring exhibitors showcasing all things Web 2.0—tools, technologies, services, infrastructures, and more! It is a global annual gathering of technical, design, marketing, and business professionals (Yes I’m sure you would fit into one of these categories) who are building the next generation web. It is truly an Internet Expo that will showcase technology, but not with that intimidating attitude one might expect from any technology expo. You see, this is not just “any” technology expo!

Web 2.0 Expo features the most innovative and successful Internet industry figures and companies providing attendees with examples of business models, development paradigms, and design strategies to enable mainstream businesses and new arrivals to the Web 2.0 world to take advantage of this new generation of services and opportunities. Web 2.0 Expo is co-presented by TechWeb and O’Reilly Media.

For a more detailed description of What WEB 2.0 is all about, visit the O’Reilly Website “What is Web 2.0 page”, written by Tim O’Reilly himself, founder of O’Reilly Publishing.

One of the companies that truly will shine not just at Web 2.0 but certainly beyond and into the Event City’s very own Events & Creative Industries is the company ETELOS.

They have created Web 2.0 based software products that venture into many of our industries, including the Special Events, Meeting Planning, Hospitality, Travel and Entertainment industries. The reality of who we are and what we do is simply projects that can’t get away from having some type of connection to the Internet. The new technologies are becoming much more user friendly and allowing us to be more successful.  I can’t wait to see what they have in store for this years show!

Here’s a sneak peak as to what you will see at their booth at this years show.

WHY INTERNET ADVERTISING?

Nolan Apostle – Talent, Producer and Contributing Editor
Event City Live, Event City TV & Event City Creative

Why not? Sure that’s the easy way out. Ask a question give a simple answer. For the last year or so since we have talked to many of our Alpha and Beta testers about being more successful on the Internet we have heard this question time and time again. Why Advertise on the Internet? Why spend any amount of time investing in the Internet besides a website? It’s too confusing. It’s too difficult. Hackers will just steal what we do anyway! How can we earn revenues when there are experts out there doing just that? We will attempt to answer all those questions and much more as we visit Ad Tech San Francisco at Moscone Center over the next few days. This is a fascinating subject and all of the technologies behind these solutions are truly brilliant!

First things first though. If you are involved in any of the Event City’s industries, the Events & Creative Industries you definitely should be attending Ad Tech. As we cover this three day show in San Francisco, we already realize the magnitude of it’s presence here in San Francisco alone. Social Networking a huge buzz word in general and at the show is seems to be a perfect fit for the Social Butterflies of the City By the Bay. Well as we come to realize there is so much more to “Social Networking” than one might perceive.

Ad dollars are just a part of what Ad Tech is all about. Sure the Goods are where the Gold is, or Cash is King (or is that Cache is King) but is that always true, especially in this day and age? I’m not too certain anymore. Tiny startups to major players like Google, Yahoo, Nestle and Kodak (Yep, even Nestle’s Chocolates and Kodak Film company) are here, and you can bet they are not just Chocolates and no more film for the once gigantic firms. So what are two companies like these doing here? Who incidentally fall into the realm of the Event City’s “Events & Creative Industries“?

Come on down and find out. Or if you can’t make it to Ad Tech San Francisco, please visit their website and learn about Ad Tech’s world tour, probably coming to a city near you. So if you are one of those who think that the Advertising and Marketing world on the Internet is not very important, you better think again; and that’s no threat, it’s reality. Come to Ad Tech and learn, that’s where I will be. Here are some highlights of this great show.

Attendees will converge on ad:tech San Francisco (http://www.ad-tech.com/sf/) April 15-17 at the Moscone Center to attend panel sessions, workshops and keynotes during three action-packed days of learning from today’s digital marketing industry game-changers. Attendees will take away the tools and techniques they need to compete in a changing marketing world, and gain first-hand insight into emerging opportunities with online video, social networks, mobile marketing, digital out-of-home advertising and more.

Hear from four of the hottest stars of online video, including Kevin Rose (pictured) of Diggnation, Ask a Ninja’s Kent Nichols, Jeff Macpherson of Tiki Bar TV and Martin Sargent of Revision3. View the live taping and hear and explore how you can leverage programs like these to expand your own audience.

That’s the key to what Ad Tech can offer. How you can learn to leverage programs like those above, and so much more to expand your own audience, no matter who that audience is. The Special Event, Meeting Planning, Hospitality, Travel, Art, Entertainment, Music, Motion Pictures, Food & Beverage are all industries that can leverage these programs and expand audiences and reap the benefits.

I look forward to attending this show and covering it for all of you, my associates on the battlegrounds of the Events & Creative Industries- the EVENT CITY NETWORK!

Airburgers, Lions and Tigers in Southern New Mexico

(From the set of The Year One, being filmed now in Southern New Nexico) 

Jack Black is on the set of the ancient traders and slave market eating air burgers, air fries and an air milkshake (I’m thinking vanilla).  He dips a fry into the milkshake and slowly puts it in his mouth with his head back, sucking it down with a slurp and a grin.  Right in front to me, mind you.  Now, that’s acting.  Then it was back to the shot, which included a “baby” lion and tiger, each about 9 months old and about 90 pounds….fully formed babys if you ask me.  They were on one side of me with their handlers–in costume–and Jack Black and Michael Cera were right in front of me as they walked down this center of this marketplace set.  Very detailed, too, with special effects guys blowing frank incense smoke to inhance the visuals and the mood.    There were stalls laid out for fabric, spices (real curry and ground flowers), animals, iron stuff, and rugs, etc.  I was later to be the rug merchant guy. We had over 150 extras dressed as ethnic traders from all parts of the ancient world, complete with a dock on the lake (just south of Elephant Butte by Truth or Concequences, NM), boats, dockworkers, slaves, guards, etcs.  Very complete and colorful.  (Photos to follow once an extra USB cable is located…mine was “appropiated” by another extra).  So back to Jack, and why he saved a shot and my ass….As it was sunny and bright out, many of us wore dark glasses between shots.  The cameras were about to roll, and I’m still wearing mine when Jack looks over and says to me “Dude…you might want to take off those shades…!”  Wow, off they come into my costume and I muffle a Thanks in Jacks direction.  You have to understand that communication between extras and the stars DOES NOT HAPPEN on a set, so here’s like the main dude telling me to lose the shades.  So we do the shot, once the lion/tiger duo make their appearence (beautiful animals), and one the way back to one (re-setting to our original position), I thank Jack again for the save as he passes by me, to which he gives me a high-five and says , “Hey man, I’ve got your back…!”  Like just another dude on the set, except this dude is the main star making a gazillion times more money than any of us, but it shows he wasn’t tripping and very open and friendly.  But an unusual occurance all the same, and it did not escape the attention of one of the Assistant Directors, who told me to watch the interaction with the actors.    It was all cool,  however, and later some of us heard Jack and Michael Cera sing an original tune, with Jack on guitar, which was very sweet and revealed Jack to have a nice singing voice.  They were even singing it during the set up for the next shot…. lots of what I have written about for Year One will be on the DVD or the Making Of video, so be sure to check that out in the future.  It promises to be a very funny movie, and with Harold Ramis directing, and playing a bit of guitar as well, I’m sure it will be.  Look for the merchant with the orange hat and belt and long hair…that’s me.

Next, both T4 and Legion and in town, and I’m up for both.  Stay tuned to see where I end up…in the future or the way mega future!

NEW EVENTS FACILITY INVITES PLANNERS FOR PREVIEW

The beautiful Bently Reserve Conference Center – San Francisco

Events, Meeting Space and Conference Center,
the beautiful Bently Reserve will surely be one
of San Francisco’s finest Special Event Facilities

Special Events, Meeting Space and Conference Center, a beautiful venue inside and out, the Bently Reserve will surely be one of San Francisco’s finest Special Events Facilities. Plans for a series of “Industry related” events are taking shape quite nicely at the new BENTLY RESERVE CONFERENCE & EVENTS CENTER in San Francisco.

The events will be held on April 9th and 10th, 2008, and hosted by Christopher and Amber Marie Bently, owners of The Bently Reserve. They are set to debut their new state-of-the-art Bently Conference Center with these events and festivities open to business associates, the media, event managers, meeting planners and the hospitality industry. Go to the EVENT CITY CREATIVE MAGAZINE to read the article and information about attending one of these great events!

Jack Black saves a Shot…

OK, so maybe I shouldn’t have been wearing sunglasses right before the shot of Jack Black and Michael Cera walking through the ancient traders and slave market, and maybe I was distracted by the (real live) “baby” lion and tiger making an entrance from like 10 feet away, and maybe it WAS hot and very bright in the New Mexico sun…maybe all that is true, but it took Jack Black himself to say to me something like, “Dude, you might want to take those off…”.  More about what happened tomorrow, but a great save by Mr. Black hisself!

– Movie Mike, from the set of “The Year One”, just south of Truth or Consequences (T or C from now on) New Mexico.

Movie Mike Stikes Again in New Production with Jack Black

It’s extra time again here at Below the Line.  Yes, back in Extra Land doing what we do best…..waiting to be called back to the set.  The film this time is called “The Year One”, and has something to do with Jack Black and Michael Cera going back in time and ending up with Abraham, amonst other folks and places.  I was one of several Elder Dudes in Abe’s tent.  The lines are funny, but the best part about being there is the banter between Jack and the Simpson’s Hank Azaria, who plays Abraham, and the occasional quip or suggsestion by the great comedy Director Harold Ramis.  We, the crew and extras, get a “show” almost every take.  It’s like we’re “in” on their little jokes and asides…wait, are we susposed to hear this?  kinda feeling can creep in.  Jack seems pretty open and yes, will look and smile at folks and allow himself to be looked at.  Some stars…you look, you lose. So for this day we are in Santa Fe, working in an abondoned Albertsons store. The crew has put up a couple of large tents and some cool exterior dirt/sand/firepits…all that’s missing is a camel or two. (Maybe we’ll see them on location in Truth or Consequences early next week…) The interior of the tent is very exotic, with dancing girls, drums and flutes, big guys lighting fire tourches (oh wait, that’s a special effects guy….), and real dates, nuts and dried apricots to pass around and eat.  Hey, it’s always a feast with old Abraham around, right?  A lot of my friends are asking if I’ll play the harmonica in the movie, but I don’t think there were harmonicas in Bibical times. But strangely enough, Director Harold Ramis has a guitar he plays betwen takes, so I told him I’d bring some harps down to T or C and who knows, maybe we’ll get a jam going.  I already caught Jack Black playing some air guitar between takes…..  The school of rock hits the Holy Land…I’ve got those Bible Blues/ cause Abe don’t smile/ Maybe I’ll visit Sodom City/ After awhile.  That is where Jack’s character wants to go, after hearing reports of loose wimmen down there. We will see what awaits us next week in Truth or Consequences, and since there has appartently been a script change, we don’t even know what our “roles” will be.  Makes it more interesting I guess, but I’ll let you all know how it ends up.  Not the movie, (they wouldn’t like that), but our next experience in Extra Land.  Stay tuned…….

Harmonica Mike    no, I mean Movie Mike…no, it’s Mobile Mike…. it gets so confusing sometimes…