Bluelithium to Host Pre-ad:tech Party

Bluelithium, the company that's "reinventing the ad network," is reinventing the ad:tech party. On April 20 at 6PM, a week prior to the ad:tech San Francisco show, Bluelithium, famous for its ad:tech Ruby Skye blowouts, will host a party at Le Colonial and feature belly danvers, caligraphers and other Asian and French Colonial inspired activities, an open bar and small plates. We assume small plates means hors douvres...or however you spell that. To request an invitation, please contact Carla Vicens of blast! PR at (919) 833-9975 x.10 or carla@blastpr.com.

Monday Night Party Report

The Chicago ad:tech party scene Monday night was much more subdued than San Francisco and New York shows. The evening kicked off with the traditional Tribal Fusion post-exhibit cocktail and munchies party held at the back of the the Sheraton exhibit hall. Great tasting Tribal Fusion branded beer was served along with fried finger food. We spent some time speaking with United Virtualities' Director of Channel Partnerships Natalia Scalia who made the trip to ad:tech from Argentina and Miami-based Nearly Natural Business Development Manager Stephen Wechsler (who apparently has to clarify to business card recipients that his company deals with flowers, not breast implants). After discussions regarding ooqa ooqa, shoshkeles and silk flowers, we headed upstairs to the ad:tech speakers reception held in one of the hotel's bars.

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Monday Night Party Update

Either there's, sadly, not much in the way of social events going on Monday night or we just haven't been invited. We do know Tribal Fusion is hosting an invite-only networking event from 8 p.m. to midnight aboard Chicago's First Lady. The boat is docked near Michigan Avenue at Wacker Drive. The Chicago Interactive Marketing Association, along with Leapfrog Online, is hosting a party at the Rock Bottom Brewery Gold Room and Rooftop (One West Grand) from 6:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. The first 300 guests will get open bar and a free buffet.

UPDATE: Commission Junction is hosting an early party at Sushi Samba's Rooftop Lounge at 504 North Wells Street beginning at 6PM. Open bar until 7:30P but it's invite only so stop by their booth for an invite. Be nice. They can't invite everyone.

Tuesday Night Party Report

As day two of San Francisco AD:TECH drew to a close and exhibitor's packed up their booths faster than a clueless booth attendant can say, "Got traffic?", conference attendees headed straight for the hotel's Atrium lounge, quickly filling it to capacity as a non-AD:TECH hotel guest was overheard saying, "This is insane! Let's get out of here." We could identify with that comment when faced with the choice between fighting off the meat to score a drink at the bar versus having dinner with AD:TECH Chair Susan Bratton and IAB Industry Research Director Doron Wesly at the Westin St. Francis Hotel. The decision was easy. In the hotel's relatively new and very elegant Michael Mina restaurant, we had a fantastic meal presented with flair and style. As the conversation moved from industry trends, trade show details and names suggested as keynote speakers for future conferences to more important issues such as life in San Francisco versus New York and the importance of white teeth, we respectfully ignored Robin Williams and Andre Agassi who were eating dinner three feet behind us at the next table.

Following three hours of delectable food, fancy martinis and amazement over just how short Robin Williams really is, we headed back to the Marriot Hotel and up to the 39th floor's The View to check out the GRS Poker Tournament. Though no longer hungry following our spectacular dinner, we did notice there wasn't much left of whatever had been formerly known as the buffet table. We spent a few minutes chatting with friends, watching the poker games and admiring the the view before we headed back down to the hotel lobby and jumped on a Looksmart-sponsored trolley which included a bar and shuttled us to the unofficial AD:TECH After Party billed as "The After Party People Will Be Talking About For Years." As much as the party's sponsors might like to believe, the only time spent talking about their party will be right here on this website. Held in a giant, open, warehouse-like building, the DJ, accompanied by his two gyrating groupies, pumped out the usual stuff which reverberated through the horrific acoustics of the establishment like a train horn mounted on a tuner's car parked in an airplane hanger.

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Monday Night Party Report

Following a long day attending session after session and hearing each exhibitor's well-rehearsed story while walking though the Exhibit Hall, it was, at long last, time to set out and conquer Monday night's social activities. Kicking off the night's long list of parties was Tribal Fusion which, as always, hosted its traditional Grand Opening Reception in the Exhibit Hall. Whitepages.com, for lack of a better description, lightened up the mood. [Increasingly inebriated coverage follows...] Read more...

Monday Night Party Update

Added to our original list of parties planned at AD:TECH are two new events. The first, from old standby Tribal Fusion, will be held Monday night at the Phoenix Hotel's Bambuddha Lounge from 9P to 1A. The party, with an open bar, will be smaller, more subdued option to the Bluelithium blowout at Ruby Sky. The second party, held Tuesday night from 9P to 4A at Terra, will be hosted by a lengthy list of companies including blackbook, The Viral Spiral, Web11, Springfusion, ListMarketer among others. It promises to be "The after party people will be talking about for years."

AD:TECH San Francisco Party Plans Revealed

Well, here we go again. As we all prepare to descend upon San Francisco for this year's AD:TECH San Francisco, we at the AD:TECHblog thought we'd assist you in planning your social schedule by rounding up the numerous planned parties for the three day extravaganza. Headlining the party scene, as they did last year and this past Fall in NYC, is Bluelithium who will host The AD:TECH San Francisco 2005 Party Monday, April 25 at 9PM at Ruby Skye. Bluelithium promises fire breathers, flying acrobats, giant stilters, ice sculpters and open bar.

Earlier on Monday, TribalFusion will, as always, host the Grand Opening Reception in the Exhibit Hall beginning at 5PM. Immediately following, will be the PartnerWeekly Mixer, a Las Vegas-style event complete with blackjack, held in the Marriott Hotel's Club room from 6:30P to 8:30P. Web marketing and measurement firm SEMphonic will host an event from 4PM to 6PM in Suite J, fifth floor of the Marriott and debut its new MarketScan product. Following these early evening events, there are reports of an "exclusive" party hosted by YFDirect at an undisclosed location.

On Tuesday night, AdDrive and Impulse Marketing will co-host host The GRS Poker Tournament from 8:30P to 12:30A at the Marriott's View Lounge. A prize of $10,000 towards a World Poker Tour Main Event will be offered. Also Tuesday night, the International Game Developer Association will host an event at Metreon beginning at 7PM and featuring work by 4orty2wo Entertainment, creator of ILoveBees, followed by free food and drink at LJ's.

AD:TECH Tuesday Night Party Report

Following Monday's all-out, non-stop, multi-party bash, the social scene Tuesday night was less harried than the day before, with more one on one dinners and a slower pace. There were no exhibit hall parties, as exhibitors were more concerned with packing up their booths as fast as possible once the hall closed so many headed out to dinner or drinks with friends to start the night.

The first stop for our entourage was the Hilton Hotel bar. Yes, we know it's not very exciting but it was time well spent after standing up on the floor all day doing business. Drinks and appetizers were shared with Underscore Marketing's Tom Hespos and Jim Meskauskas as well as Integrated Media Solutions' Jason Oates. After debating the merits of the consumer control trend and, visiting Booble on our hand helds to pass time, Tom and Jim headed off to a client dinner and we cabbed our way down to the Eyeblaster Awards party at Show.

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AD:TECH Monday Night Party Report

It was a very busy afternoon and evening socially at AD:TECH Monday with at least six parties vying for attendees attention. Kicking off the party scene was old standby TribalFusion which hosted its end-of-day exhibit hall party with beer, wine and finger food. Since the party was held in the exhibit hall, TribalFusion’s party is always an interesting mix of business and anticipation of what’s to come later at night. Partaking in the party spirit, DoubleClick's Rick Bruner mugged for a shot with Did It.com's frogs.

Once the exhibit hall cleared out, attendees headed down to the hotel bar where Overture held its Mixer providing attendees, perhaps for the first time today, a place to sit down. relax and spend some time with business associates in a more informal environment. A full compliment of buffet items were available to cater to all food preferences - as long as those preferences were limited to fried food. The day’s hunger won out over any concern for cholesterol levels.

Next up was the Viral and Buzz Marketing Association's get together held at Whiskeys. The venue was, for once, conducive to conversation even if the lighting was such that significant squinting was required to see who you were talking to. Open bar had a way of making this irrelevant. The center of the party was DMC Founder Justin Kirby who was decked out, head to toe, in a shimmering white suit. Just before leaving, a conversation with Pod Digital Design Principal Liz Curran and her co-principal husband ensued leading to the discovery the Curran’s living a stone’s throw from our little Massachusetts town.

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AD:TECH Party Invites Rolling In

As the New York AD:TECH show approaches, inboxes are beginning to fill with party invites as companies vie for conference attendee's attention. Online ad network, Bluelithium, reprising its San Fancisco party of last May, has sent out a fancy Flash invite for an event that will be held at New York's Show Nightlife from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., Tuesday, November 9. Also hitting inboxes is an invite for the Tribal Fusion party to be held Monday night, November 8 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tribal Fusion promises an open bar all night. Bluelithium promises an hour of open bar from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. Plan accordingly.

Tribal Fusion will also host the Grand Opening Reception in the Exhibit Hall on Monday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Following that, Overture will host The Overture Mixer from 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. Without a moment to rest, the New York Interactive Advertising Club, 212, invites you to their event beginning at 8 p.m. - location TBD. A full list of official AD:TECH social events is here.

Monday Night Party Report

As I awoke in my hotel room and stumbled over to my laptop, there was an email from the esteemed editor of this publication asking, "Party report? The world wants to know. - EOM." I replied bleary-eyed, "It's on it's way." So here it is. As you may or may not know, party coverage is very difficult, requires preparation (napping) and recovery (sleeping late) hence the lateness of this report.

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Blue Lithium, the Good and the Bad

These are the things I learned tonight at the Blue Lithium party.

- Trapeze artists are always popular. I highly recommend them to anyone considering hosting a future AD:TECH party.
- AD:TECHers quickly become surly unless there is an open bar.
- There is no good time to cut the music off to present your corporate video.
- You only have about 30 seconds to say what you want to say after cutting off the music. If it is an open bar, maybe make it one minute.
- If there are scattered boos from the crowd, don't respond with "Don't boo, I'll kill you." It just doesn't come off right, even when you are joking.

For a short Quicktime video of the trapeze act, click here.

Tuesday Night Party Report

Following the closing of the exhibit hall and with no on-site vendor-hosted parties, the hotel bar filled to capacity. Several found their way across the street to the Atom/Shockwave party where there were prize drawings every half hour, with one of the first prizes won by consultant extraordinaire Tia Fix. Many regulars appeared.

After the Shockwave party, people headed up Geary to the Hotel Monaco for the Yahoo party which was one of the few parties where one could actually carry on a conversation without losing a larynx. Delicious finger-food was passed and an ice sculpture-funnel was used to serve drinks.

After a bit of dinner, it was off to the two big events of the night. The bluelithium AD:TECH Wrap Up Party at Ruby Skye and that "other" VIP party. Even before entering Ruby Skye, the throbbing could be felt. As one followed the winding dark hallway towards the dance floor, the throbbing grew ever more powerful until one was engulfed in sound that shook the body to the bone. Two dancers gyrated on their raised platforms as did the throngs of sweating bodies on the main dance floor. It was truly a sea of dripping human sweat. For relief, there was a tiny, enclosed, air-conditioned balcony room that overlooked the dance floor that had a party of its own going on courtesy of two female dancing conference attendees.

Following a stellar trapeze act, bluelithium launched into an ill-advised PowerPoint presentation that was rife with technical difficulty and complete lack of audience attention, proving again that alcohol and business presentations do not mix. All in all though, a good time was had.

After bluelithium quieted down, the party moved up the street to the Cliff Room, a high-ceilinged, low key bar with lots of comfy chairs making late night conversation pleasurable.

bluelithium To Unveil Three New Products at Tonight's Party

Six month old ad network bluelithium will unveil three new products during their party tonight at 11PM. The three products are are an expansion of their current CPM, CPC and CPA product lines and are said to be "revolutionary." Attend yourself and decide just how revolutiuonary they really are. Get your party invite here.

Tribal Fusion, Atlas DMT, DoubleClick & Business.com All Compete for Partygoers

There was no shortage of shmoozing at the very full Monday night party line-up. When it comes to marketing to marketers, every group has their own approach. However, the one consistent feature of every party is the open bar.

After warming up at the Overture Mixer at the The Palace Hotel, we took in the DoubleClick and Atlas DMT get togethers at the W, a couple of blocks away. These parties, and the Business.com event right across the street were smaller events, fun, but still low key enough for a conversation.

This was not the case with the Tribal Fusion party at Suede. They have a reputation to uphold at this point for holding blow outs. And, they didn't disappoint. Held at local bar Suede, there was a long line waiting to get into the packed club when we arrived.

I sincerely hope Tribal Fusion generates some new business from the attendee list, because there was no opportunity for networking once inside. The dancers with spinning neon glow tubes were a nice touch though.

And by the way, thanks to the folks at Trafficbuyer.com for the ride in their 30-foot white Hummer/Limo.

Gaspedal CEO Schmoozefest

A further indication of the renewed vigor of the online industry was the good vibes and solid attendance at the Gaspedal CEO Schmoozefest held Monday night in the ballroom at the Empress of China Resataurant. The crowd was bigger than last year and the food was better. Best of all, there was a superb tschotchke haul with the prize being a yellow boxing Tweetie Bird pen that lights up. Tweetie can punch with either hand (wing?). Awesome.

Topica Party a Relaxed Dose of Reality

After a long day in the exhibit hall, a short trip around the corner to 685 Market Street, brought weary conference attendees to the relaxed, outdoor atrium of Topica's offices. There, one could grab a beer or wine and nibble on scrumptious appetizers. A conversation with Topica Senior Director of Sales Walter Paliska centered on the more serious tone marketers are adopting following the irrational exhuberance of yester-years.

Party Update: AzoogleAds

Three women were standing in the entry way to the Exhibit Hall handing out invites to tonight's AzoogleAds cocktail party in the Mendocino room at 7 p.m. Party joiners can enter to win a a weekend in Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Early AD:TECH Party Report

While there are sure to be more, there are several known social events we can share with you.

On Monday:

• Tribal Fusion is hosting the Grand Opening Reception in the exhibit hall from 5PM to 6:30PM
  
• Overture is hosting a mixer from 6:45PM to 8PM
  
• ValueClick is hosting a party from 8PM to 11PM whereabouts unknown.
  
• Tribal Fusion is hosting a party from 9PM to 1AM whereabouts unknown

On Tuesday:

• BlueLithium is hosting the AD:TECH After Party at Ruby Skye from 9PM to 2AM
  
• AdBumb is hosting a "VIP" party from 9PM to 2PM.

If your company is hosting a party or you know of one, please email details to steve at marketingvox dot com.

AD:Tech Official Social Events

While there will certainly be many "unofficial" events, here's a list of official Ad:Tech social events. If you are planning a party and want to add it to unofficial roll, please email Steve Hall.

Yay! Photos! Old Timers Party at AdTech

Phew, these photo spreads may look easy, but they take hours. Thus, the Eyeblaster party comes this weekend. Stay tuned.

Anyway, much fun was had by all at the Old Timers party Monday night, as photos attest. Some 120 Old Timers showed up.

Photos on MarketingWonk.com.

Yay! More Photos! Eyeblaster Awards Party at AdTech

More pictures! (Better late than never.) From last Tuesday's Eyeblaster party.
Photos on MarketingWonk.com.

Major Losers at Spammer's Party Last Night

A friend, who shouldn't remain nameless, but I'll be a sport and protect her identity, had an inexplicable fascination with The Spammer's party last night, despite the fact that every respectable e-marketer at the event that she spoke with gagged when asked if they'd be attending. But she just had to go. (I can't even dignify The Spammer by mentioning his or his stupid company's name, but chances are you know what I'm talking about.)

At one point, I advised her, "You know who's going to attend that party?" I answered by holding an L-shaped arrangement of fingers to my forehead. "No, correction," I said, and arranged both of my arms in an L shape, connecting my right hand to my left elbow, which a high-school-teacher friend tells me is how the kids today signify "Major Loser."

Foolishly, she even skipped the excellent Eyeblaster party (photos coming shortly) to attend The Spammer's meat market.

This morning, after charging the batteries on my cell phone, I receive this message, shouted over the din of party noises: "Rick! It's [friend's name withheld] and [friend's name withheld]. This party is everything you said it would be and worse. It's awful! It's not even fun. It's a grinding, no oxygen, 25-and-under, ridiculous, spammer, stupid event. You are more than right. Just wanted to let you know."

That voice mail is a keeper. The most important question is why on earth AdTech endorses The Spammer's event with official recognition.