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TOP UPCOMING BAY AREA TECH EVENTS
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Women 2.0 Labs (Fall 2010)
True Ventures, San Francisco, CA
Application Deadline: September 4, 2010
Women 2.0 Labs is a 5-week pre-incubator for engineers, designers, business and marketing mavens to begin to develop high-growth technology ventures in San Francisco, CA. This Women 2.0 program is open to both women and men. Keep your day job, join us afterward! Participants will be joined weekly by industry leaders serving as visiting advisors, including Steve Blank (Customer Development), Eric Ries (Lean Startup), Hiten Shah (KISSMetrics), David Weekly (PBworks), and Sukhinder Cassidy Singh (Polyvore). For more info and to apply, visit http://www.women2.org/women-20-labs-new-class-this-fall-2010/

EVENT DISCOUNTS
SAN FRANCISCO EVENTS
BAY AREA EVENTS

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EVENT DISCOUNTS:

$20 off, Apply to The Perfect Pitch 2010
Deadline Sept 10th
PerfectBusiness is seeking the nation’s best business ideas for The Perfect Pitch 2010. If you have a great business idea (or a hot new business), submit your pitch.  Over 100 venture capital and angel investors will review and select the top pitches to speak at the PerfectBusiness Summit 2010 in Las Vegas.  For more information, go to http://www.PerfectBusiness.com/DISCOUNT20 and receive $20 off pitches

30% off – SF Beta 4.0.4
Sept 15th, 5:00 – 9:00p
111 Minna Gallery
SF Beta is one of San Francisco’s best and biggest startup mixers, attracting founders, innovators, investors, and executives from Silicon Valley and beyond. Our loosely structured event attracts over 350 people, and sometimes a whole lot more. We provide tasty gourmet appetizers and a full cash bar, along with live demos from startups throughout the night. September is a special month, as it marks our 4th year anniversary, along with producer Christian Perry’s birthday. Join us for an evening of celebration and merriment as we kick off another great year. Reserve a spot at http://sfbeta404.eventbrite.com/

10% off – Social Email Conference: Integrating Email Marketing & Social Media
Sept 17th, 9:00a – 5:30p
Hotel Nikko
Social:Email San Francisco will bring together marketing experts, email companies and brands to discuss integrated email and social media marketing campaigns. This one day conference offers expert-led guidance on how to engage with customers via email and social media, including tips on how to maximize the impact of your campaigns, insights into new tools and services, how to monitor and measure the results, and trends to watch out for. This is the ultimate event for anyone interested in combining email with social media marketing. Reserve your spot at http://socialmediamarketing.co.uk/socialemail with the code “webwallflower”

15% off – Think Mobile
Sept 23rd, All Day
UCSF Mission Bay
Think Mobile moves west! Join Mediabistro on September 23 at the first west coast Think Mobile event to learn how to reinvent your business with unique mobile offerings and understand key mobile metrics. The mobile industry is moving at a rapid pace, and a smart mobile strategy is essential for all organizations. At Think Mobile you’ll learn how to take advantage of the opportunities. Uncover revenue drivers: content, apps, advertising, and more. Learn how to make money from location services, targeted content, and augmented reality from our expert speakers’ case studies. Speakers include Starbucks CIO Stephen Gillett, Nielsen Global SVP Kanishka Agarwal, Microsoft Sr. Product Manager Anand Iyer, Evernote CEO Phil Libin, NPD Executive Director Ross Rubin, and more.  For more information, check out http://www.mediabistro.com/thinkmobile/?c=tmbate and get 15% discount with code TMBATE!

$50 off – theCOREconference
Sept 23-25th
Richmond, CA
Are you a community leader, organizer, marketing executive, Executive Director, CEO or media maker?  Join us at theCOREconference where community and technology leaders convene to exchange ideas, practices & strategies.  Learn how to build, engage, lead, communicate and collaborate with your people from dynamic practitioners across many fields. Grow your social endeavors and understand the economy and ecology of communities. Subjects explored include: collective intelligence, crowd sourcing, alternative currencies, movement building, multi-stakeholder collaborations and the economics of community.  Save $50 off w/ WebWallflower discount code:  WALL at http://thecoreconference.com.

15% off – Smartphone Games Summit
Sept 24th, 9:00a – 5:00p
Hotel Nikko
The Smartphone Games Summit is a single day conference produced by Charles Hudson and Mediabistro focused on the emerging smartphone games space. The conference will bring together leading developers, investors, and executives from around the globe to share their collective wisdom on what’s working today and where this exciting industry is heading. The Smartphone Games Summit will touch on a number of key trends, including: International trends in smartphone games; Engaging smartphone game design; Lessons from leaders; Mobile social games; Keys to successful monetization; Building and executing a successful distribution strategy. Speakers represent Aurora Feint, Zong, ngmoco, Greystripe, PlayFirst, Tapjoy, Scoreloop, and more. More information at http://www.mediabistro.com/smartphonegamessummit/?c=spbate and get 15% discount with code SPBATE!

25% off – Web Expo New York
Sept 27th – 30th
New York, NY
Set in the East Coast’s thriving Internet hub, Web 2.0 Expo New York assembles top tech influencers for four days of intense talks, workshops, discussions, and networking events. Connect with other designers, developers, entrepreneurs, marketers, business strategists, and investors at one of the most vibrant events of the year. More information available at http://www.web2expo.com/webexny2010/ and be sure to claim your 25% off with the code “webny10bd6″

The Perfect Pitch Conference
October 7-8, 2010
Palms Casino, Las Vegas
Amazing Entrepreneur Conference. Over 100 venture capital and angel investors will review and select the top pitches to speak at the PerfectBusiness Summit 2010 in Las Vegas. Great networking opportunity. Both the speakers and attendees are a who’s who among big-time entrepreneurs and business leaders, including Tony Hsieh of Zappos, Aaron Patzer of Mint.com, David Hunke of USA TODAY, John Paul DeJoria of Patron Tequila, and thousands of others!  Check it out at
http://www.PerfectBusiness.com/DISCOUNT20 and receive $20 off tickets

The Awesome Foundation
$1k Grants for Awesome Ideas
The SF Awesome Foundation provides $1,000 grants to people in the Bay Area who want to do a cool project and need a little cash to make it happen. There are no strings attached or fine print. We don’t want a stake in it. We just want to help you make it happen. The only thing we’ll ask is that you share your project with us and the community during a small party we’ll throw in your honor. Recently, we awarded $1k to the History of the Sky: a project to video tape the sky over the Exploratorium for an entire year… check it out: http://murphlab.com/hsky/ We especially like projects that are quirky and for the community’s benefit or enjoyment. It’s up to you, it just needs to be awesome. Apply now!

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SAN FRANCISCO EVENTS:

SF NewTech
Aug 31st, 5:30p – 11:30p
Mighty Bar
One of the best technology meetups in the bay area; I am a regular of this event and continue to love it.  I make incredible connections, form great partnerships, and love the crowd – and tacos!  This month the demo appbackr, iVdopia, Membase, Surfmark, 4delite, and more!  Reserve a spot at http://aug31sfnewtech-rss.eventbrite.com/

Twitter Nation: Fireside Chat w/ Evan Williams
Sept 2nd, 7:00 – 10:00p
KickLabs
Engage with the man behind one of the hottest and fastest growing tech companies in existence.  Learn more about the history of the company, how twitter was built, how they plan on making money, product development, and what’s next for the company.  More information available at http://gitwitter.eventbrite.com/

dot429 Brunch
Sept 5th, 12:00 – 3:00p
Adagio Hotel Penthouse
Please join us for brunch and Bellinis at our next bi-monthly networking event.  Meet new clients, potential investors, or your next business partner!  Conversations to rival the spectacular off the penthouse terrace, plus bottomless bloody marys and bellinis.  More information at http://dot429.com/events/brunch-san-francisco-2

Sidewalk Collectictive
Sept 7th, 7:00 – 10:00p
Parisoma Loft
At Postling, we believe in empowering small businesses so local communities can thrive in a world of big brands. That’s why we started Sidewalk Collective—neighborhood events where independently-owned businesses bring their social media stories, questions, and successes to an open forum.  San Francisco businesses are invited to join us for an open discussion at pariSoma Innovation Loft. In addition to networking with other local business owners, you’ll walk away with tips and tricks for the latest social media tools, bright ideas for social media marketing, and solutions to problems you’re encountering.  More information at http://sidewalksoma.eventbrite.com/.

Unleashed Culture Conference
Sept 10th, All Day
Intercontinental Hotel
This is a not-to-be-missed event for CEOs of leading venture-backed companies who are interested in building a world class place to work.  We’ve brought together some of the leading thinkers, CEOs and practitioners in the area of culture-building including: Scott Weiss, Founder/CEO of IronPort Systems; Joel Peterson, Chairman of JetBlue; Patty McCord, Chief of Talent at Netflix; Chip Conley, CEO of Joie De Vivre Hospitality; and Ann Rhoades, former Chief of People for Southwest Airlines.  We’re focused on making sure that you walk away with practical tools and insights that you can immediately use to make a difference in your company’s culture and long-term success.  It’ll be an outstanding event and an excellent opportunity to spend time doing so with the best CEOs in the Bay Area.  To register, visit http://beunleashed.com

Teens in Tech MiniConference
Sept 11th, 9:00a – 4:00p
KickLabs, San Francisco
Teens in Tech miniConference is a miniature version of the Teens in Tech Conference held in San Francisco annually. The goal of the Teens in Tech miniConference is to bring a close group of individuals and have discussions and talks on subjects ranging from social media, web technologies, venture capital, green technology, and many more. For more information, check out http://teensintech.com/conference/

APPNATION Conference and Expo
Sept 13th – 14th
Moscone North
Join us in San Francisco on September 13-14 for the FIRST global conference and expo focusing exclusively on the monetization of the consumer apps market!  Thousands of developers, marketers, advertisers, investors and analysts will assemble at the Moscone for dozens of exciting presentations from the industry’s brightest and boldest minds, exciting announcements, …meetings and networking events, and a never-before seen expo hall set up that will showcase the most innovative developers’ work in this burgeoning field!  REGISTER TODAY AT www.appnationconference.com!

DEMO Fall
Sept 13 – 15, All Day
Hyatt Regency
Come to DEMO to preview new, carefully-vetted products and business plans from entrepreneurs eager to show you their innovations in one place at one time. It’s where entrepreneurs, investors, media and buyers will all converge to take the most promising products from concept to customers. You should be there to experience the future of innovation, find quality dealflow, and network with the people who are likely to change the face of technology in the years to come. All will converge at DEMO Fall 2010 in Silicon Valley, to see the latest innovations in key tech segments. For more information, check out http://www.demo.com/

Get Real: San Francisco
Sept 14th, 8:00 – 10:30a
Clift House
This breakfast meeting at the Clift Hotel will cover how to learn from leading brands to achieve ROI with online social influencers. Community managers and social media strategists will glean information from both case studies and a Q&A with expert speakers on social media and community-based support.  Info and registration at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/786644876/

West Coast FoundersCard Networking Event
Sept 14th, 7:00 – 9:00p
Roe Lounge
We are pleased to announce our upcoming West Coast Fall Networking Event. Don’t miss this truly unique opportunity to network with other influential members. This will be a members-only event so please be sure to bring your membership card. We will be announcing fall events in other cities shortly. Enjoy the rest of the summer and hope to see you in San Francisco! This is a member’s only event, so be sure to sign up at http://founderscard.com/

30% off – SF Beta 4.0.4
Sept 15th, 5:00 – 9:00p
111 Minna Gallery
SF Beta is one of San Francisco’s best and biggest startup mixers, attracting founders, innovators, investors, and executives from Silicon Valley and beyond. Our loosely structured event attracts over 350 people, and sometimes a whole lot more. We provide tasty gourmet appetizers and a full cash bar, along with live demos from startups throughout the night. September is a special month, as it marks our 4th year anniversary, along with producer Christian Perry’s birthday. Join us for an evening of celebration and merriment as we kick off another great year. Reserve a spot at http://sfbeta404.eventbrite.com/

Cocktails & Conversations: Exit Options for Founders and Early Shareholders
Sept 16th, 6:30 – 9:30p
Kicklabs, SF
SecondMarket is pleased to invite you to attend our inaugural, “Cocktails & Conversations” function in which a panel of industry professionals will discuss exit options for founders and early shareholders. Jonathan Abrams, CEO and Founder of Socializr and Friendster, and co-Founder of the Founder’s Den moderates an incredible panel including Jeremy Smith of SecondMarket, Michael Barton of Startup Exchange, George Zachary of CRV, Yokum Taku of Wilson Sonsini, and Elad Gil of Twitter.  More information is available at http://cocktailsandconversations.eventbrite.com/

Hacks/Hackers presents: Ushahidi: Crowdsourcing crisis information in major disasters
Sept 16th, 6:30 – 9:30p
55 Taylor St
Ushahidi is an African non-profit tech company that develops free and open-source software for live mapping crowdsourced information.  Patrick Meier, director of crisis mapping at Ushahidi, will highlight how the platform was used in response to the Haiti earthquake and the floods in Pakistan.  How did Ushahidi volunteers pull this off and save hundreds of lives? How did they crowdsource tens of thousands of text messages directly from the disaster affected population? How did they translate, tag and geo-locate this information in near real-time? In sum, how can hacking save lives in major disasters?  More information available at http://meetup.hackshackers.com/calendar/14594870/

10% off – Social Email Conference: Integrating Email Marketing & Social Media
Sept 17th, 9:00a – 5:30p
Hotel Nikko
Social:Email San Francisco will bring together marketing experts, email companies and brands to discuss integrated email and social media marketing campaigns. This one day conference offers expert-led guidance on how to engage with customers via email and social media, including tips on how to maximize the impact of your campaigns, insights into new tools and services, how to monitor and measure the results, and trends to watch out for. This is the ultimate event for anyone interested in combining email with social media marketing. Reserve your spot at http://socialmediamarketing.co.uk/socialemail with the code “webwallflower”

20% off – BizTechDay
Sept 18, 24, & Oct 23
Seattle, New York, and SF
Imagine 1500 passionate and influential entrepreneurs and business leaders gathered together to strengthen their business and ventures.  That’s BizTechDay, an intensive one-day conference where you meet, learn and be inspired by the most practical business ideas and technology strategies.  At BizTechDay, you will listen to 10 practical business talks, watch 10 innovative technology demos and meet people who will change how your business work and turn your dreams into a reality.  Get fired up by stories of some of the most inspiring entrepreneurs in Seattle, New York and San Francisco. Registration for the BizTechDay 2010 is now live at http://www.biztechday.com/register, and receive your discount with code “WebWallFlower”

15% off – Think Mobile
Sept 23rd, All Day
UCSF Mission Bay
Think Mobile moves west! Join Mediabistro on September 23 at the first west coast Think Mobile event to learn how to reinvent your business with unique mobile offerings and understand key mobile metrics. The mobile industry is moving at a rapid pace, and a smart mobile strategy is essential for all organizations. At Think Mobile you’ll learn how to take advantage of the opportunities. Uncover revenue drivers: content, apps, advertising, and more. Learn how to make money from location services, targeted content, and augmented reality from our expert speakers’ case studies. Speakers include Starbucks CIO Stephen Gillett, Nielsen Global SVP Kanishka Agarwal, Microsoft Sr. Product Manager Anand Iyer, Evernote CEO Phil Libin, NPD Executive Director Ross Rubin, and more.  For more information, check out http://www.mediabistro.com/thinkmobile/?c=tmbate and get 15% discount with code TMBATE!

15% off – Smartphone Games Summit
Sept 24th, 9:00a – 5:00p
Hotel Nikko
The Smartphone Games Summit is a single day conference produced by Charles Hudson and Mediabistro focused on the emerging smartphone games space. The conference will bring together leading developers, investors, and executives from around the globe to share their collective wisdom on what’s working today and where this exciting industry is heading. The Smartphone Games Summit will touch on a number of key trends, including: International trends in smartphone games; Engaging smartphone game design; Lessons from leaders; Mobile social games; Keys to successful monetization; Building and executing a successful distribution strategy. Speakers represent Aurora Feint, Zong, ngmoco, Greystripe, PlayFirst, Tapjoy, Scoreloop, and more. More information at http://www.mediabistro.com/smartphonegamessummit/?c=spbate and get 15% discount with code SPBATE!

Quora Community Party
Sept 25th, 4:00p – 11:30p
San Francisco – Location TBD
This is just a laid back gathering of fans of Quora, interested parties, employees, founders, startups, tech community members, and pretty much anyone who just wants to get a drink with the industry.  Watch their Facebook Page for updates.

Mobilize 2010
Sept 30th, 7:00a – 8:00p
Mission Bay Conference Center
Mobilize 2010 is a one-day conference that brings together the thought leaders and practitioners of the mobile web ecosystems for discussions, demonstrations and debate. The conjunction of mobile computing and cloud-based services will unleash an entire new wave of product and market growth. At this year’s conference, we’ll show you how cloud computing and mobile web will create the beginning of further opportunity. Join us as we look at emerging devices, from pads and tablets to smartphones and beyond. Details are available on the Mobilize 2010 website: http://mobilizeconf.com/

FailCon Launch Party
Oct 7th, 7:00 – 10:00p
The Parlor, SF
FailCon is right around the corner, and to kick it off, we’re hosting a night of networking, music, fun, and games at this beautiful bar, The Parlor.  We’ll be featuring a few of our sponsors, meeting with the speakers, and sharing stories of failures passed. A FailCon ticket gets you in for free, otherwise it’s $15 online, $20 at the door.  Hope to see you there!  Check out http://prefailcon.mogotix.com/ for tickets or http://failcon2010.com for the conference!

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BAY AREA EVENTS:

SDForum Workshop – Mentoring: Your Secret Weapon
August 31, 2010 from 7:30-10am
White & Lee, 541 Jefferson Ave, Redwood City
What Makes a Mentor? All the professionals in your organization need mentoring customized to their individual needs, especially when assignment-based learning opportunities are limited. Last but not least, leaders of teams need to recognize that mentoring is a two-way street: Not only must partners mentor associates, but associates need to mentor one another.  This session will cover the ten marks of a great mentor and the five things a mentor will look for in you. Whether you are within a corporation, in transition, in a start-up or on your own, you, your organization and your community will greatly benefit from developing a mentoring plan that works.  More information at http://www.sdforum.org/mentor

How to Create a $100M Business
Sept 1, 6:30 – 9:00p
Network Meeting Center at the TechMart, Santa Clara
Most of product management concerns itself with incremental innovation, creating new or improved products for existing markets. We are taught to identify problems in the marketplace and work with our engineering team to develop solutions. But what do we do when the problem is not fully known? How do we innovate when we have only a vague idea of who our customer is or might be? Come hear Steve Blank share his insights for capitalizing on disruptive innovations!  More information available at SVASE.

Mid-Peninsular Business Networking Mixer
Sept 2nd, 6:00 – 9:00p
Bistro 412, Palo Alto
The best business is personal business… BayArea.com events are unique – Experience the difference!  Meet your next clients here! Create Alliances, Leverage Your Business, Generate Revenues, Connect with 100s of Executives and Decision-Makers (B2B & B2C) in a very unique, upscale, approachable, professional, and fun environment, with a twist of friendly hospitality…Enjoy fine art, gourmet appetizers, live music, and win prizes too!  Reserve a slot at http://2010sep2bistro412.eventbrite.com

Women and Technology Summit
Sept 12th – 14th
Doubletree Hotel, San Jose
Top technology leaders from Clean Tech, Mobile, Search, Cloud, Social Media, and Business teach WITI Summit attendees how to capture and target more customers, build stronger relationships with existing customers and take advantage of the applications and tools to build a stronger web presence, increase revenue and streamline costs for their companies.  WITI represents the ideal market for business Networking – CIO’s, executive women and men as well as leaders in technology from around the world converge at WITI’s Annual Women and Technology Summit to discuss and collaborate on innovative solutions to common business challenges, and explore new business opportunities.  More information is up at http://www.witi.com/center/conferences/2010/summit/

Tech Talk: “10 Things” with the Lead Design for Mint.com
Sept 15th, 7:00 – 9:30p
Hacker Dojo, Mountain View
Design is more than pretty pictures. It’s about combining different aspects of intelligence – rationality, creativity and empathy – to meet your users’ needs and drive business success. It’s about crafting the user e…xperience, which is how the thing you’re designing works in the real world and how your users feel about it.  Free dinner & refreshments will served!  More information on their Facebook Page.

Startup Fair
Sept 23rd, 4:00 – 9:00p
Hacker Dojo, Mountain View
Startup Fair at Hacker Dojo is an event for entrepreneurs and early-stage startup companies to demo their products to angel investors and other entrepreneurs for valuable feedback, customer development, and possible investment opportunities. You must have a demo-able product by the event date.  Info at http://events.hackerdojo.com/event/199002-startup-fair-2010

SV B2B Networking Expo & Trade Show
Sept 23rd, 6:00 – 9:00p
Reid-Hillview Airport, San Jose
The best business is personal business… BayArea.com events are unique – Experience the difference!  Meet your next clients here! Create Alliances, Leverage Your Business, Generate Revenues, Connect with 100s of Executives and Decision-Makers (B2B & B2C) in a very unique, upscale, approachable, professional, and fun environment, with a twist of friendly hospitality…Fly in a Cessna, check out antique airplanes and luxury cars, enjoy many gourmet appetizers, spirits tasting, live music and entertainment, win prizes, and celebrate our 12 years in business too!  More info available at http://2010sep23siliconvalleybizexpo8.eventbrite.com/

$50 off – theCOREconference
Sept 23-25th
Richmond, CA
Are you a community leader, organizer, marketing executive, Executive Director, CEO or media maker?  Join us at theCOREconference where community and technology leaders convene to exchange ideas, practices & strategies.  Learn how to build, engage, lead, communicate and collaborate with your people from dynamic practitioners across many fields. Grow your social endeavors and understand the economy and ecology of communities. Subjects explored include: collective intelligence, crowd sourcing, alternative currencies, movement building, multi-stakeholder collaborations and the economics of community.  Save $50 off w/ WebWallflower discount code:  WALL at http://thecoreconference.com.

The Private Company Stock Conference
Sept 27th, 8:30a – 5:00p
Four Seasons SV, East Palo Alto
Decreased activity in the IPO and M&A markets has left many private company stakeholders without a path to liquidity. This demand for liquidity has resulted in a growing secondary market for private company stock. In addition to providing an exit, the private stock market is an attractive investment option. This conference explores the legal, strategic and investment considerations from the various seller and buyer perspectives. Speakers include: Jeff Thomas, SecondMarket; Shaival Shah, Hunch; Ken Sawyer, Saints Venture Capital; Ross Barrett, VC Experts; Matthew Brady, Barclays Wealth; William Davisson, Goodwin Proctor; Owen Thomas, VentureBeat; Laurence Allen, NYPPEX. For more information please visit: www.dealflow.com/privatestock. To register, call (516) 876-8006, Regular Admission is $995  Information is up at http://www.dealflowmedia.com/

PlugandPlay TechCenter Events
Daily!
So PlugandPlay TechCenter has a ton of awesome events, and it would take an entire newsletter just to share them all. Skim their calendar regularly to see what they have to offer. http://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/calendar/

SVASE Series
Weekly
SVASE, the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs, is the largest and fastest growing nonprofit association in Northern California dedicated exclusively to helping early stage tech entrepreneurs. They hold events regularly in the peninsula, and occasionally the city itself. There are too many to name in my brief email, but be sure to check them out for advice on investment, team development, financing, corporate leadership, and much more: http://www.svase.org/

SDforum
Weekly Not to add another list of events to my list, but SDforum also has something every other day. Essentially “SDForum is the leading Silicon Valley not-for-profit organization providing an unbiased source of information and insight to the technology community. SDForum provides a venue for engineers, executives, researchers, technology leaders, and venture capitalists to exchange information on emerging technologies and best practices.” Info on their events at www.sdforum.com.

Founders Space
Founders Space brings together founders, angels, VCs, attorneys, CFOs and other experts to answer the questions all founders have. We’re focused on developing new ways to connect founders, advisors and investors around the world. Our vision is to build a global platform, where startups and advisors work as virtual teams to enter and grow new markets, and where investors can efficiently discover the best matches for their investment goals. So join us in this grand adventure, and let’s build something truly great!

The 4th FailChat is also tonight, and I hope for another sold out show! Join us to hear if and how startups can survive without funding. We’ll be joined by 3 founders who have tried it and an outside adviser/investor who’s seen both sides of the coin. Be sure to reserve you spot at http://failchat4.mogotix.com

-=Cass Phillipps=-
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TOP UPCOMING BAY AREA TECH EVENTS
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EVENT DISCOUNTS
SAN FRANCISCO EVENTS
BAY AREA EVENTS

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EVENT DISCOUNTS:

FailChat #4: How to Survive Without Funding
August 17, 6:30 – 9:30
Parisoma: 1436 Howard St. SF
Many companies today don’t get funded. Considering that, how does a startup survive tough competition, company growth, and unpredictable markets with virtually zero capital? To address these questions and concerns, we’ve compiled a panel of founders who’ve been there and investors who’ve seen it happen. We’ll be discussing whether its possible to get by without funding, how to balance the budget if you try, and what problems you are likely to encounter. We’ll also be getting into what tools to use, how to stay lean, stories of what hasn’t worked, and other fundamentals of the self-funded process. Each FailChat attracts an intimate and targeted group of early-stage founders and entrepreneurs to discuss the common mistakes and missteps that startups and small businesses take. Beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and appetizers are provided throughout the seminar. Panelists currently include: Christine Herron from First Round Capital, Pat Diven from AddToAny, Gregarious Narain from Lil Grams, and Lyn Williams from MySoiree, with more TBA. Buy Tickets At: http://failchat4.mogotix.com

Usability Bootcamp SF
August 19 & 20th, 2010
Cooper, 100 First Street, San Francisco
A hands-on workshop taught by well-known usability consultant Christine Perfetti. Over two full days, learn how to run regular usability tests to: uncover your users’ latent needs, refine features/requirements, test the depth of interactions, refine design, and much more. Walk away with end-to-end knowledge on how to take advantage of testing to build world-class products. You’ll also learn how to apply these techniques in different environments, from engineering-driven agile shops to large enterprises. For subscribers of this email, enter the promo code ‘webwallflower’ by Friday, July 30th to sign up for $795 – a savings of $300 off the final registration price. http://www.perfettimedia.com/workshops/usability_bootcamp/san-francisco.html

5% off – Mess At The Mansions
September 15 – 19, 2010
Las Vegas Mini Castles Mansion Complex, Las Vegas NV
The Mess at the Mansions is a five day retreat that mixes business with pleasure, created in an idyllic situation to foster real business results, developing the intimate business relationships we all need to grow. Inside three large Mansions, just miles from the Las Vegas strip, a business retreat of epic proportions is being held for 20 guests living side by side for five days with some of Americas greatest entrepreneurs. These leaders have mentored some of the foremost business successes in America. Their brains are yours for five exquisite days and night in some of the most enjoyable atmosphere ever offered. Join us in fabulous Las Vegas. We’ve coordinated some of the most exclusive accommodations, greatest food, and finest wines, in a well appointed mansion, with first class service from the time you land until the moment you return to the airport. What if you could get all this plus the greatest business experience of your life? For more information, check out http://themessbeforesuccess.com/sign_up_mess_at_the_mansions.html and to register with your exclusive FailCon 5% discount, enter the code FC201 into the discount code field.

10% off – Social Email Conference: Integrating Email Marketing & Social Media
Sept 17th, 9:00a – 5:30p
Hotel Nikko
Social:Email San Francisco will bring together marketing experts, email companies and brands to discuss integrated email and social media marketing campaigns. This one day conference offers expert-led guidance on how to engage with customers via email and social media, including tips on how to maximize the impact of your campaigns, insights into new tools and services, how to monitor and measure the results, and trends to watch out for. This is the ultimate event for anyone interested in combining email with social media marketing. Reserve your spot at http://socialmediamarketing.co.uk/socialemail with the code “webwallflower”

$50 off – theCOREconference
Sept 23-25th
Richmond, CA
Are you a community leader, organizer, marketing executive, Executive Director, CEO or media maker?  Join us at theCOREconference where community and technology leaders convene to exchange ideas, practices & strategies.  Learn how to build, engage, lead, communicate and collaborate with your people from dynamic practitioners across many fields. Grow your social endeavors and understand the economy and ecology of communities. Subjects explored include: collective intelligence, crowd sourcing, alternative currencies, movement building, multi-stakeholder collaborations and the economics of community.  Save $50 off w/ WebWallflower discount code:  WALL at http://thecoreconference.com.

25% off – Web Expo New York
Sept 27th – 30th
New York, NY
Set in the East Coast’s thriving Internet hub, Web 2.0 Expo New York assembles top tech influencers for four days of intense talks, workshops, discussions, and networking events. Connect with other designers, developers, entrepreneurs, marketers, business strategists, and investors at one of the most vibrant events of the year. More information available at http://www.web2expo.com/webexny2010/ and be sure to claim your 25% off with the code “webny10bd6″

The Awesome Foundation
$1k Grants for Awesome Ideas
The SF Awesome Foundation provides $1,000 grants to people in the Bay Area who want to do a cool project and need a little cash to make it happen. There are no strings attached or fine print. We don’t want a stake in it. We just want to help you make it happen. The only thing we’ll ask is that you share your project with us and the community during a small party we’ll throw in your honor. Recently, we awarded $1k to the History of the Sky: a project to video tape the sky over the Exploratorium for an entire year… check it out: http://murphlab.com/hsky/ We especially like projects that are quirky and for the community’s benefit or enjoyment. It’s up to you, it just needs to be awesome. Apply now!

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SAN FRANCISCO EVENTS:

FailChat #4: How to Survive Without Funding
August 17, 6:30 – 9:30
Parisoma: 1436 Howard St. SF
Many companies today don’t get funded. Considering that, how does a startup survive tough competition, company growth, and unpredictable markets with virtually zero capital? To address these questions and concerns, we’ve compiled a panel of founders who’ve been there and investors who’ve seen it happen. We’ll be discussing whether its possible to get by without funding, how to balance the budget if you try, and what problems you are likely to encounter. We’ll also be getting into what tools to use, how to stay lean, stories of what hasn’t worked, and other fundamentals of the self-funded process. Each FailChat attracts an intimate and targeted group of early-stage founders and entrepreneurs to discuss the common mistakes and missteps that startups and small businesses take. Beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and appetizers are provided throughout the seminar. Panelists currently include: Christine Herron from First Round Capital, Pat Diven from AddToAny, Gregarious Narain from Lil Grams, and Lyn Williams from MySoiree, with more TBA. Buy Tickets At: http://failchat4.mogotix.com

Social Media Club Meetup
Aug 18th, 6:00 – 8:30p
Supper Club
Our friend David Merman Scott is coming to San Francisco in support of his latest book, and we thought it would be great to bring the Social Media Club community together to welcome him while sharing a cocktail or two as well. The Supper Club has graciously opened their doors for us and is offering two killer deals for your tasting pleasure: In exchange for your business card, your first drink is free! (signature cocktail of their choosing)  Reduced drink prices on white/red wine, beer and a signature cocktail (their choosing)  Once we get that nice warm feeling in our belly, and David has had all the hugs he can stand, join us as we make our way over to the SES IM Charity Party taking place at Roe. $40 open bar, and all proceeds go to charity. See http://www.imcharityparty.com/ for more details.

140Conf: Exploring the State of Now
Aug 19th, All Day
Moscone Center
The #140conf events provide a platform for the worldwide twitter community to: listen, connect, share and engage with each other, while collectively exploring the effects of the emerging real-time internet on business. Our schedule will be unique and fast paced. It is our intention to provide a platform for as many people as possible to share their thoughts and engage in conversation with the attending delegates. You will find individual talks set to: 10 minutes; “Featured talks” 15 and the various panel discussions are set for 15 and 20 minutes. More information available at http://sf.140conf.com/

Zindagi organic wine tasting
Aug 19th, 6:30 – 9:30 pm
Hub SoMa (5th and mission)
Come join us for a lively evening of networking and wine tasting at one of the hippest spaces in San Francisco. This is a great event for people to learn how technological innovation is being used to change society. The event will also feature organic and sustainably produced wine from local, family-owned vineyards. Zindagi literally means “Life” in Hindi, and we are your hosts for the evening. Our goal is to use technology to educate a new generation of financially capable Americans who are empowered to achieve their life goals. More info at http://zindagi.eventbrite.com/

The State of Mobile
Aug 19th, 6:30 – 9:00p
Kicklabs, SF
Please join us for the first event with MITCNC’s Startup Engine Series.  This ongoing series will focus on specific and actionable advice in a variety of spaces.  This particular panel will focus on mobile applications and will discuss recent changes in the mobile application market, speculate about the next 3-6 months, and advise how attendees can/should get involved.  For more information, check out http://mitcnc.org

Usability Bootcamp SF
August 19 & 20th, 2010
Cooper, 100 First Street, San Francisco
A hands-on workshop taught by well-known usability consultant Christine Perfetti. Over two full days, learn how to run regular usability tests to: uncover your users’ latent needs, refine features/requirements, test the depth of interactions, refine design, and much more. Walk away with end-to-end knowledge on how to take advantage of testing to build world-class products. You’ll also learn how to apply these techniques in different environments, from engineering-driven agile shops to large enterprises. For subscribers of this email, enter the promo code ‘webwallflower’ by Friday, July 30th to sign up for $795 – a savings of $300 off the final registration price. http://www.perfettimedia.com/workshops/usability_bootcamp/san-francisco.html

Chomp Tastemaker Party
Aug 24th, 7:00 – 10:00p
Sloane (1525 Mission St.)
Chomp is excited to host the last big tech bash of the summer. On August 24 join us for drinks (open bar 7-8:30p) , music, and the company of many of Chomp’s tastemakers including Kevin Rose and Robert Scoble.  Register now because space is limited and the guest list is filling up fast: http://chomp.eventbrite.com/

UX Week
August 24-27
San Francisco
Adaptive Path’s UX Week is the premier user experience conference. With a mix of inspiring talks from recognized thought leaders and hands-on workshops delivering takeaway skills, this event delivers for user experience professionals at all levels — directors, managers, and practitioners. Join us for the seventh UX Week. It just keeps getting better and better! http://uxweek2010.eventbrite.com

Data Center Social Club
Aug 25th, 5:00 – 7:00p
111 Minna Gallery
Come out and have a cocktail with some of the region’s most influential professionals in the data center industry.  This monthly event will be held at 111 Minna, just off 2^nd Street in San Francisco.  No need to RSVP just show up, from 5 to 7pm.  No selling please.

SFAMA Presents – The Old Spice Phenomenon
Aug 25th, 6:00 – 8:30p
Bars + Tone (1550 Bryant Street, Suite 1000)
Old Spice has gone through an incredible transformation in rebranding themselves. For two years, they stayed silent. No advertising, no promotion. The goal was to reposition themselves to an entirely different target market. With guidance from advertising pioneers Weiden + Kennedy, Old Spice succeeded and took the world by storm. From clever commercials to perfectly executed viral ad campaigns, Old Spic…e has redefined advertising. How will this affect the future of marketing? What will we see in the months to come? Who will succeed, and who will be perceived as a rip-off? Join Jim Nichols and our panel of social media experts for an in-depth conversation on the Old Spice phenomenon. RSVP at http://sfama.org/?p=1271

The App Faceoff
Aug 25th, 6:30 – 9:30p
Parisoma Loft
We have thousands of dollars in prizes for the top apps, as named by the judges, and some great schwag to give out to attendees. Prizes include mobile ad network credit, targeted survey taking, and more.  Drinks (beer and pariSoma’s famous sangria), snacks, and networking will happen between 6:30 and 7:30. At 7:30, we’ll have developers present, judges judge, and prizes given. Following the formal event we’ll have more drinks, snacks, and great networking. Currently, we are looking for developers who want to pitch their app! Fill out the form here to be considered.  Sign up to attend at http://appfaceoff.eventbrite.com/

Digital Summer 2010
Aug 25th, 8:00p – 11:30p
Temple (540 Howard)
On August 25th, Ubergizmo will host Digital Summer, an event that brings together the most international, professional, and glamorous crowd in San Francisco to celebrate photography, fashion, art, and technology. Among the unique features of this one-of-a-kind event is a live runway fashion show. Invitees will also have a chance to enjoy a professional photo-shoot and lots of time to socialize. RSVP at http://digitalsummer2010.eventbrite.com/

Startup Waffles
Aug 26th, 8:00a- 10:00a
Twilio HQ, 501 Folsom
Are you a founder of or an investor in a cool startup? Do you like free all you can eat yummy waffles? If you answered yes to both of those questions, then come hang out with the Startup Digest co-founders, hackers, and founders for some breakfast between 8am-10am at Twilio HQ.  Info up at Plancast!

SF NewTech
Aug 31st, 5:30p – 11:30p
Mighty Bar
One of the best technology meetups in the bay area; I am a regular of this event and continue to love it.  I make incredible connections, form great partnerships, and love the crowd – and tacos!  This month the demo appbackr, iVdopia, Membase, Surfmark, 4delite, and more!  Reserve a spot at http://aug31sfnewtech-rss.eventbrite.com/

Unleashed Culture Conference
Sept 10th, All Day
Intercontinental Hotel
This is a not-to-be-missed event for CEOs of leading venture-backed companies who are interested in building a world class place to work.  We’ve brought together some of the leading thinkers, CEOs and practitioners in the area of culture-building including: Scott Weiss, Founder/CEO of IronPort Systems; Joel Peterson, Chairman of JetBlue; Patty McCord, Chief of Talent at Netflix; Chip Conley, CEO of Joie De Vivre Hospitality; and Ann Rhoades, former Chief of People for Southwest Airlines.  We’re focused on making sure that you walk away with practical tools and insights that you can immediately use to make a difference in your company’s culture and long-term success.  It’ll be an outstanding event and an excellent opportunity to spend time doing so with the best CEOs in the Bay Area.  To register, visit http://beunleashed.com

Teens in Tech MiniConference
Sept 11th, 9:00a – 4:00p
KickLabs, San Francisco
Teens in Tech miniConference is a miniature version of the Teens in Tech Conference held in San Francisco annually. The goal of the Teens in Tech miniConference is to bring a close group of individuals and have discussions and talks on subjects ranging from social media, web technologies, venture capital, green technology, and many more. For more information, check out http://teensintech.com/conference/

APPNATION Conference and Expo
Sept 13th – 14th
Moscone North
Join us in San Francisco on September 13-14 for the FIRST global conference and expo focusing exclusively on the monetization of the consumer apps market!  Thousands of developers, marketers, advertisers, investors and analysts will assemble at the Moscone for dozens of exciting presentations from the industry’s brightest and boldest minds, exciting announcements, …meetings and networking events, and a never-before seen expo hall set up that will showcase the most innovative developers’ work in this burgeoning field!  REGISTER TODAY AT www.appnationconference.com!

DEMO Fall
Sept 13 – 15, All Day
Hyatt Regency
Come to DEMO to preview new, carefully-vetted products and business plans from entrepreneurs eager to show you their innovations in one place at one time. It’s where entrepreneurs, investors, media and buyers will all converge to take the most promising products from concept to customers. You should be there to experience the future of innovation, find quality dealflow, and network with the people who are likely to change the face of technology in the years to come. All will converge at DEMO Fall 2010 in Silicon Valley, to see the latest innovations in key tech segments. For more information, check out http://www.demo.com/

West Coast FoundersCard Networking Event
Sept 14th, 7:00 – 9:00p
Roe Lounge
We are pleased to announce our upcoming West Coast Fall Networking Event. Don’t miss this truly unique opportunity to network with other influential members. This will be a members-only event so please be sure to bring your membership card. We will be announcing fall events in other cities shortly. Enjoy the rest of the summer and hope to see you in San Francisco! This is a member’s only event, so be sure to sign up at http://founderscard.com/

SF Beta 4.0.4
Sept 15th, 5:00 – 9:00p
111 Minna Gallery
SF Beta is one of San Francisco’s best and biggest startup mixers, attracting founders, innovators, investors, and executives from Silicon Valley and beyond. Our loosely structured event attracts over 350 people, and sometimes a whole lot more. We provide tasty gourmet appetizers and a full cash bar, along with live demos from startups throughout the night. September is a special month, as it marks our 4th year anniversary, along with producer Christian Perry’s birthday. Join us for an evening of celebration and merriment as we kick off another great year. Reserve a spot at http://sfbeta404.eventbrite.com/

10% off – Social Email Conference: Integrating Email Marketing & Social Media
Sept 17th, 9:00a – 5:30p
Hotel Nikko
Social:Email San Francisco will bring together marketing experts, email companies and brands to discuss integrated email and social media marketing campaigns. This one day conference offers expert-led guidance on how to engage with customers via email and social media, including tips on how to maximize the impact of your campaigns, insights into new tools and services, how to monitor and measure the results, and trends to watch out for. This is the ultimate event for anyone interested in combining email with social media marketing. Reserve your spot at http://socialmediamarketing.co.uk/socialemail with the code “webwallflower”

Think Mobile
Sept 23rd, All Day
UCSF Mission Bay
Think Mobile moves west! Join us on September 23 at our first west coast Think Mobile event, a conference that explores the broadening mobile ecosystem, the application marketplace, and the innovation that drives the industry.  The mobile industry is moving at a rapid pace, and a smart mobile strategy is essential for all organizations. How can you take advantage of the opportunities? Uncover revenue drivers: content, apps, advertising, and more.  Learn how to develop and monetize location services, targeted content, and augmented reality.  Learn from mobile marketing case studies. Analyze the value of mobile video.  For more information, check out http://www.mediabistro.com/thinkmobile/

Smartphone Games Summit
Sept 24th, 9:00a – 5:00p
Hotel Nikko
The Smartphone Games Summit is a single day conference focused on the emerging smartphone games space. The conference will bring together leading developers, investors, and executives from around the globe to share their collective wisdom on what’s working today and where this exciting industry is heading. The Smartphone Games Summit will touch on a number of key trends, including: International trends in smartphone games; Engaging smartphone game design; Lessons from leaders; Mobile social games; Keys to successful monetization; Building and executing a successful distribution strategy. More information at http://www.mediabistro.com/smartphonegamessummit/

Fleet Week Social
Oct 7th, 7:00 – 10:00p
The Parlor, SF
So it’s a little earlier to be including this, but I’m co-producing this incredible fundraiser, and would love for you to reserve a ticket now.  To celebrate the arrival of Fleet Week, Events for Nerds will be hosting Fleet Week Social. Demoing some of the best start-ups in Silicon Valley, and donating a potion of the proceeds back to the Fleet Week Association to help keep the Blue Angels in the Sky and the fun on the ground!  There will be over 100 social media influencers, entrepreneurs, leading founders, investors, and companies will be coming together at this kick-off celebration, taking place at the beautiful Parlor SF bar near Fishermans Wharf.  Sign up at http://fleetweeksocial.mogotix.com/

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BAY AREA EVENTS:

The Founder Conference
Aug 17th, 1:00 – 8:00p
Microsoft Campus, Mountain View
The ultimate training ground for founders, this one-day conference will cover all the tips and tricks of the startup jungle. Hear from founders of successful startups like Mint.com and Dropbox, as well as VCs and and other startup addicts, or even pitch your own startup to get feedback from the group! Information is available http://founderconference.eventbrite.com/

Silicon Valley Tweetup
Aug 18th, 6:00 – 9:00p
Kaama Lounge, San Jose
What’s a better way to spend a hot August night than to have some cool drinks and networking with friends? We’ll do just that at Kaama Lounge in San Jose. Our August event is sponsored by Cisco and Tungle. Because of their generous sponsorships, we’re able to donate all of the door donations to our charity of choice: Help A Lost Child. For more information on the event, contact Michael Brito (@britopian), Jennifer Leggio (@mediaphyter) or Gabriel Carrejo (@gabrielcarrejo) or check out their Facebook Page.

Business Networking Mixer
Aug 18th, 6:00 – 9:00p
Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara
The best business is personal business… BayArea.com events are unique – Experience the difference!  Meet your next clients here! Create Alliances, Leverage Your Business, Generate Revenues, Connect with 100s of Executives and Decision-Makers (B2B & B2C) in a very unique, upscale, approachable, professional, and fun environment, with a twist of friendly hospitality…Enjoy fine art, gourmet appetizers, live music, and win prizes too!  Reserve a slot at http://2010aug18tritonmuseumofart.eventbrite.com

Show Me The Money Luncheon
Aug 19th, 11:30a – 1:00p
955 Benecia, Sunnyvale, CA
Discover how to transform your ideas into profitable businesses (and get the money to do it!)  Join Kevin Reeth – co-founder and CEO of Outright.com and Eric Ly – co-founder of LinkedIn and now partner at Willington, as we discuss the ins and outs of raising capital and reaching success.  More information and registration available at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/775328027

AUGUST COOLNESS (Entrepreneur Round Table)
August 19, 6-9:00pm
Pillsbury Law Firm, 2475 Hanover St, Palo Alto, CA
Dialogue, not monologue. True sharing, not bragging. Come hang with fellow founders/entrepreneurs/geeks to exchange experiences and learn from each other. Demo/Talk by John Schmitt of www.goPhoto.com (how 3 founders built it in 4 months), Pascal-Louis Perez of www.KaChing.com (how they use “Continuous Deployment” engineering process to reiterate speedy releases to beat the competitions).  More information is up at their Meetup Group.

iOS DevCamp 2010
Aug 20th – 22nd
2161 N 1st Street, San Jose
Inspired by BarCamp & DevHouse, iOS bring people together to develop Cocoa Touch and Web-based applications for Apple’s iOS.  Attendees will include iOS developers, web developers, UI designers, entrepreneurs and testers, all working together over the weekend.  Development projects will include both solo and team efforts. While some attendees will wish to work solo during the event, we encourage attendees to team up, based on expertise, to work in ad-hoc project development teams. All attendees should be prepared to work on a development project during the event.  For additional information, check out http://iosdevcamp.eventbrite.com/

Scrappy Startup Lunch
August 24, 12:00 – 2:00pm
Rose Market (Castro Street), Mountain View

Here is where conversations circle around bootstrapped entrepreneurs, debates on venture funding, leanstartup concepts, and much more. around good food, of course.   For more information check out http://www.meetup.com/scrappystartup/calendar/14414356/

Online Influence: Defining, Measuring, and Applying
Aug 24th, 6:30 – 8:30p
1077 Independence Ave, Mountain View
Influence, online influence – popular phrases these days. With this super panel we’ll discuss all the major aspects of this topic: what is online influence, does it makes sense for marketers to reach out to those “influencers”? Are there any tools that can determine real influence, etc.  More information on speakers and registration is available at their meetup group.

WITI’s Red Hot Summer Mixer
Aug 26th, 6:00 – 8:30pm
Fahrenheit Restaurant, San Jose
Join us for WITI’s Red Hot Summer Mixer~Silicon Valley!  Make some new contacts, re-connect with former colleagues, celebrate with clients. You’ll have rare access to a highly diverse group of professionals.  Men and women are encouraged to attend this smashing seasonal event!  Please join us for one festive networking evening.  Information at http://www.witi.com/siliconvalley/meeting.php?id=2446

Hackers & Founders
Aug 26th, 6:00 – 9:00p
Hacker Dojo
It’s about hanging out, having a beverage and talking about: shiny technologies we’re playing with; Startups we founded or are thinking about; Stuff we read about on Hacker News; The latest startup news…among other things.  It’s all pretty low key and casual with no scheduled presentations.  For updates, head over and join their Meetup group!

Mid-Peninsular Business Networking Mixer
Sept 2nd, 6:00 – 9:00p
Bistro 412, Palo Alto
The best business is personal business… BayArea.com events are unique – Experience the difference!  Meet your next clients here! Create Alliances, Leverage Your Business, Generate Revenues, Connect with 100s of Executives and Decision-Makers (B2B & B2C) in a very unique, upscale, approachable, professional, and fun environment, with a twist of friendly hospitality…Enjoy fine art, gourmet appetizers, live music, and win prizes too!  Reserve a slot at http://2010sep2bistro412.eventbrite.com

Women and Technology Summit
Sept 12th – 14th
Doubletree Hotel, San Jose
Top technology leaders from Clean Tech, Mobile, Search, Cloud, Social Media, and Business teach WITI Summit attendees how to capture and target more customers, build stronger relationships with existing customers and take advantage of the applications and tools to build a stronger web presence, increase revenue and streamline costs for their companies.  WITI represents the ideal market for business Networking – CIO’s, executive women and men as well as leaders in technology from around the world converge at WITI’s Annual Women and Technology Summit to discuss and collaborate on innovative solutions to common business challenges, and explore new business opportunities.  More information is up at http://www.witi.com/center/conferences/2010/summit/

SV B2B Networking Expo & Trade Show
Sept 23rd, 6:00 – 9:00p
Reid-Hillview Airport, San Jose
The best business is personal business… BayArea.com events are unique – Experience the difference!  Meet your next clients here! Create Alliances, Leverage Your Business, Generate Revenues, Connect with 100s of Executives and Decision-Makers (B2B & B2C) in a very unique, upscale, approachable, professional, and fun environment, with a twist of friendly hospitality…Fly in a Cessna, check out antique airplanes and luxury cars, enjoy many gourmet appetizers, spirits tasting, live music and entertainment, win prizes, and celebrate our 12 years in business too!  More info available at http://2010sep23siliconvalleybizexpo8.eventbrite.com/

$50 off – theCOREconference
Sept 23-25th
Richmond, CA
Are you a community leader, organizer, marketing executive, Executive Director, CEO or media maker?  Join us at theCOREconference where community and technology leaders convene to exchange ideas, practices & strategies.  Learn how to build, engage, lead, communicate and collaborate with your people from dynamic practitioners across many fields. Grow your social endeavors and understand the economy and ecology of communities. Subjects explored include: collective intelligence, crowd sourcing, alternative currencies, movement building, multi-stakeholder collaborations and the economics of community.  Save $50 off w/ WebWallflower discount code:  WALL at http://thecoreconference.com.

The Private Company Stock Conference
Sept 27th, 8:30a – 5:00p
Four Seasons SV, East Palo Alto
Decreased activity in the IPO and M&A markets has left many private company stakeholders without a path to liquidity. This demand for liquidity has resulted in a growing secondary market for private company stock. In addition to providing an exit, the private stock market is an attractive investment option. This conference explores the legal, strategic and investment considerations from the various seller and buyer perspectives. Speakers include: Jeff Thomas, SecondMarket; Shaival Shah, Hunch; Ken Sawyer, Saints Venture Capital; Ross Barrett, VC Experts; Matthew Brady, Barclays Wealth; William Davisson, Goodwin Proctor; Owen Thomas, VentureBeat; Laurence Allen, NYPPEX. For more information please visit: www.dealflow.com/privatestock. To register, call (516) 876-8006, Regular Admission is $995  Information is up at http://www.dealflowmedia.com/

PlugandPlay TechCenter Events
Daily!
So PlugandPlay TechCenter has a ton of awesome events, and it would take an entire newsletter just to share them all. Skim their calendar regularly to see what they have to offer. http://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/calendar/

SVASE Series
Weekly
SVASE, the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs, is the largest and fastest growing nonprofit association in Northern California dedicated exclusively to helping early stage tech entrepreneurs. They hold events regularly in the peninsula, and occasionally the city itself. There are too many to name in my brief email, but be sure to check them out for advice on investment, team development, financing, corporate leadership, and much more: http://www.svase.org/

SDforum
Weekly Not to add another list of events to my list, but SDforum also has something every other day. Essentially “SDForum is the leading Silicon Valley not-for-profit organization providing an unbiased source of information and insight to the technology community. SDForum provides a venue for engineers, executives, researchers, technology leaders, and venture capitalists to exchange information on emerging technologies and best practices.” Info on their events at www.sdforum.com.

Founders Space
Founders Space brings together founders, angels, VCs, attorneys, CFOs and other experts to answer the questions all founders have. We’re focused on developing new ways to connect founders, advisors and investors around the world. Our vision is to build a global platform, where startups and advisors work as virtual teams to enter and grow new markets, and where investors can efficiently discover the best matches for their investment goals. So join us in this grand adventure, and let’s build something truly great!

Social Media Is Making Us Lazy

Yes, that’s right.  On the one hand, there is even more to do now, especially with events.  I have to make sure we have a Facebook Event, an Upcoming Page, a Plancast Listing, a Going spotlight, a Twitter handle…the list feels endless, and certainly not for those lacking work ethic.

But I feel like many people see what I do (or Brian Zisk, or Myles Weissleder) and assume just my social media outreach sends me attendees.  So they set up these pages…and are surprised when their show isn’t selling out.  People assume that if they create a Facebook Fan Page and invite 500 friends, they’ll get 300+ people at the show.  Or if they tweet a few raffles, they’ll sell dozens of tickets.  Few people realize the personal outreach and relationships, the follow-up and engagement, essentially everything else that is behind every event I do.  Events – as with most products – are not a case of “If You Build It, They Will Come.”  Far from it.  You need to convince people that this content will be valuable, that these speakers will be experts, and that it will be worth their money.

5 NON-Social Media Things To Increase Ticket Sales

1)  Email every SF NewTech and TechCrunch demo company. These pre-funded through Series A funded companies are my primary audience, so I send a personal email inviting each and every one of these people to attend, and include a discounted rate just for them.  I mention something important about their company and they could apply the show to their business.  This results in a few hundred emails.

2)  Attend Similar Industry Events. The people buying tickets to those shows are the people who might come to mind.  I don’t obnoxiously pitch them, but I do try to mention what I do in the conversation, I find a way to ask about their mistakes, I discuss the state of failure in the industry.  Then I get a card so I can personally follow up.

3)  Contact Past Attendees Who Haven’t Registered. I don’t hound them, but I want to know why.  I want to know if they just forgot, or if there is something I could do to change the show so they come back.  I want them to know I truly do care about seeing them, and making the show a better experience than the last one.

4)  Form Media & Event Partnerships.  I find people with similar groups or lists and ask they if are interested in co-branding or promotions.  I’ll share their logo and event info on my list and website, and ask that they do the same.  This is an incredible way to make new connections.

5)   Invite VIPs. I create a list of about 50 VIP guests who I think, with their help, can secure more additional registrants.  I ask that they sign up so their name is on the Eventbrite page.  I ask that they promote to their colleagues and networks in exchange for the pass [okay, thats KINDA social media related].  These are people who are not only well-connected in the industry, but are also well-informed who I know will be a valuable addition to the show itself.

We’re also back with our 4th FailChat, and hope for another sold out show!  Join us August 17th to hear if and how startups can survive without funding.  We’ll be joined by 3 founders who have tried it and an outside adviser/investor who’s seen both sides of the coin.  Be sure to reserve you spot at http://failchat4.mogotix.com

-=Cass Phillipps=-
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EVENT DISCOUNTS
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EVENT DISCOUNTS:

20% – BlogHer ’10
August 6-7
The Hilton, New York City
Building on the momentum of five consecutive sold-out annual conferences, BlogHer ’10 will bring bloggers from every corner of the blogosphere together for hands-on learning, rich discussions, opportunities to meet with the brands that support them and plentiful networking opportunities.  BlogHer ’10 will be at the The Hilton New York from August 6 – 7, 2010. We will kick off on Thursday August 5 with our fourth annual BlogHer Business Conference, a “crash course” on best practices for reaching the most influential and powerful consumers — women online — in the quickly evolving social media world. And Girls in Tech attendees can receive 20% off BlogHer Business registration by using the discount code GIT.

Year-Up Submission Deadline
August 13
Year Up is as a one-year intensive Information Technology (IT) education and internship program for low-income young adults, ages 18 to 24.  The Year Up program combines classroom education, professional internships, educational stipends, college credit and personal support to enable low-income young adults from the Bay Area to secure livable wage jobs and pursue higher education.  Year Up’s mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. We also serve employers by introducing them to pre-screened, pre-trained, diverse entry-level talent.  To apply to the program applicants must have a high school diploma or GED (applicants in process of completing high school or earning their GED are encouraged to apply).   For more information, check out http://yearup.org or email sfbayadmissions@yearup.org

15% off – Social DevCamp Chicago
Aug 14 – 15
McCormick Tribune, Chicago
SocialDevCamp Chicago is two days of developer-centric sessions about making the most of the social web. It’s the unconference for social application and platform developers, mobile social developers, evangelists, and enthusiasts. At SocialDevCamp you’ll join hundreds of passionate developers and creators for a weekend of robust talks on social applications, platforms, APIs, mobile applications, identity management, and new media. True to WebWallflower form, we’ve twisted the arms of the SocialDevCamp Chicago organizers to get you the best deal on their $30.00 weekend even we can possibly get.  Our hard-nosed negotiating tactics got them to knock $5.00 off the price so you can get one extra latte without all the guilt while you’re in the Windy City.  Registration is at http://socialdevcampchicago.com/register/ with the code “webwallflower-blowout-sale”

Usability Bootcamp SF
August 19 & 20th, 2010
Cooper, 100 First Street, San Francisco
A hands-on workshop taught by well-known usability consultant Christine Perfetti. Over two full days, learn how to run regular usability tests to: uncover your users’ latent needs, refine features/requirements, test the depth of interactions, refine design, and much more. Walk away with end-to-end knowledge on how to take advantage of testing to build world-class products. You’ll also learn how to apply these techniques in different environments, from engineering-driven agile shops to large enterprises. For subscribers of this email, enter the promo code ‘webwallflower’ by Friday, July 30th to sign up for $795 – a savings of $300 off the final registration price. http://www.perfettimedia.com/workshops/usability_bootcamp/san-francisco.html

5% off – Mess At The Mansions
September 15 – 19, 2010
Las Vegas Mini Castles Mansion Complex, Las Vegas NV
The Mess at the Mansions is a five day retreat that mixes business with pleasure, created in an idyllic situation to foster real business results, developing the intimate business relationships we all need to grow.  Inside three large Mansions, just miles from the Las Vegas strip, a business retreat of epic proportions is being held for 20 guests living side by side for five days with some of Americas greatest entrepreneurs. These leaders have mentored some of the foremost business successes in America. Their brains are yours for five exquisite days and night in some of the most enjoyable atmosphere ever offered.  Join us in fabulous Las Vegas. We’ve coordinated some of the most exclusive accommodations, greatest food, and finest wines, in a well appointed mansion, with first class service from the time you land until the moment you return to the airport. What if you could get all this plus the greatest business experience of your life?  For more information, check out http://themessbeforesuccess.com/sign_up_mess_at_the_mansions.html and to register with your exclusive FailCon 5% discount, enter the code FC201 into the discount code field.

25% off – Web Expo New York
Sept 27th – 30th
New York, NY
Set in the East Coast’s thriving Internet hub, Web 2.0 Expo New York assembles top tech influencers for four days of intense talks, workshops, discussions, and networking events. Connect with other designers, developers, entrepreneurs, marketers, business strategists, and investors at one of the most vibrant events of the year. More information available at http://www.web2expo.com/webexny2010/ and be sure to claim your 25% off with the code “webny10bd6″

The Awesome Foundation
$1k Grants for Awesome Ideas
The SF Awesome Foundation provides $1,000 grants to people in the Bay Area who want to do a cool project and need a little cash to make it happen.  There are no strings attached or fine print.  We don’t want a stake in it. We just want to help you make it happen.  The only thing we’ll ask is that you share your project with us and the community during a small party we’ll throw in your honor.  Recently, we awarded $1k to the History of the Sky: a project to video tape the sky over the Exploratorium for an entire year… check it out: http://murphlab.com/hsky/ We especially like projects that are quirky and for the community’s benefit or enjoyment.  It’s up to you, it just needs to be awesome.  Apply now!

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SAN FRANCISCO EVENTS:

Mobile Mixer
Aug 4th, 6:30 – 8:30p
pariSoma Loft
pariSoma will be hosting a Mobile Mixer for startups in the mobile industry. Startups will be demoing at tables throughout the space and will include a mix of apps, hardware, and accessories. If you are creating mobile tech, we want to see it!  Attendees will mix with hot bay area startups while enjoying sangria, beer, and snacks.  Info at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141500829211185

Zivity Presents: Charity Fashion Show
Aug 6th, 6:00pm – 1:00am
RF80
Come celebrate Zivity’s birthday, re-launch of the website and enjoy watching amazing runway models strip off their clothes to the highest bidders for their favorite charities, including Kiva, Youth Speaks, Americn Cancer Society, and Steven’s Hope.  Tickets at  http://striptease.eventbrite.com/

Girls in Tech Presents: The Fast Track with Mariam Naficy
Aug 9th, 6:00 – 8:30p
Nextspace.us (28 2nd Street)
erial entrepreneur Mariam Naficy shares with us her rapid rise to success fresh out of business school as co-founder and co-CEO of Eve.com. She raised $26 million for her start up venture and sold it for $100 million in her late 20′s. Mariam is now pioneering the area of crowd-sourcing design with her new venture, Minted.com, the online retailer of stationery, invitations, and photo cards. She will talk about what she attributes her early success to and what other young (and any age!) women can do to harness their entrepreneurial potential. Reserve a space at
http://mariamnaficyfasttrack.eventbrite.com/

Make your Website a Client Magnet
Aug 10th, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Hotel Diva
There’s no need to be intimidated by technology: The ladies of PowWow Network get guests oriented with the basics of growing your business with Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and more, while you grow your network with other small business owners (guys are invited, too).  Information available at http://powwow081010.eventbrite.com/

How To Grow Your Online Games
Aug 10th, 7:00p – 9:30p
Art Institute, 10 UN Civic Center Plaza
We have all heard the less than optimistic coverage on games growth. Overall casual and console game sales dropped by 26% in April. Even social games, a major growth area over the last few years, are not as easy with Facebook virality changes and the rise of game companies with massive user bases and large marketing muscle.  Feeling frustrated? Well don’t. Instead come join us July 28th at 7pm to hear Joe Dunn and Josh Rose tell you how to beat the pessimistic forecasts by combining creative design, new technology, and platform agnostic virality to create game experiences players crave, share, and keep coming back for.  There will be a brief interactive Q&A; between each speaker; so designers and developers can get a chance to get some direct opinions or strategies on some of their own games and businesses.  And of course–come party with us after the event to brainstorm, chill, or simply share a beer with awesome fellow game developers.  More information and tickets at http://bayareavideogamedevelopermeetup.eventbrite.com/

Search Engine Strategies
Aug 16th – 20th, 8:30a – 6:00p
Moscone West
Now in its 12th year, SES is organized and programmed by the SES Advisory Board and SearchEngineWatch.com, the leading authority on Search Engine Marketing (SEM), including SEO and PPC. The event is packed with sessions covering PPC management, keyword research, SEO, social media, local, mobile, link building, duplicate content, multiple site issues, video optimization, site optimization and usability, while offering high-level strategy, keynotes, an expo floor with 100+ companies, networking events, parties and more!  Information at http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/

FailChat #4: How to Survive Without Funding
August 17, 6:30 – 9:30
Parisoma: 1436 Howard St. SF
Many companies today don’t get funded. Considering that, how does a startup survive tough competition, company growth, and unpredictable markets with virtually zero capital? To address these questions and concerns, we’ve compiled a panel of founders who’ve been there and investors who’ve seen it happen. We’ll be discussing whether its possible to get by without funding, how to balance the budget if you try, and what problems you are likely to encounter. We’ll also be getting into what tools to use, how to stay lean, stories of what hasn’t worked, and other fundamentals of the self-funded process. Each FailChat attracts an intimate and targeted group of early-stage founders and entrepreneurs to discuss the common mistakes and missteps that startups and small businesses take. Beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and appetizers are provided throughout the seminar. Panelists currently include: Pat Diven from AddToAny, Gregarious Narain from Lil Grams, and Lyn Williams from MySoiree, with more TBA. Buy Tickets At: http://failchat4.mogotix.com

140Conf: Exploring the State of Now
Aug 19th, All Day
Moscone Center
The #140conf events provide a platform for the worldwide twitter community to: listen, connect, share and engage with each other, while collectively exploring the effects of the emerging real-time internet on business.  Our schedule will be unique and fast paced. It is our intention to provide a platform for as many people as possible to share their thoughts and engage in conversation with the attending delegates. You will find individual talks set to: 10 minutes; “Featured talks” 15 and the various panel discussions are set for 15 and 20 minutes.  More information available at http://sf.140conf.com/

Usability Bootcamp SF
August 19 & 20th, 2010
Cooper, 100 First Street, San Francisco
A hands-on workshop taught by well-known usability consultant Christine Perfetti. Over two full days, learn how to run regular usability tests to: uncover your users’ latent needs, refine features/requirements, test the depth of interactions, refine design, and much more. Walk away with end-to-end knowledge on how to take advantage of testing to build world-class products. You’ll also learn how to apply these techniques in different environments, from engineering-driven agile shops to large enterprises. For subscribers of this email, enter the promo code ‘webwallflower’ by Friday, July 30th to sign up for $795 – a savings of $300 off the final registration price. http://www.perfettimedia.com/workshops/usability_bootcamp/san-francisco.html

UX Week
August 24-27
San Francisco
Adaptive Path’s UX Week is the premier user experience conference. With a mix of inspiring talks from recognized thought leaders and hands-on workshops delivering takeaway skills, this event delivers for user experience professionals at all levels — directors, managers, and practitioners. Join us for the seventh UX Week. It just keeps getting better and better! http://uxweek2010.eventbrite.com

SFAMA Presents – The Old Spice Phenomenon
Aug 25th, 6:00 – 8:30p
Bars + Tone (1550 Bryant Street, Suite 1000)
Old Spice has gone through an incredible transformation in rebranding themselves. For two years, they stayed silent. No advertising, no promotion. The goal was to reposition themselves to an entirely different target market. With guidance from advertising pioneers Weiden + Kennedy, Old Spice succeeded and took the world by storm. From clever commercials to perfectly executed viral ad campaigns, Old Spic…e has redefined advertising.  How will this affect the future of marketing? What will we see in the months to come? Who will succeed, and who will be perceived as a rip-off? Join Jim Nichols and our panel of social media experts for an in-depth conversation on the Old Spice phenomenon. RSVP at http://sfama.org/?p=1271

Digital Summer 2010
Aug 25th, 8:00p – 11:30p
Temple (540 Howard)
On August 25th, Ubergizmo will host Digital Summer, an event that brings together the most international, professional, and glamorous crowd in San Francisco to celebrate photography, fashion, art, and technology. Among the unique features of this one-of-a-kind event is a live runway fashion show. Invitees will also have a chance to enjoy a professional photo-shoot and lots of time to socialize.  RSVP at http://digitalsummer2010.eventbrite.com/

Teens in Tech MiniConference
Sept 11th, 9:00a – 5:00p
KickLabs, San Francisco
Teens in Tech miniConference is a miniature version of the Teens in Tech Conference held in San Francisco annually. The goal of the Teens in Tech miniConference is to bring a close group of individuals and have discussions and talks on subjects ranging from social media, web technologies, venture capital, green technology, and many more.  For more information, check out http://teensintech.com/conference/

DEMO Fall
Sept 13 – 15, All Day
Hyatt Regency
Come to DEMO to preview new, carefully-vetted products and business plans from entrepreneurs eager to show you their innovations in one place at one time.  It’s where entrepreneurs, investors, media and buyers will all converge to take the most promising products from concept to customers. You should be there to experience the future of innovation, find quality dealflow, and network with the people who are likely to change the face of technology in the years to come. All will converge at DEMO Fall 2010 in Silicon Valley, to see the latest innovations in key tech segments.  For more information, check out http://www.demo.com/

SF Beta 4.0.4
Sept 15th, 5:00 – 9:00p
111 Minna Gallery
SF Beta is one of San Francisco’s best and biggest startup mixers, attracting founders, innovators, investors, and executives from Silicon Valley and beyond.  Our loosely structured event attracts over 350 people, and sometimes a whole lot more. We provide tasty gourmet appetizers and a full cash bar, along with live demos from startups throughout the night.  September is a special month, as it marks our 4th year anniversary, along with producer Christian Perry’s birthday. Join us for an evening of celebration and merriment as we kick off another great year.  Reserve a spot at http://sfbeta404.eventbrite.com/

Social Email Conference: Integrating Email Marketing & Social Media
Sept 17th, 9:00a – 5:30p
Hotel Nikko
Social:Email San Francisco will bring together marketing experts, email companies and brands to discuss integrated email and social media marketing campaigns. This one day conference offers expert-led guidance on how to engage with customers via email and social media, including tips on how to maximize the impact of your campaigns, insights into new tools and services, how to monitor and measure the results, and trends to watch out for. This is the ultimate event for anyone interested in combining email with social media marketing. Reserve your spot at http://socialmediamarketing.co.uk/socialemail

Smartphone Games Summit
Sept 24th, 9:00a – 5:00p
Hotel Nikko
The Smartphone Games Summit is a single day conference focused on the emerging smartphone games space. The conference will bring together leading developers, investors, and executives from around the globe to share their collective wisdom on what’s working today and where this exciting industry is heading. The Smartphone Games Summit will touch on a number of key trends, including:  International trends in smartphone games; Engaging smartphone game design; Lessons from leaders; Mobile social games; Keys to successful monetization; Building and executing a successful distribution strategy.  More information at http://www.mediabistro.com/smartphonegamessummit/

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BAY AREA EVENTS:

15% off – Founders Showcase
Aug 3rd, 4:00p – 10:00p
Microsoft Campus, Mountain View
See Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, and Jason Calacanis, CEO of Mahalo.com, speak at the The Founder Showcase on August 3rd in Silicon Valley. This quarterly start-up pitch and networking event brings together over 275 investors, founders, and members of the press to hear talks from leading CEOs, and pitches from 10 hot technology start-ups in an open Pitch Competition. A panel of investors will provide critical feedback of the pitches, and the two best companies will face off in a “Showcase Showdown” lightning round to determine the Grand Prize Winner. There is also a networking and table area where investors and start-ups will convene with food and drinks. Tickets start at just $40, but there is a very limited number available.   WebWallflower readers get a 15% discount by using the code web_wallflower.   For more information or to apply to the Pitch Competition, go to www.FounderShowcase.com.

SV NewTech
Aug 3rd, 7:00 – 10:00p
DLA Piper, Palo Alto
Learn about hot new web technologies and mingle with 200 fellow entrepreneurs, investors, bloggers, and tech enthusiasts. This meetup fills up quick, so be sure to RSVP 2 weeks early each month.  The Lineup is announced day of, we always feature 4 interesting companies.  The first hour of the meetup will be demos (actual demos, no power point slides The 2nd hour is for networking and taking to the presenters. The event is free – pizza, beer, and wine will be provided.  Check out their Meetup Group for more info.

Yahoo! Girl Geek Dinner
Aug 3rd, 5:30 – 8:30pm
Yahoo! headquarters, URL’s Cafe in Building C, Sunnyvale
Bay Area Girl Geek Dinner is a night of technology, great food/drink and conversation at Yahoo’s Sunnyvale headquarters! Learn about what’s going on at Yahoo! and network with other girl geeks, including those responsible for designing and building cool Yahoo! products. Share drink and food with your friends and hear presentations from Yahoo! innovators. Hilary Schneider (Yahoo! Americas EVP) will be the keynote speaker, and presentations on Yahoo Query Language (YQL), YUI, web performance, innovation at scale, infinite browse system, and accessibility will be delivered by Yahoo! girl geeks throughout the evening. All registered attendees will receive a free Yahoo! “Code like a Girl” shirt and sticker.  For more info and to register: http://girlgeekdinner.pathable.com/

SV Innovation Society
Aug 4th, 6:00 – 9:00p
Bay Care & Restaurant, Palo Alto
SVII’s August 4th Society dinner will feature Chris Miller, co-founder of LifePlays—a company “created to bring the transformative skills of connective, embodied Improv to communities and innovative workplaces.”  LifePlays’ corporate improv workshops have fostered creativity, innovation, team development, and leadership at many companies, including Google, Microsoft, Genetech, and Whole Foods Markets.  More information available at http://svii.net/events/?event_id=18

Collabopreneur
Aug 5th, 6:30 – 10:30pm
Fenwick & West LLP, 801 California Street, Room 101, Mountain View
Have a startup idea? Come to find partners to bootstrap it!  Don’t have a startup ideas yet? Will will co-design one!  Come, join experts and wannabe entrepreneurs to collaboratively start up new ventures. Let’s generate new ideas for profitable ventures, discuss alternative / new approaches to funding our prototypes, finished products, and marketing. Let’s experiment with venture development framework by co-founding new ventures t…hat combines in creative ways existing assets of group members. Lt’s explore innovative funding solutions developers, content creators, and entrepreneurs can use.  RSVP here at their Meetup group.

Raising Capital for Early Stage Entrepreneurs
Aug 5th, 6:00 – 9:00pm
Cooley LLP, 3175 Hanover, Palo Alto
With the cost for developing anything software related continuing to decline, technology startups need far less cash than they did even a few years ago. However, most startups that want to grow fast still do need some venture capital, so where should you now go to raise that first round beyond friends & family?  Do you just need to be one of the pack to get portfolio strategy angels like Ron Conway to throw you a few crumbs?  Or, do you need to look bigger than you are to attract the attention of Mike Maples with his “Thunder lizard” approach? What about more conventional angel groups such as the Band of Angels, Sand Hill Angels, and Angels’ Forum?  What sort of deals are they looking for? What about individual angels such as those featured on the Venture Hacks Angels List? And, what about the new smaller VC funds?  These questions and more to be addressed at this SVASE event.

TEDxBayArea
Aug 10th, 6:30 – 8:30p
Tied House & Brewery, Mountain View
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is probably already on your radar as a massive and incredibly cool nonprofit conference for idea sharing, but if you haven’t been to a TED event yet, here’s your chance. You might even get a cameo in the background of a famous TED Talk video—who knows?  More information on speakers and agenda at http://tedxbayareaaug2010.eventbrite.com/

Hackers & Founders
Aug 11th, 6:00 – 9:00p
California Billiards, Mountain View
Hackers in the Bay Area interested in founding startups. We get together every two or three weeks and talk about shiny new technologies that get us excited and/or companies that we’re working on. It’s very low key and casual.  A lot of us read Hacker News http://news.ycombinator.com. If that’s the kind of stuff that you like to read, you’ll probably fit right in at our meetup.  More information available at http://www.meetup.com/Hackers-and-Founders/

iPhone Play
Aug 12th, 5:00 – 7:30p
Plug & Play, Sunnyvale
Head over to the Plug and Play Tech Center to check out four product demonstrations of the latest iPhone apps. Business owners and developers: Make sure to bring your resume to take advantage of several networking opportunities. Oh, and naturally there will be pizza and beer!  RSVP at http://pnpiphoneplay.eventbrite.com/

GTUG Campout
Aug 13th – 14th
Googleplex, Mountain View
At this weekend-long hackathon at the Googleplex in Mountain View, you’ll have the opportunity to design, develop, and demo a complete application over the course of three days. Just puttin’ it out there: We’d love to see some teleporters. What’s that you say? You need an extra day?  More information available at http://gtug-campout-2010.eventbrite.com/

Craigslist Foundation BootCamp
Aug 14th, 7:30a – 5:30p
Berkeley, CA
Imagine 1,500 passionate people gathered together to strengthen their communities and neighborhoods. That’s Boot Camp a fun, intensive one-day conference where you will learn to bring your ideas for empowered — communities into reality.  At Boot Camp, you will participate in interactive workshops, meet people who can turn dreams into action, receive expert coaching, and get fired up by stories of successful community transformations.  Registration for the 7th Annual Craigslist Foundation Boot Camp is now live: http://www.craigslistfoundation.org/boot-camp

SV iPhone iPad Developer’s Demo Night
Aug 16th, 7:00 – 9:30pm
951 Benecia, Sunnyvale
We get together monthly to share projects, opportunities, and how-tos related to developing for the iPhone. Experienced developers, newcomers, and people with ideas are all welcome. We’ve enjoyed presentations from investors, entrepreneurs, and experts in all sorts of relevant topics from user interface design to programming. Each meeting usually contains a couple of fast-paced but deep talks and several demos. We don’t do a lot of detailed programming instruction (there are lots of other resources for that), but instead focus on getting iPhone developers and entrepreneurs together with each other and with the resources they need to succeed. Got an iPhone project? Come join us!  Information at http://www.meetup.com/sviphone/

The Founder Conference
Aug 17th, 1:00 – 8:00p
Microsoft Campus, Mountain View
The ultimate training ground for founders, this one-day conference will cover all the tips and tricks of the startup jungle. Hear from founders of successful startups like Mint.com and Dropbox, as well as VCs and and other startup addicts, or even pitch your own startup to get feedback from the group!  Information is available http://founderconference.eventbrite.com/

Silicon Valley Tweetup
Aug 18th, 6:00 – 9:00p
Kaama Lounge, San Jose
What’s a better way to spend a hot August night than to have some cool drinks and networking with friends? We’ll do just that at Kaama Lounge in San Jose.  Our August event is sponsored by Cisco and Tungle. Because of their generous sponsorships, we’re able to donate all of the door donations to our charity of choice: Help A Lost Child.  For more information on the event, contact Michael Brito (@britopian), Jennifer Leggio (@mediaphyter) or Gabriel Carrejo (@gabrielcarrejo) or check out their Facebook Page.

PlugandPlay TechCenter Events
Daily!
So PlugandPlay TechCenter has a ton of awesome events, and it would take an entire newsletter just to share them all. Skim their calendar regularly to see what they have to offer. http://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/calendar/

SVASE Series
Weekly
SVASE, the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs, is the largest and fastest growing nonprofit association in Northern California dedicated exclusively to helping early stage tech entrepreneurs. They hold events regularly in the peninsula, and occasionally the city itself. There are too many to name in my brief email, but be sure to check them out for advice on investment, team development, financing, corporate leadership, and much more: http://www.svase.org/

SDforum
Weekly Not to add another list of events to my list, but SDforum also has something every other day. Essentially “SDForum is the leading Silicon Valley not-for-profit organization providing an unbiased source of information and insight to the technology community. SDForum provides a venue for engineers, executives, researchers, technology leaders, and venture capitalists to exchange information on emerging technologies and best practices.” Info on their events at www.sdforum.com.

Founders Space
Founders Space brings together founders, angels, VCs, attorneys, CFOs and other experts to answer the questions all founders have.  We’re focused on developing new ways to connect founders, advisors and investors around the world.  Our vision is to build a global platform, where startups and advisors work as virtual teams to enter and grow new markets, and where investors can efficiently discover the best matches for their investment goals.   So join us in this grand adventure, and let’s build something truly great!

2) Because EVERY Show is SuccessCon.
People sometimes ask “Well, why not make a ‘SuccessChat’ series?  Wouldn’t that be nice?” to which I respond with the above.  Josh Linker on Fast Company puts it best: “One skill that that few of us ever learn, however, is how to make mistakes: How to learn from setbacks.” Dozens of conferences focus on the success of their speakers, on their accomplishments and incredible stories.   Now, I never want to belittle a speaker, but I want to hear where they slipped up and how they recovered – that to me is a much stronger, more impressive, and (most importantly) helpful story!  If you want to go see “SuccessChat,” if you want to keep getting empty encouragement of how awesome you could be, go join the hundreds of other meetups out there.  I try to focus on practicality and reality.

If the above still makes you angry, if you think it is poor form, I’m sorry.  FailCon probably isn’t for you.  But if you love it, give a small cheer, or are just plain curious, be sure to check us out.  Tickets are just $99 through July 21st.

And as you saw last week, we have officially launched FailCon 2010!  We’ve just posted a rough agenda online, so be sure to check out the incredible speaker and topic line-up for this year, and reserve one of our limited $99 tickets before they’re gone!

-=Cass Phillipps=-
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TOP UPCOMING BAY AREA TECH EVENTS
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EVENT DISCOUNTS
SAN FRANCISCO EVENTS
BAY AREA EVENTS

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EVENT DISCOUNTS:

FailChat #3: Metrics for Success
July 20th, 6:30p – 9:30p
PariSoma Loft, SF
Even the simplest of companies can be bombarded with metrics: Cost-Per-User, Clickthrough Rates, Page Views, A/B Test Results, Time on Site, User Tracking, Referral Sites, and so much more.  There are too  many start-ups that either ignore these metrics entirely, are unsure how to interpret them, or delve into them too deeply and lose precious resources in the process.  So we’ve compiled a panel of experts to discuss which metrics are most important for a startup to measure.  We’ll also explore what tools to use, when to build your own, and how best to apply the data you gather successfully.  Each FailChat attracts an intimate and targeted group of early-stage founders and entrepreneurs to discuss the common mistakes and missteps that startups and small businesses take. Beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and appetizers are provided throughout the seminar.  Register at http://failchat3.mogotix.com/

20% off – PR Summit BootCamp
July 22, All Day
LGBT Community Center
The PR Summit Boot Camp is a one day conference focused on providing up-to-date tools for professionals working in media. Conference attendee’s will have the opportunity to listen, connect and follow the insights and conversation of media experts in a wide variety of vertical markets and industries. The PR Summit Boot Camp Conference addresses the changing media & public relations landscape. Industry professionals in a variety of vertical markets and industries will provide attendees with latest case-studies, insights, fresh ideas, tools, and best success practices that can be applied can be applied to a person’s skills set. Information and a 20% discount at http://prconferencebootcamp-sf.eventbrite.com/ (PS: I’m speaking so check it out!)

30% off – Cleantech Entrepreneurship
July 22, All Day
Doubletree Hotel, San Jose
Join us at the nation’s inaugural cleantech conference that will focus on spurring jobs in this crucial sector. The Cleantech Open National Conference will assemble the brightest and most talented minds to debate if cleantech entrepreneurship can power our economy back to life. Together, we’ll tackle urgent issues: How can we accelerate the cleantech revolution? Which technologies hold the most promise—short-term and long-term? What does it take to spur cleantech entrepreneurship? How can we integrate cleantech into our economic policy? What are the best models to integrate public and private sectors? For more information and for 20% off, sign up at http://cleantechopen.com

$150 off – LeadsCon East 2010
July 26 – 27, All Day
Marriott Marquis Times Square, New York City
LeadsCon brings together the top people and companies in online customer acquisition. Sessions span advances in both online and offline acquisition marketing and include a display media showdown, search retargeting explained, a presentation by the Director of Northeast Regional Office for FTC, the future of search engine arbitrage, and more. All of this plus top notch networking from a show known for its high caliber attendees and quality over quantity approach. Visit www.leadscon.com for more information. Save $150 off the $695 price here!

20% – BlogHer ’10
August 6-7
The Hilton, New York City
Building on the momentum of five consecutive sold-out annual conferences, BlogHer ’10 will bring bloggers from every corner of the blogosphere together for hands-on learning, rich discussions, opportunities to meet with the brands that support them and plentiful networking opportunities.  BlogHer ’10 will be at the The Hilton New York from August 6 – 7, 2010. We will kick off on Thursday August 5 with our fourth annual BlogHer Business Conference, a “crash course” on best practices for reaching the most influential and powerful consumers — women online — in the quickly evolving social media world. And Girls in Tech attendees can receive 20% off BlogHer Business registration by using the discount code GIT.

Year-Up Submission Deadline
August 13
Year Up is as a one-year intensive Information Technology (IT) education and internship program for low-income young adults, ages 18 to 24.  The Year Up program combines classroom education, professional internships, educational stipends, college credit and personal support to enable low-income young adults from the Bay Area to secure livable wage jobs and pursue higher education.  Year Up’s mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. We also serve employers by introducing them to pre-screened, pre-trained, diverse entry-level talent.  To apply to the program applicants must have a high school diploma or GED (applicants in process of completing high school or earning their GED are encouraged to apply).   For more information, check out http://yearup.org or email sfbayadmissions@yearup.org

15% off – Social DevCamp Chicago
Aug 14 – 15
McCormick Tribune, Chicago
SocialDevCamp Chicago is two days of developer-centric sessions about making the most of the social web. It’s the unconference for social application and platform developers, mobile social developers, evangelists, and enthusiasts. At SocialDevCamp you’ll join hundreds of passionate developers and creators for a weekend of robust talks on social applications, platforms, APIs, mobile applications, identity management, and new media. True to WebWallflower form, we’ve twisted the arms of the SocialDevCamp Chicago organizers to get you the best deal on their $30.00 weekend even we can possibly get.  Our hard-nosed negotiating tactics got them to knock $5.00 off the price so you can get one extra latte without all the guilt while you’re in the Windy City.  Registration is at http://socialdevcampchicago.com/register/ with the code “webwallflower-blowout-sale”

Usability Bootcamp SF
August 19 & 20th, 2010
Cooper, 100 First Street, San Francisco
A hands-on workshop taught by well-known usability consultant Christine Perfetti. Over two full days, learn how to run regular usability tests to: uncover your users’ latent needs, refine features/requirements, test the depth of interactions, refine design, and much more. Walk away with end-to-end knowledge on how to take advantage of testing to build world-class products. You’ll also learn how to apply these techniques in different environments, from engineering-driven agile shops to large enterprises. For subscribers of this email, enter the promo code ‘webwallflower’ by Friday, July 30th to sign up for $795 – a savings of $300 off the final registration price. http://www.perfettimedia.com/workshops/usability_bootcamp/san-francisco.html

5% off – Mess At The Mansions
September 15 – 19, 2010
Las Vegas Mini Castles Mansion Complex, Las Vegas NV
The Mess at the Mansions is a five day retreat that mixes business with pleasure, created in an idyllic situation to foster real business results, developing the intimate business relationships we all need to grow.  Inside three large Mansions, just miles from the Las Vegas strip, a business retreat of epic proportions is being held for 20 guests living side by side for five days with some of Americas greatest entrepreneurs. These leaders have mentored some of the foremost business successes in America. Their brains are yours for five exquisite days and night in some of the most enjoyable atmosphere ever offered.  Join us in fabulous Las Vegas. We’ve coordinated some of the most exclusive accommodations, greatest food, and finest wines, in a well appointed mansion, with first class service from the time you land until the moment you return to the airport. What if you could get all this plus the greatest business experience of your life?  For more information, check out http://themessbeforesuccess.com/sign_up_mess_at_the_mansions.html and to register with your exclusive FailCon 5% discount, enter the code FC201 into the discount code field.

The Awesome Foundation
$1k Grants for Awesome Ideas
The SF Awesome Foundation provides $1,000 grants to people in the Bay Area who want to do a cool project and need a little cash to make it happen.  There are no strings attached or fine print.  We don’t want a stake in it. We just want to help you make it happen.  The only thing we’ll ask is that you share your project with us and the community during a small party we’ll throw in your honor.  Recently, we awarded $1k to the History of the Sky: a project to video tape the sky over the Exploratorium for an entire year… check it out: http://murphlab.com/hsky/ We especially like projects that are quirky and for the community’s benefit or enjoyment.  It’s up to you, it just needs to be awesome.  Apply now!

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SAN FRANCISCO EVENTS:

FailChat #3: Metrics for Success
July 20th, 6:30p – 9:30p
PariSoma Loft, SF
Even the simplest of companies can be bombarded with metrics: Cost-Per-User, Clickthrough Rates, Page Views, A/B Test Results, Time on Site, User Tracking, Referral Sites, and so much more.  There are too  many start-ups that either ignore these metrics entirely, are unsure how to interpret them, or delve into them too deeply and lose precious resources in the process.  So we’ve compiled a panel of experts to discuss which metrics are most important for a startup to measure.  We’ll also explore what tools to use, when to build your own, and how best to apply the data you gather successfully.  Each FailChat attracts an intimate and targeted group of early-stage founders and entrepreneurs to discuss the common mistakes and missteps that startups and small businesses take. Beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and appetizers are provided throughout the seminar.  Register at http://failchat3.mogotix.com/

Geo-Loco Conference
July 21, All Day
Mission Bay at UCSF
Geo-Loco is the next big thing in advertising, social media and discovery. On Wednesday, July 21st, 2010, in San Francisco, investors, brands and technology providers will gather to explore what the new breed of Geo-Location-enabled services and applications is doing for brands, for businesses and for consumers. Information at http://geoloco.tv/

Leadership In Action
July 21st, 6:00 – 8:00pm
3 Embarcadero Center, 28 FL
In “Leadership in Action: Your Role in Building a Great Place to Work,” you will learn what distinctive qualities separate great leaders from the rest while examining your own strengths and weaknesses. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn about these leaders, the roles they play, and create your own action plan for change. Speaker Hal Adler: Prior to founding Leadership LandingTM, Hal was President of Great Place to Work.  For more information, check out http://www.nchra.com

StartOut Presents: Top 10 Entrepreneurship List
July 21st, 6:00 – 9:00p
Pillsbury Winthrop, SF
Move over, David Letterman! As part of our StartOut University Series, StartOut SF Presents “The Entrepreneur’s ‘Top 10′ List”. Come hear a panel of attorneys with collective decades of experience working with entrepreneurs share their top 10 lists for entrepreneurs, as well as “…war stories” from the legal front, and legal issues specific to LGBT entrepreneurs. This will be a fantastic event with a stellar panel.  You must register here to attend: http://startoutlegal101-fb.eventbrite.com

Lean Startup Pitfalls Uncovered
July 21, 6:30p – 9:30p
KickLabs
IMVU is the original Lean Startup. Eric Ries’ techniques started IMVU on its path to hockey stick growth before unforeseen pitfalls slowed things down. Brett Durrett, VP of engineering at IMVU will reveal the details about happened and what it took to get things back on track.  Stay afterwards for drinks and get face time with Brett and other top startup founders.  More information and tickets at their Meetup Group.

20% off – PR Summit BootCamp
July 22, All Day
LGBT Community Center
The PR Summit Boot Camp is a one day conference focused on providing up-to-date tools for professionals working in media. Conference attendee’s will have the opportunity to listen, connect and follow the insights and conversation of media experts in a wide variety of vertical markets and industries. The PR Summit Boot Camp Conference addresses the changing media & public relations landscape. Industry professionals in a variety of vertical markets and industries will provide attendees with latest case-studies, insights, fresh ideas, tools, and best success practices that can be applied can be applied to a person’s skills set. Information and a 20% discount at http://prconferencebootcamp-sf.eventbrite.com/ (PS: I’m speaking so check it out!)

Social Gaming Happy Hour
July 23rd, 6:30 – 9:30p
5a5 Steak Lounge
Join some of the leaders in the gaming industry for this casual cash bar networking break at one of the best happy hour bars in town.  Not much else to say here aside from it’s looking to be a great crowd.  Check it out on their Facebook Page!

Startup Weekend SF
July 23rd – 25th
KickLabs, San Francisco
That’s it we are back for a very special Startup Weekend! This Startup Weekend is going to be focus on Mobile (any mobile you can go crazy!!) For the ones who don’t know Startup Weeekend, this is a chance for you to go from idea to business in a weekend! For the ones who has been to a Startup Weekend , this is a good way to experiment new things to be a better entrepreneur (Learning by Doing!)  Information posted regularly at http://bayarea.startupweekend.org/

Social App Workshop
July 24, 9:30a – 6:00p
Heroku (321 11th Street)
This is a hacker event for developers working on facebook, twitter, or other social applications. The event includes: training, hacking, demo’s and talks from these speakers: Matt Harris (Twitter), Matt Kelly (Facebook), Abraham Williams (abrah.am), Jeff Lawson (Twilio), Oren Teich (Heroku), and Sam Ramji (Apigee). Be sure to RSVP at http://socialappworkshop.eventbrite.com/

Facebook and the News: Making Journalism Social
July 26th, 6:30 – 8:30p
KickLabs, SF
Hacks/Hackers, an organization for journalists and technologists, is hosting a panel discussion with the head of Facebook’s media and content partnerships and a top developer from the company to talk about how publishers can leverage the Facebook platform to make their sites more social.  The event is $15 and you can reserve a spot at http://meetup.hackshackers.com/calendar/14082467/

Thread July Happy Hour
July 27, 6:00 – 8:30p
Taverna Aventine
Summertime’s the right time for another rocking Thread happy hour.  THREAD.COM is a new site where you can meet friends of friends.  BRING FRIENDS and make friends. Enjoy Aventine’s swanky space, artful cocktails, and happy hour specials. RSVP NOW on their Facebook Page. Only people on the Yes or Maybe list will get in.

Hackers & Founders
July 29, 6:00p – 9:00p
Dogpatch Labs, Pier 38
It’s about hanging out, having a beverage and talking about:  Shiny technologies we’re playing with; Startups we founded or are thinking about; Stuff we read about on Hacker News; The latest geek and startup news; And generally enjoying the company of peers and colleagues.  It’s all pretty low key and casual with no scheduled presentations.  Information is up on the Meetup Page.

Zivity Presents: Charity Fashion Show
Aug 6th, 6:00pm – 1:00am
RF80
Celebrate Zivity’s birthday, re-launch of the website and enjoy watching amazing runway models strip off their designer clothes to the highest bidders for their favorite charities.  Get your tickets today at http://striptease.eventbrite.com/ (21+ only)

How To Grow Your Online Games
Aug 11th, 7:00p – 9:30p
Art Institute, 10 UN Civic Center Plaza
We have all heard the less than optimistic coverage on games growth. Overall casual and console game sales dropped by 26% in April. Even social games, a major growth area over the last few years, are not as easy with Facebook virality changes and the rise of game companies with massive user bases and large marketing muscle.  Feeling frustrated? Well don’t. Instead come join us July 28th at 7pm to hear Joe Dunn and Josh Rose tell you how to beat the pessimistic forecasts by combining creative design, new technology, and platform agnostic virality to create game experiences players crave, share, and keep coming back for.  There will be a brief interactive Q&A; between each speaker; so designers and developers can get a chance to get some direct opinions or strategies on some of their own games and businesses.  And of course–come party with us after the event to brainstorm, chill, or simply share a beer with awesome fellow game developers.  More information and tickets at http://bayareavideogamedevelopermeetup.eventbrite.com/

Search Engine Strategies
Aug 13th, 8:30a – 6:00p
Moscone West
Now in its 12th year, SES is organized and programmed by the SES Advisory Board and SearchEngineWatch.com, the leading authority on Search Engine Marketing (SEM), including SEO and PPC. The event is packed with sessions covering PPC management, keyword research, SEO, social media, local, mobile, link building, duplicate content, multiple site issues, video optimization, site optimization and usability, while offering high-level strategy, keynotes, an expo floor with 100+ companies, networking events, parties and more!  Information at http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/

Usability Bootcamp SF
August 19 & 20th, 2010
Cooper, 100 First Street, San Francisco
A hands-on workshop taught by well-known usability consultant Christine Perfetti. Over two full days, learn how to run regular usability tests to: uncover your users’ latent needs, refine features/requirements, test the depth of interactions, refine design, and much more. Walk away with end-to-end knowledge on how to take advantage of testing to build world-class products. You’ll also learn how to apply these techniques in different environments, from engineering-driven agile shops to large enterprises. For subscribers of this email, enter the promo code ‘webwallflower’ by Friday, July 30th to sign up for $795 – a savings of $300 off the final registration price. http://www.perfettimedia.com/workshops/usability_bootcamp/san-francisco.html

DEMO Fall
Sept 13 – 15, All Day
Hyatt Regency
Come to DEMO to preview new, carefully-vetted products and business plans from entrepreneurs eager to show you their innovations in one place at one time.  It’s where entrepreneurs, investors, media and buyers will all converge to take the most promising products from concept to customers. You should be there to experience the future of innovation, find quality dealflow, and network with the people who are likely to change the face of technology in the years to come. All will converge at DEMO Fall 2010 in Silicon Valley, to see the latest innovations in key tech segments.  For more information, check out http://www.demo.com/

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BAY AREA EVENTS:

SV Tweetup
July 21st, 6:00 – 9:00pm
Farenheit Restaurant & Lounge, San Jose
Please join us to share stories of tweet-ups past, to support a good cause, and to engage in some great networking. We are partnering with the PR…SA Silicon Valley!  As usual, we’ll ask for $10 at the door from each attendee, all of which will go to our charity of choice. This month we are supporting FAIR Fund (http://www.fairfund.org/), a D.C.-based international nonprofit organization, works to prevent human trafficking and sexual violence in the lives of youth, especially girls, around the world. Information is up at their Facebook Page.

Startup Waffles
July 22, 8:00a – 10:00a
Lightspeed Venture Partners, Menlo Park
Come hang out at LSVP with the StartupDigest crew for some tasty waffles, coffee, and orange juice in the morning! This monthly(ish) meetup generally bring over 100 founders, hackers, and University students together to share stories, meet new people, and touch base with friends. Information at their Meetup Page.

Cleantech Entrepreneurship: Can it get the nation back to work?
July 22, 8:30a – 5:00p
DoubleTree Hotel, San Jose
Amidst the recovery from the recent recession, seeds of a brighter future are being developed by entrepreneurs with “game changing” clean technologies.  This innovation is not unprecedented, but what is different this time?  We are competing on a global scale against corporations and governments that have a multi-year head start, while struggling to finance our major infrastructure projects with venture capital investment or capital markets.  Faced with these challenges, we bring the brightest and most engaging minds together to discuss how we can ensure that cleantech leads the economic recovery, and that our most innovative entrepreneurs receive the support they need.  Info and registration at http://cleantechopen.org

Summit at Stanford
July 27 – 29
Arrillaga Alumni Center, Stanford
The 8th AlwaysOn & STVP Summit at Stanford is a two-and-a-half-day executive gathering that highlights the significant economic, political and commercial trends affecting the global technology industries. The AlwaysOn & STVP Summit at Stanford features the most innovative companies, eminent technologists, influential investors and journalists in keynote presentations, panel debates and private company CEO showcases. The AlwaysOn & STVP Summit at Stanford’s goal is to identify the most promising entrepreneurial opportunities and investments in the global tech industry.  Information at http://www.aonetwork.com/AOEvents/2010/Summit-Stanford-2010-0

The Mentorship Mixer
July 29th, 6:45 – 9:15p
Palo Alto, CA
You don’t need funding as much as you need a mentor. In a new twist to an old theme, the #ReverseVC concept at this event only is mentor focused. Remember, mentors can be bought with froyo and a thank you card but VCs take a bit more…Be sure to reserve a slot at http://thementorshipmixer.eventbrite.com/

Social Currency CrunchUp
July 30th, 9:00a – 10:00p
Arrillaga Alumni Center
Social currency is where the web meets real world commerce. CrunchUps are highly participatory one-day conferences hosted by TechCrunch where we focus in on important “now” themes in non-traditional formats.  Join us for the day to help shape the future of geo-location platforms and services.  Then, join the fun and networking at August Capital for a beautiful evening on the best deck of all of Sand Hill Road.  Information and registration at: http://techcrunchsocialcurrencycrunchuandaugustcapitparty.eventbrite.com/

15% off – Founders Showcase
Aug 3rd, 4:00p – 10:00p
Microsoft Campus, Mountain View
See Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, and Jason Calacanis, CEO of Mahalo.com, speak at the The Founder Showcase on August 3rd in Silicon Valley. This quarterly start-up pitch and networking event brings together over 275 investors, founders, and members of the press to hear talks from leading CEOs, and pitches from 10 hot technology start-ups in an open Pitch Competition. A panel of investors will provide critical feedback of the pitches, and the two best companies will face off in a “Showcase Showdown” lightning round to determine the Grand Prize Winner. There is also a networking and table area where investors and start-ups will convene with food and drinks. Tickets start at just $40, but there is a very limited number available.   WebWallflower readers get a 15% discount by using the code web_wallflower.   For more information or to apply to the Pitch Competition, go to www.FounderShowcase.com.

Craigslist Foundation BootCamp
Aug 14th, 7:30a – 5:30p
Berkeley, CA
Imagine 1,500 passionate people gathered together to strengthen their communities and neighborhoods. That’s Boot Camp a fun, intensive one-day conference where you will learn to bring your ideas for empowered — communities into reality.  At Boot Camp, you will participate in interactive workshops, meet people who can turn dreams into action, receive expert coaching, and get fired up by stories of successful community transformations.  Registration for the 7th Annual Craigslist Foundation Boot Camp is now live: http://www.craigslistfoundation.org/boot-camp

PlugandPlay TechCenter Events
Daily!
So PlugandPlay TechCenter has a ton of awesome events, and it would take an entire newsletter just to share them all. Skim their calendar regularly to see what they have to offer. http://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/calendar/

SVASE Series
Weekly
SVASE, the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs, is the largest and fastest growing nonprofit association in Northern California dedicated exclusively to helping early stage tech entrepreneurs. They hold events regularly in the peninsula, and occasionally the city itself. There are too many to name in my brief email, but be sure to check them out for advice on investment, team development, financing, corporate leadership, and much more: http://www.svase.org/

SDforum
Weekly Not to add another list of events to my list, but SDforum also has something every other day. Essentially “SDForum is the leading Silicon Valley not-for-profit organization providing an unbiased source of information and insight to the technology community. SDForum provides a venue for engineers, executives, researchers, technology leaders, and venture capitalists to exchange information on emerging technologies and best practices.” Info on their events at www.sdforum.com.

Founders Space
Founders Space brings together founders, angels, VCs, attorneys, CFOs and other experts to answer the questions all founders have.  We’re focused on developing new ways to connect founders, advisors and investors around the world.  Our vision is to build a global platform, where startups and advisors work as virtual teams to enter and grow new markets, and where investors can efficiently discover the best matches for their investment goals.   So join us in this grand adventure, and let’s build something truly great!

1. Do events because you love it, not for money.

The first thing is to be selfish: do events because you want to.  Either way you probably won’t make any money even if you tried.  Also events are tough to produce/manage, so make sure it’s something that you would work your ass off for.

2. Know your event’s audience.

Before planning an event, know if you are reaching a horizontal group or vertical by answering the question “Who am I targeting?”  If you don’t know, then you have not planned your event thoroughly enough.  This question will help your event be streamlined; otherwise you will waste effort marketing inappropriately and will have a harder time selling to both sponsors and attendees.  A vertical audience is a single targeted group: developers on Facebook games or companies which use cloud computing.  A horizontal is a broader less-targeted group: small-business owners, teenagers, moms, etc…  Horizontal events can attract a larger group of people and have long-term branding, but vertical events are easier to sell.

3. Make sure your event stands out.

It would be stupid to throw an event that everyone else is doing, because then you’re just a rip-off.  Brainstorm ideas for events until you get the one you want and love.  The easiest way to brainstorm for me is to just clean out my brain of all my ideas and put them onto post-its.  Even if the ideas are stupid now, they can be developed and be great ones later, so write ALL of them down.  Also, focus on core themes to make sure you don’t go all over the place.

4. Find engaging AND smart speakers

Your speakers should have an equal mix of geeks and Jerry Maguires.  You want the extremely smart people to balance off the entertaining speakers, so people don’t get bored but also learn something.  If you happen to find speakers that are smart as hell and are very engaging, get them on board!

5. Recruit attendees who are VIPs, connectors, influencers, and passionate volunteers

You should have VIP’s, the people who are the best in their fields or influential people, there to attract more people. Connectors are also must-haves at events since they are the hubs of social networks.  Go to Meetup, Plancast, StartupDigest, and Twitter and see who brings people together for your specific topic In addition, you want a core group that will always be there for you: groupies.  These people come about when you have something that they can passionate about.  Groupies are hard to get, so if you have the luck to score some of these guys, DON’T LOSE THEM!  They will: give you feedback, forgive you for throwing some of the crappiest events in history, and have your back.

6.Use social media to market.

Usually the best and cheapest way to market is to use social media.  For distributing tickets, Eventbrite would be the best.  Email is the best tool because it allows you to be more personal to a small group of people; however, SlideShare, Twitter, Plancast, blogs, videos, and photos are all still great tools to spread the word as well.   Also while using social media, make sure to especially publicize your VIP’s. For example, if you have Guy Kawasaki talking about evangelism or if you have the Woz at your “Inside the iPhone convention”, market it!  It will bring more people in to learn from some of the best in the world.

All three had a lot to say about events and really gave me a clear picture of what to expect as a newcomer in this industry.  For me, the major takeaway from all of this was that events are works of love and it takes immense skill to develop produce, and manage one, no matter how small or large.  Overall EventTech was a great conference from what I’ve heard about the rest of the day and I’m really looking forward to the next one.

[This post is by Cass's summer intern, Ashna Ashok.  Ashna is currently a high school junior who is very interested in the startup world.  She is currently working on some crazy business ideas with her partner-in-crime.]

We’re also launching our 3rd FailChat on July 20th! This time around, we are discussing startup metrics: what to spend time measuring, what tools to use, and how to interpret and apply the data without wasting resources.  These continue to attract 60+ founders and developers each night, and are a great way to meet the industry, share a drink, and learn how to avoid the common mistakes new companies make.

And don’t forget we now have a public Bay Area Startup Events Calendar; subscribe today!

-=Cass=-
For regular event updates, follow @webwallflower

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TOP UPCOMING BAY AREA TECH EVENTS
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EVENT DISCOUNTS
SAN FRANCISCO EVENTS
BAY AREA EVENTS

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EVENT DISCOUNTS:

25% off – SF Beta 4.3
July 13th, 5:30 – 9:30p
111 Minna Gallery
SF Beta is San Francisco’s largest and longest-running startup mixer. Hundreds of founders, developers, investors, and geeks are joining us. Will you?  Our loosely structured event attracts over 350 people from across Silicon Valley. We provide tasty gourmet appetizers and a full cash bar, along with live demos from startups throughout the night.  25% off Registration at: http://sfbeta4p03.eventbrite.com/?discount=wallflower

FailChat #3: Metrics for Success
July 20th, 6:30p – 9:30p
PariSoma Loft, SF
Even the simplest of companies can be bombarded with metrics: Cost-Per-User, Clickthrough Rates, Page Views, A/B Test Results, Time on Site, User Tracking, Referral Sites, and so much more.  There are too  many start-ups that either ignore these metrics entirely, are unsure how to interpret them, or delve into them too deeply and lose precious resources in the process.  So we’ve compiled a panel of experts to discuss which metrics are most important for a startup to measure.  We’ll also explore what tools to use, when to build your own, and how best to apply the data you gather successfully.  Each FailChat attracts an intimate and targeted group of early-stage founders and entrepreneurs to discuss the common mistakes and missteps that startups and small businesses take. Beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and appetizers are provided throughout the seminar.  Register at http://failchat3.mogotix.com/

20% off – PR Summit BootCamp
July 22, All Day
LGBT Community Center
The PR Summit Boot Camp is a one day conference focused on providing up-to-date tools for professionals working in media. Conference attendee’s will have the opportunity to listen, connect and follow the insights and conversation of media experts in a wide variety of vertical markets and industries. The PR Summit Boot Camp Conference addresses the changing media & public relations landscape. Industry professionals in a variety of vertical markets and industries will provide attendees with latest case-studies, insights, fresh ideas, tools, and best success practices that can be applied can be applied to a person’s skills set. Information and a 20% discount at http://prconferencebootcamp-sf.eventbrite.com/ (PS: I’m speaking so check it out!)

20% – BlogHer ’10
August 6-7
The Hilton, New York City
Building on the momentum of five consecutive sold-out annual conferences, BlogHer ’10 will bring bloggers from every corner of the blogosphere together for hands-on learning, rich discussions, opportunities to meet with the brands that support them and plentiful networking opportunities.  BlogHer ’10 will be at the The Hilton New York from August 6 – 7, 2010. We will kick off on Thursday August 5 with our fourth annual BlogHer Business Conference, a “crash course” on best practices for reaching the most influential and powerful consumers — women online — in the quickly evolving social media world. And Girls in Tech attendees can receive 20% off BlogHer Business registration by using the discount code GIT.

15% off – Social DevCamp Chicago
Aug 14 – 15
McCormick Tribune, Chicago
SocialDevCamp Chicago is two days of developer-centric sessions about making the most of the social web. It’s the unconference for social application and platform developers, mobile social developers, evangelists, and enthusiasts. At SocialDevCamp you’ll join hundreds of passionate developers and creators for a weekend of robust talks on social applications, platforms, APIs, mobile applications, identity management, and new media. True to WebWallflower form, we’ve twisted the arms of the SocialDevCamp Chicago organizers to get you the best deal on their $30.00 weekend even we can possibly get.  Our hard-nosed negotiating tactics got them to knock $5.00 off the price so you can get one extra latte without all the guilt while you’re in the Windy City.  Registration is at http://socialdevcampchicago.com/register/ with the code “webwallflower-blowout-sale”

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SAN FRANCISCO EVENTS:

Social Media Marketing 2010
July 8th, 8:00a – 6:00p
Hotel Nikko
Social Media Marketing 2010 San Fransisco will bring together leading brands and marketing experts to explore the viral power of social networks.  During this one-day event, a team of renowned marketing experts will provide guidance on how to effectively engage with customers via social media, give tips on how to maximize the impact of your campaigns and offer insights into new services to try and trends to watch out for. This is the ultimate event for anyone involved in social media or digital marketing.  Info at http://socialmediamarketing.co.uk/sanfrancisco

Boing Boing Picnic
July 10th, 11:00a – 2:00p
Golden Gate Park
The weather is beautiful, so who needs to go to stuffy network-y events in doors!  Come relax with friends, colleagues, family, and team from Boing Boing!  Check it out at http://bit.ly/bbqpicnic

MobileBeat 2010
July 12th – 13th
The Palace Hotel
The Age of the Superphone has begun, and three camps—carriers, device makers, and software developers—are all vying for dominion over consumers’ pocketbooks. The powers are redrawing their boundaries, rewriting the treaties, and preparing to wage battle onstage and in backroom dealmaking this July 12-13 at MobileBeat 2010.   Info at http://events.venturebeat.com/mobilebeat2010/

25% off – SF Beta 4.3
July 13th, 5:30 – 9:30p
111 Minna Gallery
SF Beta is San Francisco’s largest and longest-running startup mixer. Hundreds of founders, developers, investors, and geeks are joining us. Will you?  Our loosely structured event attracts over 350 people from across Silicon Valley. We provide tasty gourmet appetizers and a full cash bar, along with live demos from startups throughout the night.  25% off Registration at: http://sfbeta4p03.eventbrite.com/?discount=wallflower

Bestselling Entrepreneurial Hosts Free High-Octane Mastermind Gathering
July 13, 7:00 – 8:30p
Roe Nightclub
This will be an intimate get together where Bestselling Author and Life and Business Strategist Allison Maslan will personally brainstorm with attendees on how to find their passion and turn it into a successful business. And for those who already have a business, there will be brainstorming on how to take it to the next level. Attendees also will have the opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs. Allison’s book, Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams Into Reality hit No. 1 on Amazon in the US and Canada, and also made the bestseller list in the UK, on its release this year. Allison has been an entrepreneur for many years and has built 9 of her own successful businesses. As a life and business strategist and homeopathic physician, she has guided thousands to turn their passions into a profitable business and launch to a happier, healthier and more prosperous way of living.  Information at http://www.myblastoff.com/rockettour/

Girls in Tech: Click
July 14th, 6:00 – 8:00p
TBD, San Francisco
Why do we click with some people, and not with others?  Join Co-Author of “Click” as we look at the research accross psychology, behavioral economics, neuroscience and sociology to unravel this mystery at the heart of romantic, business, and friendly relationships.  Secure a slot for yourself at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/731351492

Mashable Summer Tour
July 14th, 7:00 – 10:00pm
Grand Hyatt Hotel
It’s only fitting that our West Coast homebase will be the largest event on the SummerMash tour. Join us in San Francisco for food, drinks, and great people from all over the Bay area. Team Mashable will be in full force with Pete Cashmore, Adam Hirsch, Ben Parr, Barb Dybwad, Karen Hartline, Brett Petersel, Jolie O’Dell and Jenn Van Grove. Hope to see you there!  Register at http://summermashsf.eventbrite.com/

NetShelter’s Most Influential: Mobile
July 15th, 7:00 – 10:00p
Roe Nightclub
Connect with other heavy hitters.  Amplify your own influence in the mobile tech space. NetShelter and publishers PhoneDog, IntoMobile and VentureBeat invite you for an evening of insights, merriment, mingling. Join us in defining who and what matters in the mobile space.  Information at Tickets at http://netsheltermixermobile.eventbrite.com/

Startup Job Demo
July 17th, 10:00a – 2:00p
Citizen Space
Instead of lurking around and begging for attention, be inspired by the cool projects startups are working on and find the right fit.  30 hiring companies will present Ignite style for 5 minutes each on what they are working on & the culture of their company. If you like what they are about, you can interview with them in real-time during a 10 minute interview slot directly after their talk. For more information check out http://startup-job-demo-1-fb.eventbrite.com/

FailChat #3: Metrics for Success
July 20th, 6:30p – 9:30p
PariSoma Loft, SF
Even the simplest of companies can be bombarded with metrics: Cost-Per-User, Clickthrough Rates, Page Views, A/B Test Results, Time on Site, User Tracking, Referral Sites, and so much more.  There are too  many start-ups that either ignore these metrics entirely, are unsure how to interpret them, or delve into them too deeply and lose precious resources in the process.  So we’ve compiled a panel of experts to discuss which metrics are most important for a startup to measure.  We’ll also explore what tools to use, when to build your own, and how best to apply the data you gather successfully.  Each FailChat attracts an intimate and targeted group of early-stage founders and entrepreneurs to discuss the common mistakes and missteps that startups and small businesses take. Beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and appetizers are provided throughout the seminar.  Register at http://failchat3.mogotix.com/

Geo-Loco Conference
July 21, All Day
Mission Bay at UCSF
Geo-Loco is the next big thing in advertising, social media and discovery. On Wednesday, July 21st, 2010, in San Francisco, investors, brands and technology providers will gather to explore what the new breed of Geo-Location-enabled services and applications is doing for brands, for businesses and for consumers. Information at http://geoloco.tv/

20% off – PR Summit BootCamp
July 22, All Day
LGBT Community Center
The PR Summit Boot Camp is a one day conference focused on providing up-to-date tools for professionals working in media. Conference attendee’s will have the opportunity to listen, connect and follow the insights and conversation of media experts in a wide variety of vertical markets and industries. The PR Summit Boot Camp Conference addresses the changing media & public relations landscape. Industry professionals in a variety of vertical markets and industries will provide attendees with latest case-studies, insights, fresh ideas, tools, and best success practices that can be applied can be applied to a person’s skills set. Information and a 20% discount at http://prconferencebootcamp-sf.eventbrite.com/ (PS: I’m speaking so check it out!)

Startup Weekend SF
July 23rd – 25th
KickLabs, San Francisco
That’s it we are back for a very special Startup Weekend! This Startup Weekend is going to be focus on Mobile (any mobile you can go crazy!!) For the ones who don’t know Startup Weeekend, this is a chance for you to go from idea to business in a weekend! For the ones who has been to a Startup Weekend , this is a good way to experiment new things to be a better entrepreneur (Learning by Doing!)  Information posted regularly at http://bayarea.startupweekend.org/

Search Engine Strategies
Aug 13th, 8:30a – 6:00p
Moscone West
Now in its 12th year, SES is organized and programmed by the SES Advisory Board and SearchEngineWatch.com, the leading authority on Search Engine Marketing (SEM), including SEO and PPC. The event is packed with sessions covering PPC management, keyword research, SEO, social media, local, mobile, link building, duplicate content, multiple site issues, video optimization, site optimization and usability, while offering high-level strategy, keynotes, an expo floor with 100+ companies, networking events, parties and more!  Information at http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/

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BAY AREA EVENTS:

SV NewTech Meetup
July 6, 7:00 – 10:00p
DLA Piper, Palo Alto
Learn about hot new web technologies and mingle with 200 fellow entrepreneurs, investors, bloggers, and tech enthusiasts. This meetup fills up quick, so be sure to RSVP 2 weeks early each month.  Check out their Meetup page for more information!

Salesforce Developer Meeetup
July 12, 6:00 – 8:00p
PayPal, San Jose
Join Salesforce and PayPal for a developer meetup at the PayPal Headquarters in San Jose, California, on July 12, starting at 6:00 p.m. This event lets you learn and explore the Force.com platform and teaches you how to build e-commerce apps using the PayPal X toolkit for Force.com. Meet our evangelists and tech experts who will host code consultations as well as Force.com demos. For more information and to sign-up, visit http://bit.ly/SFmeetup.

Consumer Internet: Pillsbury and PricewaterhouseCoopers
July 13th, 8:00 – 10:00am
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Palo Alto
For many years, VCs shied away from consumer deals…too hard to predict consumer whims…big marketing budgets usually required…hard to build a brand.  With the wild success of some consumer plays (e.g. Amazon, eBay, Google), now many VCs do consumer plays and some even focus on them.  Now there are thousands of consumer plays, angling for a bigger share of eyeballs, wallets, and advertising revenues.  Are there still big consumer plays or is the field already saturated?  Who will be the winners and losers?  Come hear our panelists answer these questions and more as they discuss the consumer landscape and how they expect their companies and others to navigate it. Information at http://www.sdforum.org/venturebreakfast

EnShePreneur
July 15. 6:00 – 9:00p
HackerDojo, MountainView
This will be an interactive workshop and Tim Young, General Counsel, Fortis LLC, (http://www.fortisgc.com/tim_young.html)  We will guide you through our Startup Workshop. We will focus on legal issues in the early stage of forming your start-up. Topics include: choice of business entity and jurisdiction, initial capital structure and founders’ equity, initial IP protection and more.  Please register on Eventbrite http://apwtstartupworkshop1.eventbrite.com/

Cleantech Entrepreneurship: Can it get the nation back to work?
July 22, 8:30a – 5:00p
DoubleTree Hotel, San Jose
Amidst the recovery from the recent recession, seeds of a brighter future are being developed by entrepreneurs with “game changing” clean technologies.  This innovation is not unprecedented, but what is different this time?  We are competing on a global scale against corporations and governments that have a multi-year head start, while struggling to finance our major infrastructure projects with venture capital investment or capital markets.  Faced with these challenges, we bring the brightest and most engaging minds together to discuss how we can ensure that cleantech leads the economic recovery, and that our most innovative entrepreneurs receive the support they need.  Info and registration at http://cleantechopen.org

Social Currency CrunchUp
July 30th, 9:00a – 10:00p
Arrillaga Alumni Center
Social currency is where the web meets real world commerce. CrunchUps are highly participatory one-day conferences hosted by TechCrunch where we focus in on important “now” themes in non-traditional formats.  Join us for the day to help shape the future of geo-location platforms and services.  Then, join the fun and networking at August Capital for a beautiful evening on the best deck of all of Sand Hill Road.  Information and registration at: http://techcrunchsocialcurrencycrunchuandaugustcapitparty.eventbrite.com/

15% off – Founders Showcase
Aug 3rd, 4:00p – 10:00p
Microsoft Campus, Mountain View
See Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, and Jason Calacanis, CEO of Mahalo.com, speak at the The Founder Showcase on August 3rd in Silicon Valley. This quarterly start-up pitch and networking event brings together over 275 investors, founders, and members of the press to hear talks from leading CEOs, and pitches from 10 hot technology start-ups in an open Pitch Competition. A panel of investors will provide critical feedback of the pitches, and the two best companies will face off in a “Showcase Showdown” lightning round to determine the Grand Prize Winner. There is also a networking and table area where investors and start-ups will convene with food and drinks. Tickets start at just $40, but there is a very limited number available.   WebWallflower readers get a 15% discount by using the code web_wallflower.   For more information or to apply to the Pitch Competition, go to www.FounderShowcase.com.

Craigslist Foundation BootCamp
Aug 14th, 7:30a – 5:30p
Berkeley, CA
Imagine 1,500 passionate people gathered together to strengthen their communities and neighborhoods. That’s Boot Camp a fun, intensive one-day conference where you will learn to bring your ideas for empowered — communities into reality.  At Boot Camp, you will participate in interactive workshops, meet people who can turn dreams into action, receive expert coaching, and get fired up by stories of successful community transformations.  Registration for the 7th Annual Craigslist Foundation Boot Camp is now live: http://www.craigslistfoundation.org/boot-camp

PlugandPlay TechCenter Events
Daily!
So PlugandPlay TechCenter has a ton of awesome events, and it would take an entire newsletter just to share them all. Skim their calendar regularly to see what they have to offer. http://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/calendar/

SVASE Series
Weekly
SVASE, the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs, is the largest and fastest growing nonprofit association in Northern California dedicated exclusively to helping early stage tech entrepreneurs. They hold events regularly in the peninsula, and occasionally the city itself. There are too many to name in my brief email, but be sure to check them out for advice on investment, team development, financing, corporate leadership, and much more: http://www.svase.org/

SDforum
Weekly Not to add another list of events to my list, but SDforum also has something every other day. Essentially “SDForum is the leading Silicon Valley not-for-profit organization providing an unbiased source of information and insight to the technology community. SDForum provides a venue for engineers, executives, researchers, technology leaders, and venture capitalists to exchange information on emerging technologies and best practices.” Info on their events at www.sdforum.com.

Founders Space
Founders Space brings together founders, angels, VCs, attorneys, CFOs and other experts to answer the questions all founders have.  We’re focused on developing new ways to connect founders, advisors and investors around the world.  Our vision is to build a global platform, where startups and advisors work as virtual teams to enter and grow new markets, and where investors can efficiently discover the best matches for their investment goals.   So join us in this grand adventure, and let’s build something truly great!

You’ve have asked for it, and we’ve got it!  Announcing our public Bay Area Startup Events Calendar; subscribe today!

-=Cass=-
For regular event updates, follow @webwallflower

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TOP UPCOMING BAY AREA TECH EVENTS
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EVENT DISCOUNTS
SAN FRANCISCO EVENTS
BAY AREA EVENTS

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EVENT DISCOUNTS:

50% off – Partners for Growth & Innovation Tuscany 2010 Conference
June 27 – 30
Viareggio, Italy
A unique opportunity for international Innovators, Entrepreneurs, Techs and VCs to meet, share and build successful bridges. A high profile global conference, including a start-up school, a cloud camp, panels on hot topics like Social Gaming with US Digg Brian Wong and French Kobojo Vincent Vergonjeanne, vibrant keynotes by VC Mounia Rkha or Social Media favorite Adventure Girl and many more (http://www.pgi.vc/speakers/)!
Join us in this inspiring environment where generating in-depth business rhymes with enjoying local life.
Enter GEEKS while registering to get a 40% discount! http://pgi.eventbrite.com/?ref=ebtn

$350 off  – iPad Summit
June 28th, All Day
South San Francisco Conference Center
Perfect your Apple mobile device strategy. The iPad Summit is the only event of it’s type, providing you the detailed insight you need to create not just your iPad strategy but your entire Apple mobile device strategy (iPad, iPhone and iTouch). You’ll get market insight from Flurry Analytics, M2 Research, Interpret LLC, Chitika, AdMob and Aurora Feint and others. You can’t get this much market research and data anywhere else- – so don’t miss out. The summit takes place June 28, 2010, and conveniently located at the South San Francisco Conference. Register now for just $350 using the “fail-vip” discount code. Details are available here: http://www.ipadsummit.com

15% off – Social Developer Summit
June 29th, 8:30a – 6:00p
The Palace Hotel
Whether it’s social games, social news, social discovery, social search, or other forms of social solutions, developers today are facing new hurdles in building instantly scalable products. As new technologies emerge to address the challenges faced by social application developers, it’s increasingly important to come together for knowledge sharing purposes. The first Social Developer Summit will bring together social application developers to discuss the challenges, solutions, and best practices for building applications in the rapidly expanding social web economy. At the Social Developer Summit, industry experts will share tips and case studies for building high performance social web products. More info and 15% off at: http://www.mediabistro.com/socialdevelopersummit/?c=sdsbate with the code SDSBATE

20% off – PR Summit BootCamp
July 22, All Day
LGBT Community Center
The PR Summit Boot Camp is a one day conference focused on providing up-to-date tools for professionals working in media. Conference attendee’s will have the opportunity to listen, connect and follow the insights and conversation of media experts in a wide variety of vertical markets and industries. The PR Summit Boot Camp Conference addresses the changing media & public relations landscape. Industry professionals in a variety of vertical markets and industries will provide attendees with latest case-studies, insights, fresh ideas, tools, and best success practices that can be applied can be applied to a person’s skills set. Information and a 20% discount at http://prconferencebootcamp-sf.eventbrite.com/ (PS: I’m speaking so check it out!)

20% – BlogHer ’10
August 6-7
The Hilton, New York City
Building on the momentum of five consecutive sold-out annual conferences, BlogHer ’10 will bring bloggers from every corner of the blogosphere together for hands-on learning, rich discussions, opportunities to meet with the brands that support them and plentiful networking opportunities.  BlogHer ’10 will be at the The Hilton New York from August 6 – 7, 2010. We will kick off on Thursday August 5 with our fourth annual BlogHer Business Conference, a “crash course” on best practices for reaching the most influential and powerful consumers — women online — in the quickly evolving social media world. And Girls in Tech attendees can receive 20% off BlogHer Business registration by using the discount code GIT.

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SAN FRANCISCO EVENTS:

Lunch 2.0 at Xobni
June 22nd, 12:00n – 2:00p
Xobni (539 Bryant St)
Xobni is hosting us for the first summer Lunch 2.0 of 2010 next Tuesday! Come on out and mingle with the tech community in their cool loft space and learn about their developer platform (http://www.xobni.com/developer/).  SPACE IS LIMITED, PLEASE RSVP ON UPCOMING http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/6553674/CA/San-Francisco/Lunch-20-xobni/Xobni/

Social Drinks & Pitches
June 22nd, 6:00 – 9:00p
Citizen Space
A lot of the great entrepreneurs are new to the area (or you are not new, but want to meet even more great people) and you are looking to expand your network in order to:  Find potential business partners and advisors to start cool companies; Find potential investors for your awesome ideas; Find potential employers and employees to make amazing stuff happen.  This will be an event for you to pitch. We will bring together super talented entrepreneurs, developers, investors with different backgrounds and skill sets.  You will have 45 seconds. Tell us:  Who are you?  What’s your venture?   And what you are looking for?  Information at their Facebook event.

b2b Search Marketing Summit
June 23rd, 8:00a – 7:00p
InterContinental
Struggling to get your B2B Search Marketing campaigns to turn a profit? Do you need a better strategy to fill your pipeline with more qualified leads using Search Marketing and Social Media?  The B2B Search Strategy Summit is designed by B2B Search Engine Marketers for B2B Search Engine Marketers to provide strategic and tactical b2b Marketing knowledge and bring together the best minds in b2b search engine marketing to share leading-edge information and experience.  Information at http://www.b2bsearchstrategy.com/

Tech Night Double Feature
June 23rd, 6:00p – 9:00p
Commonwealth Club
Kick back for the insider’s scoop on Facebook, then find out what the Internet is doing to our brains, for better or worse. Start the evening with David Kirkpatrick, Author of The Facebook Effect being interviewed by Michael Arrington, and round it off with Nicholas Carr author of The Shallows talking with Peter Norvig, the director of research at Google. This definitely an incredible night of talks not to be missed by anyone involved in the web and social media. Information at tickets at the Commonwealth Club site.

Structure 2010
June 23rd – 24th
Mission Bay Conference Center
Cloud computing has caught the technology world’s imagination. At Structure 2010, we celebrate cloud computing and recognize that it is just one part of the fabric that makes up the global compute infrastructure we rely on daily. From broadband to hardware and software, we look at the whole picture and predict the directions the industry will take. Whether you’re in a corporation looking to learn about infrastructure best practices or an entrepreneur looking for your next venture, Structure 2010 is a must-attend event that can provide you with the best ideas, contacts and thinkers. More details are available on the Structure 2010 website – www.StructureConf.com

Mogotix Launch Party
June 24th, 6:00 – 9:00pm
Roe Lounge
Come celebrate the MogoTix launch with Plancast, UserVoice, Recurly, and imhello at ROE Lounge in San Francisco! The party starts at 6:00 pm. Free food, awesome people. If you like free drinks, you know which ticket to buy. If you don’t—hey, you’re still welcome, but you might get thirsty. Info and registration at http://mogotixlaunchparty.mogotix.com/

Rev3 Fifth Anniversary Party
June 25th, 8:00pm – 2:00am
Mezzanine
Revision3 is celebrating its 5 Year Anniversary and we want YOU to join us in San Francisco with the best party we could put together. We’ve got Brian Brushwood of Scam School and Alex Koll of ROFL performing LIVE as well as the first LIVE Diggnation in San Francisco in over 2 years! Doors open at Mezzanine in SF at 8 PM, but you’ll want to get in line early as this one is going to be packed! The party is 21 and over (don’t blame us – this is due to San Francisco City age restrictions at venues). More information up at their Facebook Event!

$350 off  – iPad Summit
June 28th, All Day
South San Francisco Conference Center
Perfect your Apple mobile device strategy. The iPad Summit is the only event of it’s type, providing you the detailed insight you need to create not just your iPad strategy but your entire Apple mobile device strategy (iPad, iPhone and iTouch). You’ll get market insight from Flurry Analytics, M2 Research, Interpret LLC, Chitika, AdMob and Aurora Feint and others. You can’t get this much market research and data anywhere else- – so don’t miss out. The summit takes place June 28, 2010, and conveniently located at the South San Francisco Conference. Register now for just $350 using the “fail-vip” discount code. Details are available here: http://www.ipadsummit.com

15% off – Social Developer Summit
June 29th, 8:30a – 6:00p
The Palace Hotel
Whether it’s social games, social news, social discovery, social search, or other forms of social solutions, developers today are facing new hurdles in building instantly scalable products. As new technologies emerge to address the challenges faced by social application developers, it’s increasingly important to come together for knowledge sharing purposes. The first Social Developer Summit will bring together social application developers to discuss the challenges, solutions, and best practices for building applications in the rapidly expanding social web economy. At the Social Developer Summit, industry experts will share tips and case studies for building high performance social web products. More info and 15% off at: http://www.mediabistro.com/socialdevelopersummit/?c=sdsbate with the code SDSBATE

Social Media ROI
June 29th, 6:30 – 9:30p
Sandbox Suites
Our June speaker is a true evil genius when it comes to converting visitors to customers using social media. His latest startup, Flowtown, has gained more than 10,000 customers and grew its Facebook page from 0 to almost 3,000 fans in a matter of months.  Discover which of your customers are using social media.  Demystify the world of social media in 3 simple steps.  Learn Tips & Tricks around Blogging, Facebook and Twitter.  Convert visits into customers from your social profiles.  Information at http://flowtown-efbevent.eventbrite.com/

Opinno Open Office
July 1st, 12:00n
Opinno, Pier 38
Join Opinno this summer to work in downtown San Francisco, right in the heart of the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem. From July through September, we will be hosting entrepreneurs from all over the world, including from the United States, in our incubator on Pier 38, home to more than 100 entrepreneurs and investors. Each week, you will be able to attend networking events, tour startups, meet investors, and experience life in San Francisco, a city renowned for its entrepreneurship, culture and natural beauty.  Information at http://www.opinno.com/openoffice/ and Eventbrite.

Social Media Marketing 2010
July 8th, 8:00a – 6:00p
Hotel Nikko
Social Media Marketing 2010 San Fransisco will bring together leading brands and marketing experts to explore the viral power of social networks.  During this one-day event, a team of renowned marketing experts will provide guidance on how to effectively engage with customers via social media, give tips on how to maximize the impact of your campaigns and offer insights into new services to try and trends to watch out for. This is the ultimate event for anyone involved in social media or digital marketing.  Info at http://socialmediamarketing.co.uk/sanfrancisco

SF Beta 4.3
July 13th, 5:30 – 9:30p
111 Minna Gallery
SF Beta is San Francisco’s largest and longest-running startup mixer. Hundreds of founders, developers, investors, and geeks are joining us. Will you?  Our loosely structured event attracts over 350 people from across Silicon Valley. We provide tasty gourmet appetizers and a full cash bar, along with live demos from startups throughout the night.  Registration: http://sfbeta4p03.eventbrite.com/

Startup Job Demo
July 17th, 10:00a – 2:00p
Citizen Space
Instead of lurking around and begging for attention, be inspired by the cool projects startups are working on and find the right fit.  30 hiring companies will present Ignite style for 5 minutes each on what they are working on & the culture of their company. If you like what they are about, you can interview with them in real-time during a 10 minute interview slot directly after their talk. For more information check out http://startup-job-demo-1-fb.eventbrite.com/

Geo-Loco Conference
July 21, All Day
Mission Bay at UCSF
Geo-Loco is the next big thing in advertising, social media and discovery. On Wednesday, July 21st, 2010, in San Francisco, investors, brands and technology providers will gather to explore what the new breed of Geo-Location-enabled services and applications is doing for brands, for businesses and for consumers. Information at http://geoloco.tv/

20% off – PR Summit BootCamp
July 22, All Day
LGBT Community Center
The PR Summit Boot Camp is a one day conference focused on providing up-to-date tools for professionals working in media. Conference attendee’s will have the opportunity to listen, connect and follow the insights and conversation of media experts in a wide variety of vertical markets and industries. The PR Summit Boot Camp Conference addresses the changing media & public relations landscape. Industry professionals in a variety of vertical markets and industries will provide attendees with latest case-studies, insights, fresh ideas, tools, and best success practices that can be applied can be applied to a person’s skills set. Information and a 20% discount at http://prconferencebootcamp-sf.eventbrite.com/ (PS: I’m speaking so check it out!)

Startup Weekend SF
July 23rd – 25th
KickLabs, San Francisco
That’s it we are back for a very special Startup Weekend! This Startup Weekend is going to be focus on Mobile (any mobile you can go crazy!!) For the ones who don’t know Startup Weeekend, this is a chance for you to go from idea to business in a weekend! For the ones who has been to a Startup Weekend , this is a good way to experiment new things to be a better entrepreneur (Learning by Doing!)  Information posted regularly at http://bayarea.startupweekend.org/

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BAY AREA EVENTS:

CloudForce 2010
June 22nd, 8:30a – 6:00p
San Jose Convention Center
The next wave of cloud computing is here, and it’s changing everything! Find out how—at this landmark industry event with the cloud leaders whose mobile, collaborative, and social innovations are driving the Cloud 2 revolution.  Join salesforce.com Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff, industry luminaries from CA, VMware, and BMC, and thousands of your peers to see how the next generation of cloud computing can transform your entire business. Choose from 18 targeted breakout sessions for sales, customer service, developers, IT executives, ISVs, and entrepreneurs. And test drive 50+ live demos of cutting-edge apps.  Lunch is included. And you can cap off your day by networking1:1 networking industry’s top cloud computing experts, salesforce.com customers, and partners in our Cloud Expo. Space is limited and there’s only a week to go, so register now for this free event.

Silicon Valley Tweet-up & Young Professionals Meetup
June 22nd, 6:00 – 8:30p
SV Capital Club
Please join us for the summer kick-off event for Silicon Valley Tweet-Up, which we’re hosting in conjunction with Silicon Valley Young Professionals. We’re also moving to a new great location for this event — the Silicon Valley Capital Club in downtown San Jose. With this event we will raise money for Hope Services, a nonprofit agency that provides programs that assist children, adults and seniors with developmental disabilities to become valued and participating members of their communities. The cost to attend the tweet-up is $10 at the door, and all proceeds go to Hope Services. Attendees get food and drink tickets. Information on Plancast.

TEDsalon
June 23rd, 6:30 – 8:30p
Samovar Conference Hall, Mountain View
TED (short for Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a U.S. private non-profit foundation[1] that is best known for its conferences, now held in Europe and Asia as well as the U.S., devoted to what it calls “ideas worth spreading”. A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine the taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. What happens when TED meets Salon? Find out! On June 23 inspirational group of authors, technologists, artists will meet at the informal gathering in Mountain View. Information at http://tedsalonjune2010.eventbrite.com/

Startup Waffles
June 24, 8:00a – 11:00a
776 University Ave, Palo Alto
Startup Waffles provides founders and hackers with free waffles (and coffee and OJ) and a place to mingle, network, and get your day started right.  Check out their Meetup page for more information.

EventTech
June 25th, 8:30a – 6:00p
Microsoft, Mountain View
Shai Goldman & Dave Nielsen are working together to create an event industry conference to highlight new technologies, formats & business models used to create todays most popular events. We’ve invited the upstart innovators & Rock Stars of the event industry to share their stories and lessons so that our events may benefit from their experience. Info and tickets at http://eventtech2010.eventbrite.com/

JobNob Happy Hour
June 29th, 4:30 – 7:30p
Illusions Supper Club, Palo Alto
Come “Jobnob” with cool new startups and talented job seekers at this information networking happy hour where you can find startup jobs. Be flexible on commitment and compensation – bootstrapped startups may be offering *alternative compensation: reduced rates, equity, internships, part-time, etc. Get in on the ground floor with these great startups and meet cool tech companies! Funded and larger tech companies should be offering traditional compensation. Registration required: http://www.jobnob.com/happy-hour/PaloAlto-jun-29-2010

SV NewTech Meetup
July 6, 7:00 – 10:00p
DLA Piper, Palo Alto
Learn about hot new web technologies and mingle with 200 fellow entrepreneurs, investors, bloggers, and tech enthusiasts. This meetup fills up quick, so be sure to RSVP 2 weeks early each month.  Check out their Meetup page for more information!

Consumer Internet: Pillsbury and PricewaterhouseCoopers
July 13th, 8:00 – 10:00am
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Palo Alto
For many years, VCs shied away from consumer deals…too hard to predict consumer whims…big marketing budgets usually required…hard to build a brand.  With the wild success of some consumer plays (e.g. Amazon, eBay, Google), now many VCs do consumer plays and some even focus on them.  Now there are thousands of consumer plays, angling for a bigger share of eyeballs, wallets, and advertising revenues.  Are there still big consumer plays or is the field already saturated?  Who will be the winners and losers?  Come hear our panelists answer these questions and more as they discuss the consumer landscape and how they expect their companies and others to navigate it. Information at http://www.sdforum.org/venturebreakfast

Cleantech Entrepreneurship: Can it get the nation back to work?
July 22, 8:30a – 5:00p
DoubleTree Hotel, San Jose
Amidst the recovery from the recent recession, seeds of a brighter future are being developed by entrepreneurs with “game changing” clean technologies.  This innovation is not unprecedented, but what is different this time?  We are competing on a global scale against corporations and governments that have a multi-year head start, while struggling to finance our major infrastructure projects with venture capital investment or capital markets.  Faced with these challenges, we bring the brightest and most engaging minds together to discuss how we can ensure that cleantech leads the economic recovery, and that our most innovative entrepreneurs receive the support they need.  Info and registration at http://cleantechopen.org

PlugandPlay TechCenter Events
Daily!
So PlugandPlay TechCenter has a ton of awesome events, and it would take an entire newsletter just to share them all. Skim their calendar regularly to see what they have to offer. http://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/calendar/

SVASE Series
Weekly
SVASE, the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs, is the largest and fastest growing nonprofit association in Northern California dedicated exclusively to helping early stage tech entrepreneurs. They hold events regularly in the peninsula, and occasionally the city itself. There are too many to name in my brief email, but be sure to check them out for advice on investment, team development, financing, corporate leadership, and much more: http://www.svase.org/

SDforum
Weekly Not to add another list of events to my list, but SDforum also has something every other day. Essentially “SDForum is the leading Silicon Valley not-for-profit organization providing an unbiased source of information and insight to the technology community. SDForum provides a venue for engineers, executives, researchers, technology leaders, and venture capitalists to exchange information on emerging technologies and best practices.” Info on their events at www.sdforum.com.

Founders Space
Founders Space brings together founders, angels, VCs, attorneys, CFOs and other experts to answer the questions all founders have.  We’re focused on developing new ways to connect founders, advisors and investors around the world.  Our vision is to build a global platform, where startups and advisors work as virtual teams to enter and grow new markets, and where investors can efficiently discover the best matches for their investment goals.   So join us in this grand adventure, and let’s build something truly great!

1) They Aren’t Expected
Unless a product is truly expected at an event by my attendees, I won’t pay the extra for it.  Expected things include: some food, wireless connectivity, places to sit, and possibly transportation if it is off the beaten path.  Unless you can convince my attendees that this is a necessary value add at an event and make them start demanding it, I won’t buy it (and if you have a good adviser, you’ll know that you canNOT spend resources convincing someone that you are solving a problem that doesn’t exist).

2) They Don’t Make Me Money
I am willing to pay for services that sell tickets for me.  For example (listen up entrepreneurs), I would pay you a referral fee for the first show, if you had an app I could stick on my website that told visitors who from their facebook friends was attending and directed them to buy a ticket (through a referral link.)  I would gladly pay a % of those ticket prices for the first event, and a flat fee close to that for future events – since you will have proven you work.  However, using FBconnect to do this leads to my third point…

3) They add complexity, rather than simplify.
My attendees have a network; it’s called the Facebook group, Twitter hashtag, and Flickr tag.  Alright, this isn’t ideal.  Sure, it would be nice to have one place where people see which of their friends are there, what talk they will be at, the photos they – and other guests – have uploaded, and the live twitter stream all in one place.  But so far every event network pitched to me requires attendees to register and create a new profile at the event, and monitor that throughout the show.  Too much work; people won’t do it.  When I use CrowdVine at a show, I find less than 10% of attendees actually start engaging on it.  And seeing the lack of use, those of course drop off quickly.  Conversations happen on Twitter, photos are posted on Flickr, moved to Facebook, and tagged there.  Your service just adds a complex extra layer, when it could be aggregating the existing data at no work for us.

So, entrepreneurs, fix this.  Partner with all the ticketing sites out there (I use primarily Eventbrite, but EventBee and Mogotix are some other options…).  Let “Sign-up for the event social network” be an opt-in feature at registration.  If they opt-in, pull what info you can from their ticket registration, then ask them to finalize with FBconnect, and BAM – they are part of the network.  Send them ONE email about it – letting them know they can connect with attendees, view the twitter stream, upload photos to Facebook & Flickr, and plan their agenda all in one place.  Let them opt-IN to getting alerts of who your algorithm thinks they should meet there, based on Facebook interests or friend connections, etc.  Then create this as an app on the ticketing site that I place on my page, showing anyone who lands there who from their Facebook friends is attending and take a referral fee for any tickets you sell through that.  THEN, and only then, I MIGHT pay you for the service.

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EVENT PLANNERS:
So now you know, when someone comes to you pitching an event social network, Just Say No.  Until these are perfected, I find I get about 10% engagement and little value add.  Attendees are perfectly comfortable communicating on twitter with a hashtag, and posting photos to Flickr and Facebook, where they alert other attendees to tag them.  I would LOVE to see more post-show engagement, but these social networks that pitch that they’ll do it are bogus for now.  It is not a “If you build it, they will come” scenario.  As event planners, it is our job to facilitate community growth outside of our events, not just hand attendees a walled garden and assume they’ll play.