PicFlips – the mobile flipbook studio

My head is just spinning from all of the helpful and insightful information I just picked up at Collin County SBDC (Small Business Development Center) and Constant Contact’s event called the Media Circus!  There was so much info packed into a small amount of time, but it was just what I needed to energize my passion in strategic marketing and feed my entrepreneurial soul.  Sometimes I get so bogged down in the day-to-day activities and events that I forget to look up and use some of that energy to further the growth of PicFlips in the long run.

I haven’t been to a seminar or class lately at Collin County SBDC.  We’ve been in our busy season and I, honestly, haven’t been to many networking events or seminars at all.  But when my friend, Denise, told me about it this morning, I finished my work early and zoomed over there.  I just knew it would be worth my time.  …And they didn’t disappoint!

Derick Shaefer and Jerod Morris of Orangecast talked about Taming the SEO Beast and Juggling Social media, respectively.  (This company is I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E.)  Julie Niehoff from Constant Contact spoke about making an impact with the Cannonball Email Blast, while Dane Miller of Azure gave a wonderful overview of Clowning Around with Multimedia.  Carol Thompson of Prism Web Media wrapped everything up for me with a talk about Walking a Tightrope to a Better Website.  Since you probably weren’t able to make it, I am going to give you my 5 favorite nuggets of wisdom:

1.)  When writing content for your social media, find out what you are an expert in and give tips that are valuable to other people.  By providing value and not self-promoting, you will gain followers and repeat visitors.
2.)  Using videos as part of your media strategy helps you connect with your audience and build a relationship, as well as showing off a product or service that can’t always be described in words (hello…flipbooks??)
3.)  However, when starting out with any social media for business, develop a clear strategy of what you want to accomplish, who you want to reach, and the tone you want to take (funny, informational, etc).  When dealing especially with videos, also take into consideration where it will be viewed and the quality you want to have (friend’s help vs. professional).
4.)  New to blogging and need some tips?  Check out www.how-to-blog.tv for step-by-step pointers!
5.)  Just released last week from Constant Contact….*drumroll please*…NutshellMail.com – a free service that takes all of your social media sites and simplifies them into one email message.  I like simplicity.

And in true Collin County SBDC fashion, the details weren’t forgotten.  The participants were treated to cotton candy, large salted pretzels, animal crackers, peanuts, popcorn and drinks!  YUM!   Marta Frey and her team had fun hats on, and you can’t forget the stuffed tiger in a cage on the table as a centerpiece – too cute!  The price for the seminar was a little steep….oh, wait!  Did I tell you it was all FREE?!?  Unbelievable.  If you are a small business like we are or are looking into starting your own business, please, please check out your local Small Business Development Center.  The mentoring is free (thanks, Steve Falldine!), the seminars are free, the classes are free.  Finally, I agree with the way our government is spending our tax dollars   Take advantage of it!

PicFlips was honored to be a part of the amazing production put on by Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX…Flavour Conference 2010! We really love doing church events. We knew it was going to be a good night when we first drove in the parking lot. Usually, when we drive through a parking lot, the attendants simply wave us in the right direction. Not at Fellowship Church. The guys were smiling and waving to us as we drove in – a welcome change from the ordinary. (Hey, it’s the little things that impress me.)

The theme of the evening was The Wizard of Oz.  Even the golf carts were festive!  The black-and-white large foyer was transformed as the women sat inside the conference into a beautiful, colorful masterpiece.  We had 2 stations with an extra production station on each so we were really cranking out the flipbooks!  Adding the extra production station to each studio was a great idea because we were able to make flip books right away for each person in the video. 

It was a wonderful event and we want to thank Fellowship Church for having us.  Not a Wicked Witch in sight…we were surrounded by beautiful women with a lot of heart, wisdom and courage!

The biggest difference in themes between Bar and Bat Mitzvahs that I have seen is that guys’ parties are a little more action-driven.  Check out some of my favorite examples:

Sports theme – We’ve seen sports themes range from basketball and soccer to ping pong and tennis.  I like this range of themes because you can do a lot with the decor and it doesn’t have to be overly extravagant to make an impact.  There is certainly room to make an impact if the desire and budget are there.  We’ve worked at events where the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders or the Mavericks Cheerleaders have shown up for a period of time to help the bar mitzvah boy celebrate.  Yeah, that’s always a hit.

Surfer theme – “Catch the Wave at Jonathan’s Bar Mitzvah”….”Surf’s Up, Dude!”….Even in land-locked Dallas, the surfing theme has been a hit because it’s such a fun, active theme.  Surfboards, sharks and sand add interesting elements to the decor.  Tiki hut bars can serve Mai Tais and Pina Coladas to the parents and serve fruity smoothies to the kids.  Djs can add in hula-hoop contests on the dance floor to wear off some of the younger guests’ energy.

Skateboard theme – Edgy, progressive, cool.  This can be a very colorful theme – think bright colors, brick walls and skateboards.  Maybe a lifesize cutout of the bar mitzvah boy with his skateboard.

Music themes – This category also covers a wide range of choices.  A Rock ‘n’ Roll theme is particularly awesome at a House of Blues venue, but can still fit in nicely at any location.  At one of the parties, the bar mitzvah boy was in a band, so his band played a few songs with him doing the lead vocals and guitar (the party was aptly themed, Alex’s Rockin’ World).  The iPod theme has been a big hit lately (iPaul instead of iPod – very clever!).  I just love the iPod ads with the black silhouette of the person listening and a bright color for the background – you could do a lot with that idea.  Or just use the iconic outlines of the iPod in different colors.  (From a marketing standpoint, it’s really impressive that monumental parties in a kid’s life are being themed after a consumer product – Apple should be proud.  I’m sure that back in the day, parties were themed after Atari and Nintendo.  How cool would it have been to have a party themed after Frogger?!…sorry, I digress…and show my age.)  If the bar mitzvah boy is a drummer, you can do a lot of cool things with drum sticks for the decor.  Get a graphic artist to design an image with the teen’s name in front of two crossed drum sticks and carry that design through the whole party – from the invites to the napkins to the flipbook covers.

Movie themes – I just love play-on-words, so I was pretty excited to hear that we would be doing a “Bond Mitzvah” party.  The bar mitzvah boy was introduced to the theme music, of course, and it really revved up the crowd.   You can either recreate the iconic James Bond photos with the gun or the car and use it throughout the night.  (Bonus: Mom and Grandma love to see the bar mitzvah boy look so handsome in a suit!)  There are so many movies to choose from – we’ve even seen a party modeled after Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure – complete with a telephone booth!

So, hopefully, we’ve got your mind flowing with themes to fit the bar mitzvah boy’s tastes.  After you decide on the theme and location, call PicFlips or one of our licensees around the country to entertain your guests and give them a custom keepsake to take home.  A big accomplishment deserves a rockin’ party!

We’ve had the privilege of attending many Bat Mitzvah parties with PicFlips flipbooks and have experienced some wonderful themes to the celebrations.  In my opinion, the best themes are a direct reflection of the bat mitzvah girl herself, but here is a good starting point to get your creative juices flowing:

Breakfast at Tiffany’s theme – Very classy!  Substitute the bat mitzvah girl’s name in place of Tiffany’s (example – Breakfast at Carly’s); use tiffany blue and white color scheme; decorate with diamonds and luxurious textures (Bonus: Work with the photographer to recreate the iconic black-and-white Audrey Hepburn photos with the bat mitzvah girl in Audrey’s place)

Color Schemes – #1 Monochromatic – Shades of the same color family added throughout the party – Simple yet lovely!  One of my favorite examples of this is pink – light pink linens, pops of bright pink flower centerpieces, cotton candy and pink lighting around the room adds drama.  The great thing about this theme is that no matter what shade of pink is chosen for additions to the party, they all blend in.

Color Schemes – #2 Harmonious – No particular method for choosing this color scheme – you don’t have to pull out the color wheel – just go with gorgeous colors that make you happy.  My best area for inspiration?  Wedding websites that talk about fun color combinations.   One of my favorites lately is Michelle Mospen’s My Personal Artist.  I love her inspiration boards and the section at the bottom of the page where she helps you get ideas for your own color combinations.

Beach theme – Definitely a fun, carefree theme!  Use hula girls, seahorses, starfish and sand for decorations; transform the bar into a tiki hut with grass skirting; get guests involved with a casual, beachy dress code – guys can wear hawaiian shirts, ladies can wear sundresses – you provide the leis.  Don’t forget the little umbrellas on all the drinks!

“Sweet” themes – This covers a wide range of ideas – I’ve seen candy themes, sundae themes, M&M themes, Willy Wonka themes, chocolate themes – you name it.  I always enjoy working these events because I have a sweet tooth!  The one issue I have with this theme is that the kids are usually climbing the walls from the sugar rush (don’t say I didn’t warn you!).


Stay tuned for more ideas, and remember that flipbook covers are customized to match any decor!