Editor’s Note: To view the complete photo album, click to see professional shots, photo booth pics, and light painting pics.

You may be wondering, “What’s the secret to Admin Bash’s success?” Yes, the space was gorgeous. And the food was delicious. All of the vendors were helpful, friendly, and down-to-earth. The raffle prizes and swag bags, legendary. But that crucial ingredient that takes a party from good to groundbreaking? NINJAS!

There is nothing quite like connecting with 300+ Ninjas IRL! We loved hearing your voices, putting faces to names, cramming into the photo booth with you, and celebrating all of your accomplishments. And we’re thrilled to watch Admin Bash grow from a regional event to a national one. We were honored to meet Ninjas from Atlanta, Kansas City, Los Angeles, and Austin who made the journey just to party with us.

Anyone feel like reliving the night? We know we do! We put together this virtual tour that includes some of our favorite moments. Let’s reminisce!

On the Way to Admin Bash!

OfficeNinjas HQ started loading in at 10am, and it was pouring! But by the time the event rolled around, downtown Union Square was all sun and blue skies. Shout out to the weather gods!

The Ninjas Arrive!

Admin Bash had a new home at Bespoke in the Westfield Mall. We’ve partied in some pretty swanky spaces, but we think this venue suited OfficeNinjas perfectly. It’s open, airy, modern, and super high tech. And the subway is conveniently located inside the mall. (Don’t worry—we’ve already got some ideas for eliminating the bottleneck at next year’s bash.)

Ninja Registration

Our events team had the warm welcome on lock!

SWAG!

Engraved bamboo name badges for the win! We loved watching the Ninjas open their totes filled with over $200 worth of goodies! Attendees walked away with a $100 credit to Stylebee, Ninja star coasters, Olay face care products, a Travel Cocktail Kit provided by Pana, You Can’t Fake Awesome Bars, and more!

The Muscle

Before entering the main event, the Ninjas were greeted by the guys from Shaw Security Management. (They look tough, but they were really nice.) We’ve had people pretending to be Office Ninjas in the past try to attend the party. These guys were ready for any riffraff or potential issues. (Thankfully, there were none.)

The Main Event Space!

Believe it or not, this was only about a quarter of the space! The Ninjas had tons of room to relax and chat. Big thanks to Blueprint Studios and Impact Lighting for providing the furniture, decor, accessories, and lighting to create a vibe that complements our Ninjas’ energy and personality.

First Stop, Food!

We were thrilled to work with Blue Heron Catering for the event. They specialize in bold flavors and authentic ethnic foods, and their taco and noodle bars did not disappoint!

The main courses were bookended by delicious appetizers and desserts from Bi-Rite Catering. And since all their noshes are organic, sustainable, farm-direct, ethically harvested ‘brain food, we felt good about going back for seconds!

Really enjoyed the event and overall feel! Great food, great vendors, great raffle prizes. Totally worth the price of the ticket and cannot wait for next years event! – Morgan R, Executive Assistant to CEO

The Hydration Stations

It was quite an undertaking to get the Bevi machine into the venue, but Ninjas loved the demos and samples. Here’s a snap of Bevi’s Kate and John explaining how Bevi can do everything the average office water cooler can do, PLUS dispense flavored and sparkling water.

Here’s OfficeNinjas Ambassador and tireless events team member Zakiya Johnson cheers-ing us at the open bar! Blue Heron Catering provided a tasty selection of wine, beer, Izze drinks, and Ninja Pisco Punch (SO GOOD).

OfficeNinjas Ambassadors Rock the Mic!

We were thrilled to hand over the mics to OfficeNinjas Ambassadors and event MCs, Crystal Le and Channing Hussey! They really stepped up to the plate and handled everything we threw their way.

Raffle Prizes—Round 1!

A ton of our favorite companies showed their Ninja love by donating some fantastic prizes to the raffle. A handful of lucky Ninjas won prizes including a pair of designer UKIES ($239 value), a spa gift basket from The Perfect Beginning ($150 value), a five-course dinner and wine pairing for two at the ultra-luxe Jardiniere Restaurant ($340 value), and a two-night stay with meals at Hyatt Palm Springs ($750 value).

I flew in from LAX and it was such a great treat to see a bunch of Ninjas in once place, just letting loose, forgetting about calendars and having a good ol’ time ! – Maggy D, Executive Assistant

Ninja Networking

After announcements and the first round of raffle prizes, the Ninjas got to networking. Tips were traded, business cards were swapped, and connections were made—including one between Willa, one of our OfficeNinjas All-Stars, and another Austin-based Ninja who flew in just to attend Admin Bash! It turns out their offices are just 400 feet away! They’re planning to grab a post-Bash lunch back home. Score!

Say “Cheese!”

Oh Snap! Booth Co. slayed the photo booth game. (Check out that gorgeous OfficeNinjas branding on the monitor!) They brought in a traditional photo booth, plus a second ‘light painting’ booth, which everyone LOVED!

Check out the brand new technology! We were only the second company to use the new booth (Google was the first!) View the complete album here and here and tag yourself.

The Curated Marketplace

As you know, the OfficeNinjas Marketplace is the anti-trade show. Our goal is to create an interactive, no pressure, very chill area of the event where Ninjas can discover all of their new favorite vendors—without the overwhelming banners, canned pitches, and hard sells.

Being picky pays off! The Ninjas had a great time chatting with company reps like Joe, CEO of Eden (pictured above). OfficeNinjas HQ can personally vouch for Eden’s services—their movers came to pick up and unload all of our event materials. And their handyman helped us hang up our exhibitor signs. They were lifesavers!

There’s nothing really like it out there. Great way to network and get your foot in the door with vendors you didn’t know you were missing! – Helena M, Executive Assistant

The Massage Lounge

Sure, we like to keep things fresh, but there’s one thing we ALWAYS have at our events: a massage lounge. Why mess with perfection? Ahhh Massage brought four massage therapists who helped work out all the Ninjas’ kinks and knots. Ahhh Massage is national, so if you’re looking to add a new element to your company’s wellness program, hit up the owner, Ed Rockowitz. He’s helpful and super nice!

I had a great time learning about new vendors and ways to improve the environment at my office. I brought two of my assistants and they also had a great time. It’s awesome to see so many people from the same profession celebrating what we do while also learning about new resources available to us. – Jennifer D, Administration Manager

A Killer Soundtrack

Walter Vela of Oye Productions manned the ones and twos and was joined by a live percussionist! They knew exactly what we wanted to hear and kept the energy high all night. A handful of Ninjas couldn’t resist the urge to dance!

The OfficeNinjas bash was so much fun! There was a great selection of vendors that cover everything that you would want and need in your office. I am so thrilled that there are people out there that care about what we do as admins. I definitely would like to attend next year. – Shiree C, Receptionist

The StyleBee StyleBar

StyleBee’s StyleBar was a HUGE hit. The Ninjas loved going glam with bold lips, flirty lashes, smoky eyes, and soft curls. How fun would it be to host a StyleBar at your next office party? Contact StyleBee’s Director of Client Experience, Nicole Greene, and she’ll get you setup!

Hello Headshots!

Slava from Blazer Photo Branding Agency nailed the perfect balance between quality and efficiency! He managed to take stunning headshots of the 50 Ninjas who won the drawing. Each Ninja was made to feel comfortable and given great direction. He managed to take about 15 different variations in just a few minutes, and everyone got a preview of their shot to make sure they were satisfied. He ROCKS.

The opportunity to receive a headshot was a real treat! On top of that, I was able to get my hair curled by StyleBee before my photo was taken. I felt so spoiled and pampered! :) The OfficeNinjas team did an absolutely outstanding job! You raise the bar each year, and it’s INSPIRING to observe the level of detail, attention, creativity, and thoughtfulness that you put into making the AdminBash the party of the year for your fellow ninjas. I’m honored to be part of such a great network. Thank you!! – Holly H, People Science Manager

The Finale! Round 2 of Raffle Prizes

We closed the night with a second round of raffle drawings. The prizes were pretty stellar, and every sponsoring company had a representative in attendance. A special thanks to all the companies that donated prizes and made the extra effort to celebrate with us:
Moshi (beautiful tech accessories), Bevi (innovative beverage machine), StyleBee (on-demand beauty app), Eden (complete office management solution), Office Meet Yoga (yoga at work), Blue Heron Catering (authentic and traditional catering), Pana (on-demand travel app), Bi-Rite Catering (healthy office brain food), Bespoke (new SF event venue), Ahhh Massage (national corporate massage services), BREWPUBLIK (curate beer delivery), NatureBox (healthy and tasty snacks), and Oye Productions (live music and entertainment).

I had a blast! Really felt special and appreciated on Admin Day. I also walked away with a sweet goodie bag and won one of the raffle prizes which was a great cherry on top of an awesome evening. Tons of vendors to connect with and full of other friendly ninjas, I can’t wait until next year’s bash. – Rachel J, Office Manager

The Ninjas Who Made it Happen

We simply can’t thank our team of Ninja volunteers enough! Admin Bash would not have happened without your support. We are so fortunate to work with such a talented group of people. If you’d like to join the party and be part of next year’s Bash, we’d love to have you! Just shoot us a quick email at adminweek@officeninjas.com, and we’ll be in touch.

This is THE event of the year—don’t miss it! – Katy F, Coordinator

And one last BIG shout-out to Cheshire Isaacs of Cheshiredave Creative! He’s taken all of our event pics since 2013, and always does an incredible job capturing the energy and spirit of the OfficeNinjas community! Check out the complete photo album here on FB and be sure to tag yourself!

Thanks for partying with us, Ninjas! Who’s down for #AdminBash 2017?!