How Our Campus Goes Green

We always do what we can to stay green and help the environment, which is why we are super excited that UC Davis has an entire page dedicated to the University's impact on the environment. As many of our clients know, we can offer Zero Waste Services to minimize your event's impact on the Earth. But, you might ask yourself, besides event planning what else does the University do to go green?

Well, to answer your question, a lot. The newest buildings in the University Gateway are Gold LEED Certified, 21% of the food purchased on campus is organic or local,the campus plans to reach 1990 emission levels by 2020 and compost bins were introduced into all the buildings on campus. The University's contributions to the environment, however, go much deeper than sustainable building and disposal -- members of the UC Davis take steps every day that make a difference. A 2009 campus travel survey found that over 75% of the UC Davis community uses earth friendly modes of transportation.

Since Davis is known as one of the most bike friendly cities in the United States, with miles upon miles of bike paths, the city had a bit of a head start on sustainable transportation. Bike lanes, bike paths, bike tunnels, bike teams, a bike museum, bike appreciation day -- okay, so maybe not that last one, but the bike-crazy city of Davis has everything else!

Everyday there are between 15,000 - 20,000 bikes on campus. That's right, THOUSAND. Pretty amazing, huh? So if its your first time on campus, be sure to look both ways before crossing the street, and if you are daring enough to take a bike ride on your first day here, please, go through the bike circle in the right direction!

And bikes aren't the only green way to get to campus. With their ID cards, all students have access to free bus rides to and from campus, on a bus system, Unitrans, run completely by students. 95% of all Unitrans buses are powered by clean-burning compressed natural gas.

The goClub, introduced by Transportation and Parking Services, rewards members of UC Davis community who commute by foot, bike, train, bus or carpool. As a thank you to these commuters, goClub offers on-campus bike maintenance, campus lockers and showers, and discount parking passes.

So when you come to UC Davis expect more than just green planning. Expect to see a community dedicated to a better future.

Making it work

Murphy's Law states that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. And unfortunately, this applies to the world of event planning too. An unexpected thunderstorm, lost registration, or no Wifi have all been unexpected obstacles in our event planning.

A couple of months ago, I planned a friend's birthday party. "Don't worry, its your birthday. I'll handle everything," I told her. I thought I had everything under control. I sent out invitations, made dinner reservations, and even planned a night out on the town. I just overlooked one minor detail -- I forgot to tell her when and where to show up. Whoops!

Or, take for example the infamous "Dinner Crashers" who breached security when they crashed the U.S. state dinner in November 2009. Although I don't expect many of us to require the Secret Service at our events, this just goes to show that even having them there doesn't spell success.

Planning an event can have so many steps that you might overlook the most obvious of details. Lucky for me my buddy was understanding when I called her an hour before our dinner reservation to tell her where to show up, but when planning events with clients we aren't all so lucky.

So readers, how has Murphy's Law interfered with your events? Leave a comment and tell us how you turned your event into a success even when things went wrong

The Conference and Event Services To "Don't" List

Don't worry about tying that string around your finger. When you plan with Conference and Event Services, it's okay to forget.

Don't turn off the sprinklers before your event. In fact, forget about it. We'll make sure no one gets a shower instead of a Bar Mitzvah.

Don't confirm the schedule with your vendors. We'll make sure your guests get fed on time.

Don't send out invitations. Just tell us who you want there, and we'll do the rest.

Don't arrive too early to an event. Doesn't a pre-event, deep tissue, Swedish massage sound better than stressing out?

Don't even start to think about finding your own accommodations. If you come to campus, we've got an on-site hotel, conference housing and tons of space throughout campus. If your conference is elsewhere, worry not -- we've got people who have you covered.

Learn how easy event planning can be. Visit events.ucdavis.edu

Summer Time at UC Davis

Friday July 16, 2010

The sun is out, it's hot, and folks are enjoying the beautiful warm nights in Davis. Where are you thinking about your event this summer? Look no further than UC Davis! With our numerous outdoor facilities and complete list of services, UC Davis is the an excellent choice for your summer event. Choose from Putah Creek Lodge, the Arboretum, Good Life Garden, or many more excellent facilities. Call and event planner today for more information, and remember when your choose UC Davis: everything you need is already here

Photo Shoot!

Friday July 8, 2010

The CES Staff has been all over campus taking photos of the beautiful outside facilities that you and your special someone can hold their wedding or special event at. The Special Events Guide will accompany the Facilities Guide, Services Guide, and Event Planners Guide. Some of the sample photos will be posted on our facebook and twitter pages so keep a look out for those! This has already been a great project and we can't wait for the end result!

Happy Fourth of July!!

Friday July 2, 2010

From all of the UC Davis Conference and Event Services staff, we would like to wish everyone out there a Happy 4th of July! As we continue to go through these great summer months, we would encourage all of you out there to choose UC Davis when planning your next big event. With all of our beautiful outdoor venues, you will be able to have a professional planned event in a very relaxed environment. Remember when you choose UC Davis: everything you need is already here!