2011 GMIC Sustainable Meetings Conference

February 24, 2011

Earlier this week Conference and Event Services team members Ana Kitchen and Lina Layiktez traveled to Portland, Oregon to attend the 2011 GMIC Sustainable Meetings Conference. This event provided Ana and Lina with the knowledge to come back and put some insightful idea to work at UC Davis.

This year's GMIC Sustainable Meetings Conference featured a group of great speakers! The presentations by Richard Aaron from BizBash Media, Scott Hamlin from Looptworks, and Steven Ward from Doubletree Hotel Portland. These three speakers were able to hit three topics that were a must share for all our event planner out there!

Richard Aaron was able to talk about BizBash and about the trends and ideas that progressive event planners and designers are adopting in the planning of their projects. This segment was able to incorporate how decor, lighting, displays, floral and food have been renewed to fit into the green landscape. Here at UC Davis, we're always trying to make sure we're protecting the environment at our events, and after hearing Mr. Aaron's discussion on these ideas, we will be looking to implement some of the plans for decor, lighting, floral, and all the other event planning trends out there.

Scott Hamlin from Looptworks talked about how they up cycle pre-consumer excess materials into clothing and accessories for the urban/outdoor enthusiast. Mr. Hamlin focused on how being sustainable isn't just about recycling, but about reusing as well. It is important to remember that although we may not enjoy a certain product anymore, this doesn't mean that it isn't reusable. By reusing, we are able to reduce our waste significantly and spread the joy of our old materials that we no longer find useful for ourselves.

Last but not least, Ana and Lina attended the talk by Double Tree Portland Executive Chef Steven Ward. With a philosophy like F.L.O.S.S. (fresh, local, organic, seasonal, and sustainable), it was clear to see that even in the kitchen, professionals are looking for ways to help out the environment. By building relationships with local farmers, ranchers, and organic producers, Mr. Ward is able to build long last relationships in the community, and reduce waste by buying local; ultimately cutting down on carbon emissions, pesticides, and other hazardous materials found in our food.

After this great trip to Portland, OR, Ana and Lina have come back to the department with new and fresh ideas to spread to all of you great event planners out there! Being green is important to us, and we know it is important to all you readers out there as well. Keep an eye on our Blog and Facebook for more posts on great conferences we've attended and the latest tips and practices in the sustainability community. Plan Green!

Plan Green 2011: We Planned, We Attended, We Conquered

Thursday February 24, 2011

We planned, we attended, we conquered.

On Wednesday, February 16, 2011 we did it again! What did we do exactly you ask? Well once again local and regional businesses and caterers together took a step toward making our community a greener place. This year's Plan Green Conference and Vendor Showcase proved to be yet another step in a positive direction toward making UC Davis and all of its partners' businesses a greener place.

Sustainability is an issue that the world is tackling, and here in Davis, California that is no exception. Plan Green 2011 is a conference and tradeshow put on by UC Davis Conference and Event Services annually to promote the basic principles of R4 (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rebuy) and to promote establishing better sustainable practices for our businesses.

At this year's Plan Green Conference and Vendor Showcase we had six speakers: Molly Milner from Small Blue Planet Events and Consultanting, Tom Huetteman, Associate Director in the Waste Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Southwest Regional Office, Lin King, the Program Manager for the UC Davis Waste Reduction and Recycling Program under the Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability, Andrew Larsen, art director for UC Davis Repro Graphics, Dean Parker, Executive Facilities Director of the Peppermill Spa Resort Casino, and last but not least, Danielle Lee, Sustainability Manager for UC Davis Dining Services. Each speaker touched on the different areas in the event planning industry that we can become more sustainable in. From facilities, recycling, printing, and more, each speaker was able to provide helpful tools for all of our great attendees to take back to their businesses and implement.

This year's tradeshow was a success once again, bringing organizations from as far as Long Beach and as locally as Downtown Davis. Vendors, caterers and attendees, chatted and snacked on some delicious food on what turned out to be rain free afternoon. The atmosphere of the tradeshow was pleasant again with all of the great vendors coming from as near as Downtown Davis to as far as Southern California. UC Davis CES would like to give a big thank you to all of our vendors and caterers this year and a special thank you to: UC Davis Repro Graphics, Ink Monkey Graphics, and Screaming Squeegee for being the 2011 Plan Green sponsors. *

Now that you all got the scoop on this year's Plan Green Conference and Vendor Showcase, we hope if you weren't able to make it this year, you make it out to the next one! And to all of those that participated this year, a big THANK YOU from CES, we couldn't make the event a success without you!

*Interested in partnering with UC Davis Conference and Event Services? Email Katrina Evans at kdevans@ucdavis.edu for more information!

Marketing, marketing, marketing

Everyone's hopping on that up and coming social media marketing bandwagon. It's an online marketing phase that figures to only expand in the coming years.

This leads us to a logical question: at what point do we stop? With "free" marketing at our finger tips through laptops, tablets and a variety of cellular devices, there surely needs to be an answer. Whether it's an event you are planning, or simply for your business, one definitely needs to ask that question. At UC Davis Conference and Events, we strive to share with you what we have to offer through various statuses, pictures and videos. We are extremely excited about the services we have to offer, and invite you to check out our promotional items as a way to get to know everything we have to offer. What have you heard about Mini G Dan?

Just a simple Friday reflection helps puts things in perspective sometimes, and what better way than a blog? As always, check out our website at http://events.ucdavis.edu/. Make sure to follow us on Facebook so you can be the first to hear about everything we do: http://www.facebook.com/ucdavisconferenceandeventservices

Plan Green: The Stretch Run

Happy Friday! Friday really should just be a holiday; talk about pleasing the masses. How nice does sleeping in, making a nice breakfast with some quality TV sound for three days a week instead of two? No point in dreaming, I suppose.

We here at Conference and Event Services do not fit the bill of these 3-day weekend desires. We are really excited to be planning what's shaping up to be a great event. On Wednesday, February 16th, join us for the annual Plan Green Showcase. With over 300 caterers and vendors planning to attend, collaborate with peers from all over and learn how to plan environmentally sustainable events. Think about if this was a New Year's resolution for 2011. How happy would Mother Nature be? More importantly, how happy would Al Gore be? Yeah, that's what we thought.

Jokes aside, the load-in times begin bright and early at 8am and the event will run until 1:30pm and take place in Freeborn Hall. If interested, make sure to check out our website and sign up before January 17th to pay our early bird fee of just $195! Be assured that there will be an extremely diverse crowd and much can be taken out of a wide scale event like this. We are ecstatic with the planning progress this far and simply tying up all the loose ends to make this showcase truly a great one.

Have a great weekend and try and stay warm through this (sad) winter weather!

Being Green While Knowing Your Limits

Tuesday August 24, 2010

The name of the game in event planning is green; however, that might not be the best way to conserve your budget. A lot of event planners are worried about making the green move, seeing that in the short run they will potentially be spending a lot of money. On the other hand, it's important to think about the long run and how you will not only be upholding your company's social responsibility, but helping the environment as well. Positive recognition is something every organization wants to hear and that's not just for services. What a lot of people want to see nowadays is an organization that not only takes care of the services they promise to their customers, but how an organization takes advantage of its position as a leader in the community to help anyway they can. Remember being green doesn't mean you jeopardize your business financially, but what it can mean is that you're doing your part and recognizing your limits. So whether you can add a composting services or keep the thermostat of your facility to an eco-friendly level, you're doing your part, and all anyone can ask is that you do all you can! Plan green, event green, be green!

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

CES and Beyond: Kevin Ger

Friday March 5, 2010

At UC Davis Conference and Event Services we have quite a few highly skilled and motivated interns that prove to do great work for our department. As a team, it is important that we all work together, and with the help of our interns, we don't miss a beat.

One of our recent graduates, Kevin Ger, was a graphic designer for our department, and did a lot of great work for us during his time working in our department. He designed the materials for Plan Green 2009, and various other CES collateral material that we are still using today. If you're looking for someone with talent in the graphic designing area feel free to visit Kevin Ger's website at: http://www.middaystudio.com/. Congratulations to Kevin Ger for not only obtaining his degree from our great university, but for being a great employee with us!

A Thank You From CES!

Thursday February, 18 2010

To everyone out there that attending the Plan Green Conference and Event Planners Exchange Tradeshow, we'd like to give you a big thank you! Because of you all, we are able to have this event every year, and we'd like to thank you for all your participation and feedback. To all of the vendors and caterers, we know these are tough economic times, and for you to come out after such a touch year really shows your appreciation for this event. For all those event planners that attended, we'd like to thank you for coming out to listen to our speakers and find vendors and caterers for your future conference or events. Please if you all have any feedback, please email aklong@ucdavis.edu to share your experience, and thanks again for attending!

CALSAE Seasonal Spectacular

Thursday December 10, 2009

The CALSAE Seasonal Spectacular did live up to it's name-- spectacular! We were able to meet a lot of new folks and reconnect with a lot folks we worked with in the past. Booth 341 stayed very busy throughout the afternoon, and our representatives at our booth: Ana, Lina, and Katrina really represented us well as always! There were over 200 booths that ranged from hotels to casinos, to golfing resorts. Aaron, Alma, and Christine acted as our on the floor representatives as they worked their way around booths connecting with potential partners and event planners that would look toward UC Davis's excellent event management and facilities.

Now that the Seasonal Spectacular is over, we are gearing up for our tradeshow in February 16, 2010-- Plan Green Vendor and Caterer Showcase. With all of the positive feedback from many event planners, vendors, and caterers from the CALSAE Seasonal Spectacular, we're really looking forward to getting all of the great vendors and caterers out to suppor the green cause and meet all of our wonderful UC Davis event planners. Remember that the Plan Green Conference will be on February 16, 2010 and you can register online HERE. Hope to see you all in February and thanks again to CALSAE for putting on another great tradeshow!

The Scoop on Being Greener: Compost, Compost, Compost

Monday November 2, 2009

Hopefully after a safe and fun Halloween for everyone out there, it is still important to remember that we all have a social responsibility to make sure we also think about the environment as well. Remember all of those pumpkins you bought for decorations? Or your neighbors house that is littered with numerous amounts of pumpkins? You do? Great, because you can compost those! Pumpkins are 100% compostable and everyone out there should look into composting all those lanterns that are still lingering around the house. Simple directions to compost your pumpkins can be found here. And remember, a greener post-Halloween can help the environment just that much more!

The Scoop on Being Greener: Walking

Friday October 30, 2009

It's pretty simple and easy, and it should be a no brainer for most folks, but due to it's simplicity, it can be overlooked. Walking! The activity that took you months to learn as an infant is still extremely healthy for you, as well as the environment. With all of the pollutants that can come from automobiles, it is important to remember instead of driving down the street to visit your neighbor, you can always walk down the street to visit your neighbor. Walking provides you with great exercise, as well as, providing you with a beautiful scenary of your neighboorhood. While driving in a car, you may have overlooked certain places in your neighboorhood that you've never seen before, neighboors you've never met before! Take the time today to walk around your neighboorhood: great exercise and great environment.

A Sunny and Sustainable Day at UC Davis

Today is the 4th annual Campus Sustainability Vendor Fair held in our very own Quad! UC Davis is joining other colleges and universities from across the nation in exchanging knowledge on sustainability, and introducing students, staff, and faculty to environmentally friendly businesses. UC Davis, along with all our UC sister schools, are committed to Environmental Preferable Purchasing (also known as EPP). Our fair features vendors from HP, Xerox, and Davis-area favorite Dos Coyotes Border Cafe. To learn more about how you can practice EPP check out http://purchasing.ucdavis.edu/sustainability/index.cfm

Here at Conference and Event Services we support green events and sustainable living. If you're looking to hold a green event, look no further than Conference and Event Services!

The Scoop on Being Greener: Plan Green Conference 2010

Monday October 19, 2009

The date is in the books and the 2nd annual Plan Green Conference will be held on Tuesday February 16, 2009! We are extremely excited once again to have a conference devoted to green practices in the industry we love the most, event planning. We find it very important to continue to push green ideas and practices in the event planner's industry because we do hold a lot of power in the way an event goes, and in our profession, we can not only make the difference for an event, but also the environment as well.

Last year if you remember, we had over 400 UC Davis event planners in attendance and we hopefully plan to have over 400 this year. Of course we will be having the vendor and caterer showcase just like last year, so make sure to bring your questions and appetites for all those folks working their booths!

Once again, the conference will be held on Tuesday February 16, 2010, so make sure you save the date! Please call (530) 754-7181 for any questions or concerns

The Scoop on Being Greener: Thinking Green While Driving

Wednesday July 28, 2009

This may not come to a surprise to many of you but driving faster uses more gas. No-brainer right? The amount of gasoline you burn equals the amount of admissions that you place in the atmosphere. Of course sometimes you are going to be in a rush to get from place to place, but if you're already late, you're not getting any earlier. It's good to drive the speed limits because you are not only being a safe driver, you are actively trying to reduce the amount of emissions you are placing in the atmosphere over time. The less you have to fill up, the less emissions you are placing in the atmosphere! Get it? Got it? Good! Now you're thinking green while driving!

Mixing it up

Last night, Aaron Sikes attended a mixer held at Davis’ own microbrewery, Sudwerk. The event was hosted by the Association of Environmental Professionals, and was targeted at members of the industries involved with environmental management efforts. Consultants, laboratory technicians, site supervisors, project managers, real estate developers, and service providers all came together at the brewery to network and nosh. We were also granted a tour of the brewing facilities and a tasting of Sudwerk's four flagship beers, led by the master brewers themselves.

Some contacts were made that would be a good fit for the next Plan Green conference, including a full-service telecom company that focuses on sustainable delivery of their services. Another happy result of the mixer is that CEVS has been invited to present at an upcoming meeting hosted by the West Coast chapter of the Professional Environmental Marketing Association. As part of their Fall meeting, PEMA is bringing a vintner to discuss sustainability in their winemaking practices. The host for this event would also like to have information presented about sustainable meeting venues in the region.

Plan Green 2010

Monday July 6, 2009

Due to the great success and positive feedback from this year's Plan Green Conference, we here at UC Davis Campus Events and Visitor Services are now gearing up to plan 2010's Plan Green Conference. Because of you all out there that participated and helped coordinate, we are ready to give it another go, to make it bigger and better. Thanks again for the support and we will be updating you all periodically with our planning processes!

The Scoop on Being Greener: Planting Plants in Their Natural Soil

Tuesday June 16, 2009

Today's green tip is about planting. Planting is a common activity whether that be for your home garden, or for a major landscaping project. It is a great way your soils richer wherever you may be, and to give a little bit more life to the environment of your choice. However, when planting, it is beneficial to make sure you plant plants that are native to the area in which you are in. A plant that is reintroduced back to its natural soils will grow healthier and faster. It's a great tip in order to make your plants grow and have your area of choice looking nice and bright! Now go out and plant!

The Scoop on Being Greener: Setting the Green Bar

Friday May 15, 2009

In order to achieve a goal, you must visualize it. To make yourself or your organization greener, you're going to have to set adequate and realistic goals that are achievable. You don't want to aim to high because you might discourage yourself or your coworkers. You don't want to aim to low because you might not achieve your maximum potential. It is important that you communicate the goals throughout your organization and discuss them with all departments; hold a meeting just about your future green practices. If you need ideas on certain goals, simply Google: green tips for 2009, and you'll surely find out some goals you can set. Remember, visualization is the key to success. Plan green!

The Scoop on Being Greener: The Computer

Monday May 4, 2009
Something as simple as turning off your computer when you're not on it is a green practice. In order to do very large scale tasks, you have to be able to execute the smaller ones. Doing something as simple as turning your computer on sleep when you go to the restroom, or making sure to power it down before you leave, is an act that will go a long way. It's not hard, it's not tedious, and it's not overwhelming, simply just turn it off. Take the step today! Go Green!

Office Word of the Day: Commitment

Friday May 1, 2009

When looking to do business with someone in the event planner's industry, you are looking for someone that will have COMMITMENT to make your event a success. There is nothing more reassuring that you have made a commitment to an organization that is going to make a commitment toward you. A business relationship is a two-way street that requires comfort, confidence, and energy from both the organization called into service and the client. At CEVS we want to build off your excitement about planning your event and make a commitment to give you the same amount of energy back if not more.