Speaking of staying positive, we are now gaining two minutes of daylight each day! Although the groundhog saw his shadow recently (meaning we’ll have six more weeks of winter), there is still plenty to do in Connecticut and New Haven during the winter months.

There’s no denying that the pandemic has created the perfect storm of challenges for our industry and that technology has reshaped our professions for good. Industry leaders predict that technology will continues to carry us onward to the next phase of event evolution as “attendees demand more engaging and creative ways to connect”. Amid all the pandemic-fueled challenges, event planners have also had to rethink how employees are recruited and treated, as massive staffing shortages continue to plague the hospitality industry.

As for my Yale Conferences & Events team, we continue to work diligently behind the scenes, planning for upcoming spring events and making the shift to summer programs. This includes supporting university-wide projects such as Yale College housing, commencement, and reunions, just to name a few. We continue to provide flawless production and delivery of virtual and hybrid events for our clients and hope to host in-person events on campus again soon!  

Department Updates

Warmest Welcome to our new staff YC&E recently added new members to our team! Please welcome:    John Doneghy, new Audio Visual Manager for the Greenberg Conference Center Grace Simpson, Megan Cunneen, Lily Malone, and Chelum Okoro, Program Assistants Asnath Sethy, Hospitality Coordinator   Read More ⪼

We’ve been nominated   YC&E’s outdoor classroom at the Greenberg Conference Center has been nominated for the “Outstanding Institutional Achievement Award - Long Term Process” by the Association of Collegiate Conference and Events Directors - International (ACCED-I). This nomination recognizes a “significant achievement by an institution in the conference and events field.” Award recipients will be announced at the annual ACCED-I Conference this March 6-9. Best of luck to all nominees!

Join our growing team

We are currently hiring for various seasonal positions! Work closely with a fun and energetic team to support a wide range of summer programs on Yale’s campus. For job descriptions and to apply, please visit our Employment page. 

Yale & Beyond

Students return to campus   Over the past two years, YC&E has assisted Yale College with moving students in and out of residential housing safely amid the pandemic. We’ve come a long way since first undertaking these complex housing initiatives and in the past year have launced a brand-new housing portal for Yale College students.    This portal, built by YC&E’s operations team and powered by StarRez, has centralized and streamlined the student housing draw, move-in, and move-out processes for all 14 colleges. The portal has been very well received among students, with 4,802 students using it to schedule their spring semester 2022 move-in date. In total, we helped welcome back to campus 5,091 students this semester.    Best wishes to all students, faculty, and staff this semester!

In-person events to resume   Beginning February 11, Yale will adjust its visitors policy to facilitate greater activity on campus. Among the plethora of happenings on campus, sporting events and theatrical performances are two of the most anticipated public re-openings!    Yale Athletics announced that venues will operate at 75% capacity with fully vaccinated fans allowed at indoor sports and all guests for outdoor sports. View calendar and buy tickets. The Yale Repertory Theatre announced that it will welcome all audience members who are vaccinated and boosted to performances of Today is My Birthday, and the rest of its 2022 season, as well. View calendar and buy tickets. Please read policies and guidelines for each event before making plans to visit campus.

Event Planning Insights

Practical advice for creating a more inclusive event   Inclusion and accessibility are critical elements to incorporate into every stage of your event planning process. Not sure where to begin? Each month we will share some tidbits to get you started! This month’s topic is scheduling respectfully.    Read more ⪼	Is your in-person event prepared to go virtual?  Although Yale is starting to loosen restrictions on in-person events, the pandemic and COVID-19 infections are still part of our reality. Is your in-person event prepared to quickly pivot to a virtual or hybrid format should it become necessary?    Learn more ⪼

One More Thing

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