Each year, on the last Saturday in April, tens of thousands of visitors flock to UMD’s College Park Campus to celebrate Maryland Day. This campus-wide celebration of learning, discovery, and fun features hundreds of free exhibitions and events. “I consider Maryland Day a Triple Crown event of campus celebrations (along with Commencement and Family-Homecoming Weekends),” said Gabe Purviance, Assistant Director of Building & Landscape Maintenance. “The normal business of the campus continues, but the excitement and energy of the big day elevate everyone's game.” Facilities Management (FM) teams are key to the success of the massive event, ensuring that all UMD shines on this important day.
The Countdown Begins
While Maryland Day lasts just six short hours – from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., planning, preparation, set up, and clean up begin months before the event and finish after the last guest has gone home. UMD’s Facilities Management (FM) teams spend countless man-hours readying campus for the many students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members who visit the university on this special day.
By the close of February, FM’s Special Services unit has already gathered tent orders from departments campus-wide and begins initiating contact with vendors who will supply the more than 85 tents that are needed for Maryland Day. Simultaneously, they kick off preparations for the trio of entertainment stages, coordinating power provisions for food vendors, securing audio equipment, and other logistical arrangements.
FM’s Landscape Services team is also part of the early action, strategizing their preparation to protect the grounds from the influx of crowds and foot traffic that they bring. They make plans to protect vulnerable irrigation system heads that may be damaged by vehicles parked on the lawns. While most of the activity will be in open lawn areas, some nearby newly planted trees are fenced to protect both fragile branches and root systems.
One Week to Go
As Maryland Day draws near, tents begin popping up across campus. The grass on which those tents and tables rest is trimmed just right - not so short that it could be damaged by heavy foot traffic but not so long that it will be uncomfortably wet if rain should fall before the event. In the week leading up to Maryland Day, FM’s Landscape Services mowing teams follow an accelerated schedule in areas designated for tent setup, ensuring grounds are primed to perfection for the big day.
Go Time
On the morning of the big event, Special Services teams conduct a final check ensuring that the event’s 1,500 tables and 800 chairs are in place and that table covering and draping are completed. Throughout the day, Landscape Services staff collaborate closely with Waste Management teams emptying bins and meticulously ensuring that landfill waste, recyclables, and compost land in the correct dumpsters.
Mapping Event Success
Ensuring the success of Maryland Day hinges on visitors effortlessly locating the exhibits and activities they want to see. To facilitate this, the Maryland Day Committee provides a printed paper map available to all attendees on the event day. FM’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team further enhances navigation by offering key event location information via an easily searchable app on visitors’ smartphones.
Signage, posters, and banners crafted for each campus organization serve as visual guides directing visitors to their desired destination. FM’s Sign Shop creates between 500 and 600 items for this event, beginning in mid-March.
The After Party: Tidying Up
As the festivities wind down, Landscape teams transition to final cleanup while the Special Services staff efficiently collects tables and chairs. FM’s Building Services is responsible for managing cleanup in buildings that hosted indoor events ensuring that they are ready for classes and normal activity by Monday morning. For many of these buildings, the Maryland Day crowd will be the heaviest single-day use they experience all year. To ensure a full recovery from Maryland Day foot traffic, outdoor spaces like grassy areas, and fountains, along with shrubs and trees also receive some needed TLC from Landscape crews.
While Maryland Day may be labor- and time-intensive, FM staff who participate describe it as one of their favorite projects – an event that allows FM to collaborate with departments across campus and help the whole university put its best foot forward. “What sets Maryland Day apart from other campus events is not so much the scale of the event, but the level of collaboration,” shared Purviance. “In my experience, it's the only event that provides university-wide team building, where everyone can participate in a singular activity and feel the joy of collective accomplishment.”