Conference registration deadline extended.

We know budgets are tight. So we're extending the early-bird registration and hotel deadline to August 15 in order to save you a few bucks.

Get to it!

Are you a runner? Seattle is for you!

Another mention of Seattle for you! Check out Chris Guillebeau's list of best cities for running ... Seattle is one of the few American cities listed. My director Dave is a runner and he has started a runner's group that gets a little exercise in before everyone starts to exercise their minds in our sessions. Get in touch with him if you're interested! You can find his contact info on the Board of Directors page.

And if you don't know who Chris Guillebeau is, he's a very interesting person who writes the "Art of Nonconformity" blog. I'm sure he'd find me utterly boring, but he's an interesting read nonetheless.

Registration has been extended! With that and the lower hotel rates, get signed up now. We've got a terrific lineup for you, so you want to take advantage of learning about the latest and greatest in our changing landscape.

A reason to travel!

Hey folks! Just read this really interesting article about creativity from Scientific American and it turns out that traveling is an excellent way to develop creativity. I quote: "It suggests that there are several simple steps we can all take to increase creativity, such as traveling to faraway places (or even just thinking about such places), thinking about the distant future, communicating with people who are dissimilar to us, and considering unlikely alternatives to reality." Leave out the "thinking about such places" and tell your manager that coming to the conference is an excellent way to build your creativity!

A link between UCDA and literacy?

A study by Central Connecticut State University ranked Seattle as America's Most Literate City in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 Minneapolis claimed the top spot and 2008 saw the two cities tied for the honor....hmmm....UCDA conference in Seattle this year, and in Minneapolis next year. Coincidence?

Less really is more

At a recent marketing summit one of Fuller's trustees, a former executive with Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb, repeatedly touted the website of Oregon State University as a benchmark for both brand consistency and usability.

I don't know how involved Amy Charron is in the design of the website, but in representing OSU as this year's featured school at the UCDA conference I believe she's going to be focusing on how different entities at Oregon State, including print and web designers, share resources to build a stronger more cohesive brand and save money at the same time.

In education where there's always pressure to differentiate units and do something different it's great to see someone get recognition for doing something less--but doing it consistently and really well...and who among us isn't being asked to save money.

Best Local Food

Just in on the Huffington Post is a list of best cities for local food and Seattle is #4! Now of course we will all come to the conference for the terrific and inspiring programming but a designer's gotta eat, right? So we have some excellent choices as well. Yeah!

Conference hotel lowers rate

The hotel has recently lowered their already discounted rates for UCDA Design Conference attendees to $185, but these rooms will go fast. If you have already booked your room, don't worry. The hotel will be honoring this rate for you too!

This year's conference will be held at the Marriott Seattle Waterfront. Located in the heart of downtown Seattle's most popular waterfront district, Marriott Seattle Waterfront offers an ideal place for both business and pleasure. Many of the guestrooms feature private balconies offering breathtaking views ranging from Mt. Rainier, Elliott Bay to the Olympic Mountain range. The hotel is just steps to the famous Pike Place Market.

Seattle Marriott Waterfront
2100 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Washington 98121 USA
206-443-5000
1-800-228-9290 (toll free)

Contact the hotel directly at 206-443-5000 or toll free at 1-800-228-9290 to make your reservations. Mention you are attending the UCDA Design Conference to receive the discounted rate. Deadline to receive this rate is August 1. Consider taking advantage of these great rates and stay a few extra days before or after the conference to explore the Seattle area.

The hotel stay is not included in the conference registration fees. You are responsible for making your own hotel reservations. Room blocks may fill before the hotel deadline and have sold out twice in the past three years, so please make your reservation immediately to ensure the discounted rate and availability.

Survey says...

Special thanks go out to Karin Mellskog at University of Washington who was the first to respond to a recent Seattle destination information query. And the recommendations are:

EATS
Top Pot donuts, 2124 5th Ave—great sweets/great ambience (okay, donut confession #2--at the conference site visit last year Top Pot was the destination of a short morning walk and it's easy to see why their donuts have become so popular throughout Seattle)
Le Pichet, 1933 1st Avenue—very cozy, comfortable

SHOPPING
REI flagship store, 222 Yale Ave N—65-foot climbing wall is legendary

TOURS/SIGHTS
Pioneer Square Underground, 608 1st Ave # 200—In the south end of downtown, but accessible by free busses, and very popular
Washington Park Arboretum, 2300 Arboretum Dr E —A little farther from downtown, but still bus-accessible and well worth the visit for nature lovers; also has a Japanese garden

Thanks Karin! If you have favorite places you'd like to recommend in and around Seattle I'd love to hear from you too...any favorite books set in Seattle? favorite Seattle bands? Look forward to sharing these destinations with you in October.

Looking back at the future

In April, 1962, the Seattle World's Fair opened with the promise of a look at "Century 21" and the vision of "better living through modern science." By its late October closing nearly 10 million people had visited and to many it was a fair beyond compare. Fortunately for us the 74-acre Seattle Center has maintained much of this iconic past so visitors of Century 21 can compare vision and reality. (Seattle Center is just one mile from the Marriott Waterfront and after the first couple of blocks up the hill behind the hotel the rest is a piece of cake.)

If you're interested in more background on Seattle historylink.org provides an amazing array of information and resources including cybertours of local neighborhoods and a concise history of Seattle.

Looking for Starbucks?

The search for your favorite coffee in Seattle just got a little bit more complicated.