Frequently Asked Questions

Greater & Greener

Greater & Greener 2024 will be held in Seattle, WA, June 21-25, 2024, at the Westin Seattle, located at 1900 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101;  (206) 728-1000

Greater & Greener attendees receive a discounted room rate of $299/night based on double occupancy excluding taxes and fees. Parking is available at the hotel. Visit our Travel & Hotel page for more information.

Getting There
The closest airport is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). Transportation to the Westin is available through Link Light Rail, taxi, or rideshare. For travel information from the airport, visit the Seattle Airport Light Rail page.

Greater & Greener is the premier event for urban park professionals. An exciting blend of indoor sessions and outdoor hands-on experiences, Greater & Greener presents highly curated sessions, workshops, and tours facilitating honest dialogue around solutions to real-life problems facing cities, cross-sector and peer-to-peer networking, and tools for building successful park partnerships. Join innovators and decision-makers from across the global urban parks community in learning about cutting-edge projects and new ways parks are meeting the needs of cities. 

Check out the Why Attend page for more great reasons to attend Greater & Greener.

Greater & Greener 2024 blends classroom and experiential learning, starting with more than a dozen guided weekend tours highlighting Seattle's vast outdoor resources and landmarks – including the Seattle Waterfront, Lake Union Park, Lake Washington, West Seattle, Bellevue, and more.

This year’s conference is organized into four themes:  Parks and a Changing Climate, Inclusive Parks and Public Spaces, Equitable and Sustainable Park Funding, and Parks, Recreation, Health, and Well-being. Educational sessions offer you different ways to engage in the subject matter, from moderated panel discussions to innovation rounds and peer-to-peer conversations.

Coffee and tea service is offered on Monday and Tuesday, and a box lunch is provided on Tuesday. Lunch on Monday is on your own and a great opportunity to explore local cuisine.

Monday and Tuesday
On Monday and Tuesday, Greater & Greener 2024 offers keynote and plenary sessions (including our popular Mayors Forum), indoor breakout sessions, and outdoor mobile workshops led by experts and leaders in their fields On Monday evening, participants are invited to attend the Exhibitors Reception in the Exhibition Hall or take time to explore Seattle. 

Evening Receptions
The opening reception on Sunday evening at Pier 62, the special exhibitor reception on Monday in the Exhibition Hall, and the closing reception at Gas Works Park on Tuesday are prime opportunities for conference attendees to meet and network with urban park leaders. Please note that food and beverage is served, however, it is a reception and some attendees may still desire a light meal afterward.

Full Schedule & Conference App
View the conference agenda by date and time with our  “Schedule at-a-Glance.” You’ll find a complete up-to-date schedule on the Greater & Greener app (published prior to the conference; we will notify you) and available for download so you may print your own paper copy. Updates will be posted regularly.

Full-conference registrants have access to all the programming above. Day passes are also available. Please see our pricing page for rates and additional information.

The full conference schedule is available at greatergreener.org/schedule. To help you with your travel planning, here is an overview of the schedule of events for the conference:

Friday - June 21
Registration Opens

Saturday, June 22
Weekend Tours (Optional)

Sunday, June 23
Weekend Tours (Optional)
Opening Reception at Pier 62

Monday, June 24 & Tuesday, June 25
The majority of conference programming is on Monday and Tuesday. Events include Conference Plenary Sessions, Mayors Forum, Panel Discussions, Mobile Workshops, Peer Conversations, Networking Events, and Exhibitor Hall. The conference ends after the Closing Reception on Tuesday evening.

The dress code for the conference is casual. You are encouraged to dress appropriately for any outdoor activity you are participating in, particularly Weekend Tours and Mobile Workshops. Bring appropriate clothing for the weather. Seattle in June can be rainy and cool; we suggest you pack an umbrella or rain poncho.

 

Health and Safety

Above all, stay at home and take care of yourself. Should you test positive for COVID-19 prior to arriving at the conference, we encourage you to try and find a colleague who can attend in your place. If you are unable to do so, please contact the Conference Coordinator.

 

Registration

Registration questions may be asked and answered via email to registration@greatergreener.org.
You may also contact conference staff by phone, Monday through Friday, 10 am to 5 pm ET by dialing +1 (914) 294-5039.

You asked, we listened! To make it easier for organizations to register multiple staff on one invoice, we now offer Group Registration.

Group registration to Greater & Greener is available to both City Parks Alliance Member organizations and Non-Member organizations who need all registration fees on a single invoice. The person registering a group can be someone attending or not attending the conference.

Watch this helpful video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9BqPilQtQ0 with a step-by-step review of how to register a group.

Learn more about pricing details on our Greater & Greener Pricing page

The cost of the conference depends upon the time frame in which you register and whether you are a member of City Parks Alliance. To save on conference registration fees, become a member of City Parks Alliance and register as early as possible.

Day rates are available if you are unable to sign up for the entire conference.

City Parks Alliance seeks to offer the highest quality conference at the lowest possible rate–in fact, more than 70% of the actual costs to attend are subsidized by our sponsors. There are multiple ways to save on registration fees, including early bird registration, membership discounts, and a significantly reduced rate for speakers who wish to attend the full conference. (Selected speakers also have the option of buying a single-day registration or just attending their own session for free.)

While we are able to provide some scholarship support for attendees, we primarily work with community funders to administer scholarship programs for their local park practitioners and advocates. We rarely have discretionary scholarships available.

We encourage you to reach out to your local supporters for assistance, including your local community foundation. You can use our Funding Your Way to Greater & Greener page to demonstrate the conference value as it relates to you and your organization.  If there are several park leaders from your region interested in attending, we recommend coordinating a request for a cross-sector “city team” that includes park agency leadership, nonprofit supporting organizations, and community advocates. We have coordinated “city team” scholarship programs in several cities and can assist with outreach to local philanthropy sources for such group requests.  

We strongly recommend that you pre-register to take advantage of early registration discounts.

Greater & Greener staff will accommodate walk-in registrants to the best of their ability but cannot guarantee your participation in your desired sessions and activities. Weekend tours and mobile workshops fill up quickly and, although onsite registration is permitted most may be full if you wait to register onsite.  Additionally, pre-registration will allow you to select available options or, where available, be added to a waitlist. 

Refunds of any kind will not be available to walk-in registrants.

When you registered, you received a confirmation email with your registration confirmation number. You will need this number to modify your registration. To modify your registration, click on the "Register" button on the Greater & Greener website. Next, click on the "Already Registered?" hyperlink. With your confirmation number, you can modify your registration. 

If you can’t find your confirmation email, please email registration@greatergreener.org, and we will resend the code to you. You may modify your registration until online registration closes, however, some changes are subject to a fee. Please see item 2 in the Payments and Cancellations section below for details. 

Yes. You may transfer your registration before the conference. Please email registration@greatergreener.org for assistance. 

If you are unable to find a substitute, your registration is subject to our cancellation policy.

No, conference ID badge sharing is not permitted. Badges will be used to confirm identity as well as admission to sessions. Day rates are available if you are unable to sign up for the entire conference

Yes! Greater & Greener encourages you to bring a spouse, partner, or family to Seattle. Guests may be added to an attendee’s registration when signing up for the Full Conference package. 

Guests will have access to weekend tours (at the additional published fees) and the opening and closing receptions. Guests are not permitted to attend breakout sessions, mobile workshops, keynote, and plenary sessions, the Mayors Forum, or the Exhibitor Happy Hour, nor are they permitted to attend breakfast and lunch. Please note that some weekend tour activities have ability-oriented or age prerequisites. Keep these restrictions in mind when registering guests.

Please note: Other members from your organization who wish to fully participate in Greater & Greener are not considered guests; these individuals must register separately for the conference.

Greater & Greener provides coffee and tea on both Monday and Tuesday mornings of the conference. A boxed lunch is provided on Tuesday afternoon; lunch is "on your own" on Monday. 

Food and beverages are also served at the Opening Reception (Sunday, June 23, 2024), the Exhibition Hall Happy Hour (Monday, June 24, 2024), and the Closing Reception (Tuesday, June 25, 2024). These are receptions and, for some, the passed hors d'oeuvres and stations are sufficient while others may desire a light meal afterward.

 

Payments and Cancellations

If you need to cancel your registration, you have the following options:

TRANSFER: You can arrange to transfer your registration to another person at no charge. In taking your place, he/she will follow your schedule including Mobile Workshops and Weekend Tours. Please contact the Registration Coordinator at registration@greatergreener.org.

CANCEL: If you are unable to find a replacement, the following cancellation policy applies to your conference registration fee:

Cancellation on or before March 31, 2024 Refund on paid Registration Fees minus a 20% cancellation fee
Cancellation April 1 – May 31, 2024 Refund on paid Registration Fees minus a 30% cancellation fee
Cancellation on June 1, 2024, or thereafter
No refund. The balance of fees paid (less a 50% cancellation fee) may be applied to the 2026 Greater & Greener conference.

You may cancel your registration online with your original Confirmation Number by visiting the registration site.

The cancellation fees listed above are applied to your registration fee only. If you selected additional items, the policy below is applied and will added to your total cancellation fee:

Weekend Tour Fee

Cancellation by 3/31/24 $15
Cancellation 4/1/24 – 5/31/24 $25
Cancellation 6/1/24 or thereafter No refund.

Opening Reception – Additional Guests

Cancellation by 5/31/24 $75
Cancellation 6/1/24 or thereafter No refund.

If you are unable to do so online, cancellations must be submitted in writing by email no later than 5 p.m. ET on May 31, 2024, in order to obtain a partial refund of paid registration fees. No refunds will be issued if a request is emailed after May 31, 2024. City Parks Alliance membership fees are non-refundable. Submit notice of cancellations to registration@greatergreener.org.