SIGMOD BANQUET on WEDNESDAY, June 29
The SIGMOD banquet will be held at the California Academy of Sciences, on Wednesday June 29th, between 6:30pm and 11pm.
About California Academy of Sciences
California Academy of Sciences is among the largest museums of natural history in the world, housing over 26 million specimens. Moreover, it is the only place where one can explore an aquarium, planetarium and natural history museum, all under one roof. Some of the highlights of the museum are a multistory Rainforest, the Morrison Planetarium, Steinhart Aquarium, and African Hall. The Rainforest is a 90-foot diameter glass dome showcasing three levels of a neotropical rainforest with all of its diverse plant and animal life, including free flying birds and butterflies, and even exotic reptiles and amphibians. The Steinhart Aquarium offers an amazing underwater view of a rich aquatic life, consisting of very unique species. The 75-foot dome Morrison Planetarium is an exceptional digital universe featuring star shows. A state-of-the-art digital projection system presents an enhanced terrestrial experience through real-time data provided by NASA. The African Hall exhibits African wildlife through taxidermied animal displays, scene paintings, and live penguins cams.
During the event
The event hours are 6:30pm to 11pm. The museum will not be open to guests prior to 6:30pm. The rainforest will remain open to guests until 8:00pm. Because it has limited capacity and no food or drinks are allowed inside the rainforest, guests are strongly advised to take a quick tour of the rainforest as soon as they arrive at the museum. Food and drink service will not start until 7:00pm, and will consist of a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Several open bars will be serving liquor, beer and wine options. During the event, planetarium shows and gem vault tours will be available to guests who are interested to explore more of the museum. Three planetarium shows will be offered at 8:00pm, 8:45pm, and 9:30pm, each lasting 30 minutes. Shows are open to all guests. Gem Vault tours will be offered continuously between 7:00 and 9:00pm, on the main level. Museum staff will be standing next to the tour room, inviting guests to walk inside and take a peek at the rare gem and mineral collection. We will have the band Neon Velvet perform live music on the stage inside the big Piazza room starting at 9:30pm.
Transportation
Transportation will be provided via busses between the conference and the banquet venue. Transportation Shuttles will be departing at 5:45PM, on Market street, right next to Hyatt Regency. Please look for "Bauer's" black and green busses. We will have volunteers to help people getting on the buses. Due to limited parking space, we will be able to load 2-3 buses at a time. The parking garage at the museum will stay open throughout the event hours for people who prefer to drive on their own, for a price of $16.25 per car. For guests who prefer more flexibility, the museum is a 25 minute taxi ride from the conference venue.
Please make sure you have your badge and banquet ticket for getting on the bus and getting in the museum. Volunteers will be checking the tickets.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Fatma and Georgia
