Gabby McGrath has long been drawn to event planning, from elementary school extracurriculars to her current role as associate director of events and venues at the University of California–Berkeley (UC Berkeley) Student Union. “When I was in third grade, I remember being a part of the student council and helping plan events for our elementary school—things like the walkathon and our Spring Fling carnival—and just thought that was really fun. Then somebody said, ‘You know, you can do that for your job,’ and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s really cool.’ And it just sort of stuck with me.”
Hailing from Rohnert Park, where she lives today, McGrath attended college at California State University–Sacramento. While pursuing her degree in hospitality, tourism, and event management there, she interned at Trentadue Winery in Geyserville, becoming the winery’s wedding coordinator after graduation. In 2010, she stumbled upon UC Berkeley’s events team job posting on Craigslist. “The idea of working with students, being on a college campus, and getting to work with not only student events but also campus departments and public clients was exciting,” she says. “And I still was able to bring my wedding background and work with all the brides who get married on campus.”
In her current role, McGrath oversees all aspects of Student Union venue bookings—from event intake and catering coordination to helping clients obtain permits and understand university policies. While similar to venue management elsewhere, the university environment brings unique challenges. For example, McGrath notes, protests at UC Berkeley are booked and handled just like any other event. “We do actually reserve them, we schedule them, we plan for them, and we get permits for them,” she explains.
Many of McGrath’s clients are students hosting club gatherings, which adds another dimension to her job: coaching. McGrath guides students on event basics, including fundraising, booking venues, and how to select the most appropriate event format. Students also make up much of McGrath’s team—about 80 student staffers handle all setup, breakdown, and client support. “Our building could not run and host this number of events without our student team,” she says.
McGrath says one of her favorite parts of the job is watching the magic that happens when clients transform a venue. “Seeing people use the same space in so many different ways is always exciting,” she says. “The students get so creative—they’re making their own centerpieces and backdrops.” She describes one event with a “Wizard of Oz” theme where students created a giant ruby slipper out of paper-mache. “It is always exciting to see what they’re coming up with to make the space their own for that night.”
