The highly anticipated 2024 NRPA Annual Conference will feature over 250 educational sessions between October 8 to 10. To help you decide which ones are important to you and your team, we've combed through them all and selected 30 sessions we think you'll want to check out!

Scroll on down to discover a wide variety of topics to fill your calendar and get excited for the tradeshow we’ve all been waiting for!

• Skip to Day 1 of 2024 NRPA Educational Sessions (Tuesday, October 8)
• Skip to Day 2 of 2024 NRPA Educational Sessions (Wednesday, October 9)
• Skip to Day 3 of 2024 NRPA  Educational Sessions (Thursday, October 10)

2024 NRPA Sessions-Workshops: Day 1 (Tuesday, October 8)

1. Elevating Your Park and Recreation Digital Game With AI

Topic Category: Communication
Date: Tuesday, October 8
Time: 11:00 am to 11:30 am
Speaker: Cara McCleod
Location: Exhibit Hall - Pod 1

2. Write Better Surveys

Topic Category: Communication
Date: Tuesday, October 8
Time: 11:00 am to 11:30 am
Speaker: Austin Barrett
Location: Exhibit Hall - Pod 2

3. Small Victories: Community Creation in Neighborhood Parks

Topic Category: DEI
Date: Tuesday, October 8
Time: 11:30 am to 12:00 pm
Speaker: Mitchell Fransen
Location: Exhibit Hall - Pod 1

4. Rep Your Park: How Branding and Design Can Impact Parks for Good

Topic Category: Marketing
Date: Tuesday, October 8
Time: 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm
Speaker: Ryan Merritt
Location: Exhibit Hall - Pod 1

5. Swimming With the Sharks: Fostering Employee Innovation and Engagement in the Park Tank!

Topic Category: Leadership 
Date: Tuesday, October 8
Time: 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm
Speakers: Robin Steinshnider, Tiffanie Willis
Location: Education Block 1 - Room B404

6. The News Is Calling – Are You Ready? Mastering Public Relations in Parks and Recreation

Topic Category: Public Relations
Date: Tuesday, October 8
Time: 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm
Speakers: Whitney Hoshaw, Kenny Weigandt 
Location: Education Block 1 - Room B404

7. Alternative Recreation: Engaging the Forgotten Demographic

Topic Category: Recreation Programming
Date: Tuesday, October 8
Time: 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm
Speaker: Miranda Maloy
Location: Education Block 1 - Room B406

8. Breaking Glass and Shaking Tables: Solidifying the Role of Women in Leadership

Topic Category: DEI
Date: Tuesday, October 8
Time: 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm
Speaker: Jacia Smith
Location: Education Block 1 - Thomas Murphy Ballroom Section 4

9. Proven Best Practices: Implementing Racquet and Paddle Sports Throughout Diverse Community Settings

Topic Category: DEI
Date: Tuesday, October 8
Time: 2:45 pm to 3:45 pm
Speakers: AP Diaz, Shonnda Smith, Chris Bass, Tara Eggleston Stewart
Location: Education Block 2 - Room: B312

10. Take Two! How to Open Your New Facility for the Best First Impression

Topic Category: Customer Service
Date: Tuesday, October 8
Time: 2:45 pm to 3:45 pm
Speakers: Jessica Compton, Erica McNamee
Location: Education Block 2 - Room: B309

2024 NRPA Sessions-Workshops: Day 2 (Wednesday, October 9)

11. Strategies to Improve and Expand Park and Recreation Service Delivery to Underserved Populations

Topic Category: DEI
Date: Wednesday, October 9
Time: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Speaker: Juan Carlos Acevedo
Location: Exhibit Hall - NRS

12. Your WORDS Say Recreation Is a Profession...What Do Your ACTIONS Say?

Topic Category: Community Engagement
Date: Wednesday, October 9
Time: 11:00 am to 11:30 am
Speaker: Ben Johnson, Jr. 
Location: Exhibit Hall Pod 2

13. Calling All — Don’t Touch Me or My Hair!

Topic Category: DEI
Date: Wednesday, October 9
Time: 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm
Speakers: Lakema Bell, Tiffany Johnson, Roslyn Johnson, Shonnda Smith
Location: Education Block 3 - Room: B206

14. Mass Attacks and How Recreation Professionals Can Prepare for Them

Topic Category: Safety and Security
Date: Wednesday, October 9
Time: 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm
Speaker: Hannah Lagana
Location: Education Block 3 – Room: Thomas Murphy Ballroom Section 4

15. Activate ATL: Combating Historic Inequities Through Implementation of ATL's Parks & Rec Master Plan

Topic Category: DEI
Date: Wednesday, October 9
Time: 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm
Speakers: Sabina Kasumova, Tara Buckner, Carlos Perez
Location: Education Block 3 – Room: Thomas Murphy Ballroom Section 1

16. Using CAPRA Accreditation to Build Your Leadership Pipeline

Topic Category: Workforce Development
Date: Wednesday, October 9
Time: 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm
Speakers: Aisha Panas, Keith Watson
Location: Education Block 3 – Room: B202

17. Organizing the Chaos: Using Technology to Streamline Marketing and Communications Requests

Topic Category: Communication
Date: Wednesday, October 9
Time: 2:45 pm to 3:45 pm
Speakers: Kelle Beach, Rachael Everhart
Location: Education Block 4 – Room: B403

18. Community Development Block Grants: A Federal Partner for Inclusion Projects in Your Park System

Topic Category: Health and Wellness
Date: Wednesday, October 9
Time: 2:45 pm to 3:45 pm
Speakers: Sara Kline, Michael Fallis, Peggy Szalay
Location: Education Block 4 - Room: B309

19. Beyond Pickleball: Do Older Adult Women Deserve Equal Investment in Sport Opportunities as Youth?

Topic Category: Health and Wellness
Date: Wednesday, October 9
Time: 4:15 pm to 5:15 pm
Speakers: Stephanie West, Jeff Carnivale, Leah Martinez, Justin Cutler
Location: Education Block 5 – Room: B315

20. Program Planning and Employee Recruitment: Fostering a Culture of Belonging for Agency Success

Topic Category: Community Engagement
Date: Wednesday, October 9
Time: 4:15 pm to 5:15 pm
Speakers: Tyler Walker, Christopher Biswick
Location: Education Block 5 – Room: B402

2024 NRPA Sessions-Workshops: Day 3 (Thursday, October 10)

21. Lost and Found: A Public Art Project From Start to Finish

Topic Category: Arts and Culture
Date: Thursday, October 10
Time: 9:00 am to 10:00 am
Speakers: Diana Delgado, Nicole Mentz, Mandolen Sanchez
Location: Education Block 6 – Room: B407

22. CAPRA Volunteers Panel

Topic Category: CAPRA
Date: Thursday, October 10
Time: 9:00 am to 10:00 am
Speakers: Tara Stewart, Cindi Wight, Jase Newton
Location: Education Block 6 – Room: B202

23. Conexión Multicultural: Opportunity Is Calling, Will You Be Ready to Answer?

Topic Category: Advocacy
Date: Thursday, October 10
Time: 10:30 am to 11:30 am
Speaker: Eric Lopez
Location: Education Block 7 – Room: B403

24. Culture Is Strategy: Creating Legendary Employee Experiences

Topic Category: Health and Wellbeing
Date: Thursday, October 10
Time: 10:30 am to 11:30 am
Speakers: Anna Elias-Perez, Theresa Cummings
Location: Education Block 7 – Room: B302

25. The Other Side of the Mountain: A Candid Conversation on Career Advancement

Topic Category: Career Development
Date: Thursday, October 10
Time: 10:30 am to 11:30 am
Speakers: Antonio Murphy, Travis Landrum, Tamika Pollard, Olema Edwards
Location: Education Block 7 – Room: B315

26. Going for the Gold – Medal, That Is!

Topic Category: Community Engagement
Date: Thursday, October 10
Time: 10:30 am to 11:30 am
Speakers: Stacey Dicke, Michael Kirschman, Sarah Sandquist, Nathan Anderson
Location: Education Block 7 – Room: B316

27. Moving Past Community Engagement: Centering Community to Advance Equitable Resiliency Through Parks

Topic Category: Community Engagement
Date: Thursday, October 10
Time: 10:30 am to 11:30 am
Speakers: Karen Ranney Wolkins, Sarah Olson, Monica Thompson, Larry Barabino
Location: Education Block 7 – Room: B407

28. Investing in Parks, Earning Trust: The Human Side of Planning, Monitoring and Oversight of Levies

Topic Category: Community Engagement
Date: Thursday, October 10
Time: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Speakers: Justin Hellier, Shanyanika McElroy
Location: Education Block 8 – Room: B302 

29. Empowering Youth: Exploring Career Readiness and Service-Learning Focused Youth Mentoring

Topic Category: Workforce Development 
Date: Thursday, October 10
Time: 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Speakers: Olivia Peterson, Cina Makres, Peter Raymer, Darren Lewis
Location: Education Block 9 – Room: B403

30. Your Sustainability Journey Starts Here

Topic Category: Sustainability
Date: Thursday, October 10
Time: 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Speakers: Steph Whyte, Ali Rhodes, Chris Lindgren
Location: Education Block 9 – Room: B304

Wrapping it up:

We hope you have a fantastic time at the event and leave with valuable insights and ideas to put into practice at your agency!

While at the conference, be sure to come visit the Xplor Recreation team at Booth #1625!

Here are a few reasons to stop by:

🎁 Enter in a draw to win a free iPad Air. 

🔍 See our all-in-one recreation management software in action.

📱 Get a hands-on demo of our self-serve kiosk and NEW Client Mobile App!

🎉 Snag yourself some swag to take home.

📸 Capture memories with your team at our photobooth!