The 2025 IAPD/IPRA Soaring to New Heights Conference has come and gone but our team can’t stop talking about the amazing time they had connecting with y’all in Chicago, Illinois! From the many incredible educational sessions to the vibrant buzz of all you parks and recreation pros in one place, it was definitely a conference to remember. We’re also not likely to forget that 0-degree weather any time soon either! 🥶

In any case, we had such a fantastic time in Chicago that we wanted to share some of our highlights and key takeaways from the event.

Read on to find out more about our time in the Windy City—including who won our 2025 IAPD/IPRA iPad Air Contest!

Prefer to skip ahead? Here’s what you’ll find further down in the article:

Event Highlights at the Soaring to New Heights Conference

A consistent highlight for our team at any of the annual conferences we attend is the passion that y'all bring to the events. It’s clear in every conversation that we have that each and every one of you cares deeply about what you do and how you can better the lives of your community members.

At the 2025 IAPD/IPRA Soaring to New Heights Conference, we heard some incredibly thoughtful questions about our software—all of which focused on your customers and their experiences.

Some of the major trends in our discussions included:

Excitement About AI 🤖

Many attendees expressed their excitement about artificial intelligence (AI) and its integration into the parks and rec industry. This led to further conversations with our team about our mobile app’s AI functionalities, such as our Smart Search AI. This feature allows your customers to dynamically search for activities on your custom-branded mobile app, rather than having to rely on filters.

For example, using our Smart Search AI, your community members can use natural language searches like "swim classes for adults on Tuesday nights."

Emphasis on Data 📈

A lot of the folks we talked to were also focused on data-oriented approaches for their agencies. It seems like more and more parks and recreation professionals are wanting to leverage the complex info that’s out there to help them make smart, effective decisions for their communities.

In these conversations, we were able to share details about how Xplor Recreation helps our customers collect, aggregate and report on data for their regions. From default reporting to highly customizable dashboards and data lakes, we empower our customers to leverage the data that’s available to them.

The Importance of Reporting 📊

We also heard from many attendees just how important easy reporting is for their operational strategies. Through these conversations, our team was able to share details on the many types of reports we offer our customers to enable them to track their key business needs, such as finances, program attendance, and marketing patterns.

Another highlight for us was having the opportunity to sponsor several educational sessions. Our team got to sit in on these, and we were blown away by the enthusiasm and engagement of the attendees at each and every one.

A handful of the sessions that we sponsored were focused on female leadership and empowerment, which in itself was a highlight. Seeing such strong female representation deeply resonated with our organization’s commitment to the empowerment of women and the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

Making Connections Both On and Off the Exhibit Floor

Our team loved getting to show attendees what our all-in-one recreation management software can do on the exhibit floor. As mentioned above, visitors to our booth were very engaged and enthusiastic about learning how they can best support their community members. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello!

But the connections didn’t stop there! Our team had the opportunity to chat with even more of you off the exhibit floor. We met up with many conference attendees at the Hyatt’s BIG Bar—the longest free-standing bar in the country! And, of course, we also want to say a huge thank you to those who joined us at SPIN for our social mixer. We had an amazing time chatting with everyone and getting the chance to build even more meaningful relationships with those who attended.

Congrats to Our 2025 IAPD/IPRA iPad Air Winner!

We’d also like to take a moment to congratulate Sarah Sanquist from Champaign, Illinois on winning our iPad Air Contest! Thank you to everyone who entered.

See You Next Year!

The 2025 IAPD/IPRA Soaring to New Heights Conference was such a great way to kick off the year for our team! We can’t wait to head back to Illinois in 2026 and connect with y’all again.

Want to Learn More About Xplor Recreation?

Book a free demo with a member of our team to learn more about how Xplor Recreation can support your agency in staying ahead of customer wants and needs in 2025.