December 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 46

CONGRESS WRAP-UP

Great Ideas Flourish in Texas
NRPA's 2013 Congress sparked inspiration and advanced the field of parks and recreation
By Peter Magnuson

ith more than 6,000 attendees, 375 exhibitors
and 250 education sessions, the 2013 NRPA Congress and
Exposition only added to the mantra
that " everything is bigger in Texas. "
The focus of this year's event was
on Great Ideas - and they came
with a flourish. Over three days,
attendees, speakers and exhibitors
swapped great ideas during countless networking events, education
sessions and on the expo floor, and
individuals and agencies nationwide
received recognition for their great
ideas as well.
It Starts With Two Words
With NRPA's three pillars in the
background, the Opening General
Session set the stage for three days
of learning, networking and sharing.
Each of the speakers focused on two
key words they felt exemplified the
profession and the association.
Outgoing Chair Steve Thompson,
CPRP, spoke about " customer service. " He said that parks and recreation will flourish because " we never,
ever forget the human element. " The
same goes for NRPA, he stated.
" I am buoyed by the fact that NRPA
strives to constantly reinvent itself and
stay ahead of the curve, with sophisticated data-management tools, communication devices and membership
resources that help you perform at the
top of your game, " he said.
NRPA President and CEO Barbara
Tulipane then took the stage to discuss the " new normal " and " social
equity. " She began her remarks by
sharing the results of a 2010 survey
where members reported that with-

Parks & Recreation

in two years they felt their agencies
would be back to where they were before the economic slowdown. " So, do
you feel we are back to normal? " she
asked. " Let's face it. We are living in
a world where change is constant and
it's happening at breakneck speed.
So, the questions before us are, how
do we anticipate change and how do
we know that our response to that
change is right? "

NRPA President and CEO
Barbara Tulipane
Tulipane went on to explain that
a number of new economic models
have emerged within the field. " And
do these new models threaten the
very thing that truly sets our work
apart - our unique ability to provide
access to health, wellness, conservation and many other benefits to all
people in the communities we serve?
I certainly hope not. "
The fact is, Tulipane said, that people of all colors, economic means,
and physical and mental abilities
have access to parks and recreation.
" So as our world continues to change

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and as we consider emerging models,
we must not forget the role we have
in the public good, the role we have
in social equity. "
Tulipane turned the stage over to
incoming Chair Robert Ashcraft who
discussed " collective impact. " Ashcraft
explained that collective impact is " the
ability to come together in a collaborative way to achieve substantial impact
on large-scale social problems. "
Ashcraft then outlined the five
characteristics that separate collective
impact from casual forms of collaboration. Those are a common agenda,
shared measurement systems, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous
communication and the presence of
a backbone organization.
Through the three pillars, PRORAGIS, programs like 10 Million Kids
Outdoors and publications like Parks
& Recreation Magazine, Ashcraft said
that NRPA exemplifies a collective
impact movement. " We are seeing
more and more people out there -
from average citizens to federal entities to elected officials coming to the
realization that parks and recreation is
essential - and we should feel proud
of that, " he said. You can see videos
of Thompson, Tulipane and Ashcraft
at www.youtube.com/user/NRPA1.
Talking about customer service,
the new normal and collective impact
was the perfect lead-in to this year's
Opening General Session keynote
speaker, Jeremy Gutsche.
Culture Eats Strategy
Dressed in jeans and full of energy, Gutsche, founder of www.
trendhunter.com, jumped on stage
and immediately posed the ques-

December 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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