With 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 within 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?”

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 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. 

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 question, “Why should I choose you or choose your park?”

Far from being antagonistic, Gutsche was stressing the fact that park and recreation agencies need to have a consistent answer to that question. 

One important way agencies can do this is by starting with their culture. “It doesn’t matter what your mission is or what your strategic plan is,” said Gutsche, “because culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

Gutsche explained that successful companies with great culture share four characteristics. Those are:

• Perspective (every employee has a sense of purpose)
• A willingness to destroy what has worked in the past in order to try something new
• A tolerance of failure
• An obsession with their customers

“When we are good, it can be easy to do what happened before,” Gutsche said. “I want you to think about the ways you can push yourselves in new ways.” One way to do that is to make a cultural connection to your audience, explained Gutsche. “You have to know your audience, and you have to find a way to be irresistible to influential people.” To illustrate this point, Gutsche shared the story of reducing litter in Texas. Instead of trying to craft a message for everyone, the campaign focused on a small, influential audience. The result was the “Don’t Mess with Texas” campaign that helped reduce litter by 72 percent.

For park and recreation agencies to realize similar results, Gutsche said they need to have a viral connection — a service that everyone wants. Then they need to present that service in a well-packaged way and finally deliver an amazing experience. To help, Gutsche offered these three tips:

• Keep your message simple — don’t overwhelm with facts, figures or language
• Be direct — answer the question, “Why should I choose you?”
• Be supercharged! Use awesome language and be relentless in telling your story

“Parks and recreation have a good thing going,” said Gutsche. “But we need to keep reinventing, keep obsessing about our stories and customers, and keep finding the influential audience.”

Speed Sessions a Hit

In addition to the 227 traditional sessions, this year’s Congress debuted 36 Speed Sessions, each of which offered a lively 20-minute crash course on anything from “10 Top Recreation Apps for your iPhone” to “How to Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich” (actually a lesson in communication skills). This new opportunity was so popular that NRPA is bringing it back for Charlotte in 2014. 

Live Learning

For the second year, NRPA live-streamed Congress sessions, and the Quiz Bowl, for those who were unable to travel to Houston. Congress LIVE! presented 10 sessions covering a wide variety of topics. These sessions will be available on-demand until next year’s Congress for those who need a few extra CEUs.

Peter Magnuson is NRPA’s Director of Marketing.