This year’s NRPA Congress in Charlotte, North Carolina, was one of the most successful in recent memory by a number of measures, but don’t take our word for it. Although these statistics can’t capture the knowledge attendees got from the education sessions, the connections professionals made as they networked, the significance of the improved neighborhood park built for the Parks Build Community initiative or the joy untold numbers of kids will get when they play on playground equipment bought on the show floor, they give a slice of the action and showcase some of what happened at this year’s 49th annual event.
50: Number of states represented by attendees (plus Germany, France, India, China, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Japan, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Turkey, Brazil and other countries).
280: Number of traditional education sessions, speed sessions, Off-Site Institutes and Pre-Congress Workshops presented (out of 571 submissions).
2,200+: Number of hours invested by approximately 160 attendee volunteers.
4,292: Number of downloads of the 2014 NRPA Congress app.
3,000+: Number of attendees at the Opening Party for networking with their fellow members.
476: Number of speakers.
391: Number of exhibitors on the show floor.
280,000: Total square footage used for the exhibit hall’s show floor.
155: Number of exhibitors already booked for the 2015 conference.
8.5 percent: Increase in attendance over the 2013 NRPA Congress in Houston.
88 percent: Portion of attendees who are at the middle to executive management level at their agencies.
46: Number of awards, scholarships, fellowships and Hall of Fame honors presented.
1,515: Number of times the #NRPACongress hashtag was used on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
126,000+: Number of impressions made by social media mentions of the #NRPACongress hashtag.
91.3 percent: Portion of surveyed attendees who play a role in the purchasing process for their agency.
63.9 percent: Portion of surveyed attendees who spent more than three hours on the show floor (12.8 percent of whom spent more than five hours).
87.4 percent: Portion of surveyed attendees who rated their overall satisfaction level of their 2014 NRPA Congress experience as a 4 or 5 out of 5.
97.1 percent: Portion of surveyed attendees who would recommend attending NRPA Congress to their colleagues.
Danielle Taylor is the Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation Magazine.