--- title: "Conference Circuit: National Recreation and Park Association" id: "39806" type: "post" slug: "conference-circuit-national-recreation-and-park-association" published_at: "2017-09-21T22:17:35+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:22:15+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/09/21/conference-circuit-national-recreation-and-park-association/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/09/21/conference-circuit-national-recreation-and-park-association.md" excerpt: "The National Recreation and Park Association’s 2017 Annual Conference begins in New Orleans in the upcoming days. Attendance is expected to top 7,000." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "book events" - "conferences" - "Meetings" - "Networking" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Conference Circuit: National Recreation and Park Association Heads up, [Leslie Knope (opens in a new tab)](http://parksandrecreation.wikia.com/wiki/Leslie_Knope) : More than 7,000 park and recreation professionals, citizen advocates, and industry suppliers are headed to New Orleans next week for education sessions, networking opportunities, and the industry’s largest tradeshow. **Organization:** National Recreation and Park Association **Conference:**2017 NRPA Annual Conference **Venue:** Ernest N. Morial Convention Center **City:**New Orleans Following the golf tournament and preconference workshops on Monday, [NRPA 2017 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.nrpa.org/conference2017/) will begin on Tuesday morning with an opening general session featuring Matt Iseman. The host of *American Ninja Warrior*, physician, and comedian will discuss the role that parks and recreation play in shaping the lives of people of all ethnicities, ages, and abilities. Also worth noting: **Community focus.**Each year, NRPA conducts a complete park makeover in partnership with equipment manufacturers and community organizations in the host city. The 2017 Parks Build Community project will reimagine Lafitte Greenway, a designated parkway that will connect underserved communities to sports fields, playgrounds, water features, and numerous gathering spots. **Challenge accepted.**The NRPA Student Recreation Challenge 2.0 is an opportunity for students to compete in a series of challenges throughout New Orleans. Teams of three will travel to multiple destinations in the city and be challenged both physically and mentally in a competition that will test their endurance, navigation skills, and use of technology. **Innovative education.**NRPA will feature all different types of learning. Among them: 20-minute Speed Sessions, Mobile Workshops (which combine traditional classroom learning with time outside in the field), and Offsite Institutes, where attendees will tour New Orleans landmarks. Head to [Facebook (opens in a new tab)](https://www.facebook.com/NationalRecreationandParkAssociation) , [Twitter (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/nrpa_news) ([#NRPAConference (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/nrpaconference?f=tweets&vertical=default&src=hash) ), [Instagram (opens in a new tab)](https://www.instagram.com/nrpa/) , or NRPA’s *[Open Space (opens in a new tab)](https://www.nrpa.org/blog/NRPA-Annual-Conference)* blog for more details. (Sam Edwards/OJO Images/Getty Images Plus) [Samantha Whitehorne](https://associationsnow.com/author/samantha-whitehorne/) Samantha Whitehorne is a former editorial director of Associations Now in Washington, DC. 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