In 2014 ORPA made the decision to switch away from paper programs for many reasons. One chief reason was the wasteful nature of paper, followed by the unchangeable nature of printing: any changes after printing make the program incorrect.

Instead, ORPA uses CrowdCompass, a mobile app and website scheduler. We’ve used this app for years and appreciate the user-friendly design and ability to quickly update sessions and events. Prior to the conference we provide an access code to the conference app and help attendees get set up on mobile.

No. This year’s conference is entirely in-person and no virtual component will be provided. Sessions will not be recorded.

Conference sessions are offered as 20-minute mini-sessions, a 60-minute standard session, or a field session.

20-minute Session

Mini sessions are a great way to present projects or niche topics in a quick and digestible way. Don’t be fooled by the short time-frame, however. Twenty minutes flies by quickly and presenters will need to identify the most important elements of their topic to present. This type of session is great for presenters who want to get to the heart of a presentation without any extra fluff. For attendees, it is a fun way to learn a new topic in a short time.

• Be sure to calculate intro and question portion into your 20 minutes!

• Only one speaker allowed for these sessions

• Doesn’t qualify for CEUs by itself

60-minute Session

The standard session for an ORPA conference. A standard session will take place fully online (through Zoom) and can include up to four presenters.

• The most requested session – provides an opportunity to dive into a topic.

• The 60 minutes includes intro and Q&A time.

Field Session

Field sessions are those that take place in person and on-site of a park or recreation space. These sessions have been utilized for trail-related sessions, showcasing new projects, or other site-specific education.

Field sessions do not have a set duration, as it is dependent on the site, access, participation, etc. Instead, the Session RFP requires session managers to specify the expected duration of a field session proposal.

No. Presenters and Session Managers are prohibited from soliciting attendee contact information or requesting attendees provide an email address during a session. Any digital materials or handouts must be provided to ORPA by October 30th, 2022 where ORPA will then post materials to the conference application for download by attendees.

For any follow up after a session, presenters and session managers are required to submit answers or documents to ORPA for distribution.