Regular Priced Full Registration Open Until 1/21/2025

Full registration covers all regular conference educational sessions beginning Wednesday morning and ending with our closing keynote speaker midday on Friday.

Preview of Conference Education Sessions

Take a look at some of the sessions coming to CONNECTIONS 2026. Dates and times will be added soon, along with the rest of the session lineup. More sessions will be added in early January 2026, so stay tuned!

Advocacy/ Telling the Park & Recreation Story

  • The Political Playbook: Navigating Relationships Like a Pro
  • Paint The Parks: Enhancing Parks Through Art & Community

Collaboration & Partnership Development

  • From Contacts to Collaborators: Creating Meaningful Professional Relationships
  • Teens Helping Seniors: An Intergenerational Volunteer Model that Works
  • Build a Workplace Culture That Says “You Matter!”
  • BeautifySJ in Action: Tackling Encampments and Blight by Elevating Communities
  • From ‘I do’ to ‘We do’: Fostering Partnerships and Implementation
  • Same Side Selling for Events: Turning Sponsors into Partners, Not Transactions
  • Using Public Art to Build Community

Communications, Marketing & Branding

  • Parks & Rec Influencer: Pros Tips to Increase Views and Reach

Employee/ Volunteer Management

  • Stop Guessing, Start Assessing: Build Effective Whole Person Interviews
  • The Job Fair Playbook: Your Guide to High-Volume Hiring

Health & Wellness

  • Designing Joy: 7 Aesthetic Principles for Creating Extraordinary Happiness in Public Spaces
  • Senior Center Fitness - Build It And They Will Come
  • Age is a Vibe — The Art of Living, Creating & Belonging

Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion

  • Disability Inclusion: No Budget? No Problem! Creative, Collaborative DIY Strategies
  • No More Suspensions! Supporting Children With Challenging Behaviors for Program Success
  • Parks Where You Least Expect Them: Partnerships Revitalizing Vacant Spaces
  • Creating Positive Practices to Reduce Unconscious Bias
  • Gifting Sustainable Play: Empowering Disadvantaged Youth and Communities Through Sport
  • Nothing About Us Without Us: Designing Play With Disability Voices
  • The Inclusive Nature of Rope Play
  • AAC in our Neighborhoods: Planning and Execution of Community Based AAC Displays
  • Less Fear, More Fun: How Psychological Safety Boosts Teamwork and Well-Being
Emergency Planning & Preparedness

  • Rec Ready: The Critical Role of Recreation in an Emergency

Practical Solutions to the Daily Business of Parks & Recreation

  • AI in Recreation & Parks Management: How Do I Use This Tool?
  • AI, AR, and the Future of Park Programs
  • Closing the Gap Between Collecting Data and Creating Results
  • Parks, People & Pennies: Navigating Economic Challenges with Confidence
  • Data Driven Decision Making
Programming & Evaluations

  • Emergency Action Plans - Why Every Program Must Have One.
  • Adventure Playgrounds: The Importance of Risky Play
  • Data Collection: What's the Point?
  • Telling Your Story with Data: Simple & Powerful Ways to Visualize Data
  • No Roof, No Rules: Creative Rec Programming in Unconventional Spaces
Planning, Design & Maintenance

  • Pickleball Playbook: Designing Courts, Silencing the Noise, Pleasing Communities
  • Designing with Intention: Outdoor Spaces That Include, Inspire and Connect
  • Who Let the Bids Out? Understanding CIP Without Losing Your Mind
  • Trail Mix: Balancing Safety for People, Park Staff, and the Natural World
Leadership, Career & Staff Development

  • No Guts, No Growth: Leveling Up Through Hard Conversations and Bold Decisions
  • Transforming Staff Training: Leveraging the California Action Plan and AI
  • Resilience in Action: Women Advancing Parks and Recreation
  • Challenging Conversations Made Easier: Inspiring Communication Success
  • Time Management Hacks to Turn Busy into Productive
  • Speed Coaching for Students & Rising Professionals
  • The Leadership Locomotive: Driving Success Through Onboarding
Revenue Development & Management

  • Unlocking State and Federal Funding: What Directors Need to Know
  • Beyond the Budget Gauntlet: Assembling Revenue Strategies like Infinity Stones

At a Glance

Join us for CONNECTIONS 2026, where industry leaders, innovators, and professionals come together for three days of learning, networking, and discovery. Get a quick look at the schedule, explore the Expo Hall, and plan your stay!

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Schedule at a glance 

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Expo Hall

COMING SOON

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Hotels

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