Submit a Session

Submit Your Session Proposals for HQ, Section, District and Region Events!

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2026-27 Session Submission Portal

 

The session submission portal is utilized to collect session submissions for CONNECTIONS: CPRS Conference & Expo in addition to CPRS Section, District and Regional events and CPRS HQ webinars/trainings throughout the year.  Further, sessions submitted are made available to CPRS member leaders upon request when looking for presenters for specific topics or within geographic areas.  Some events which routinely utilize the session submission portal include: 

  • Director's Academy (presented by the CPRS Administrators Section)
  • School of Rec (presented by the CPRS Recreation Section)
  • CAMS (presented by the CPRS Aquatics Section) 
  • BEACH Symposium (presented by the CPRS Recreation Therapy Section) 
  • District 2 Park Forum
  • Region 1 Fall Forum
  • Region 2 Mini Conference
  • Region 5 Mini Conference 

 

Please be aware, the session submission portal is refreshed annually in March/April.  Any information submitted to the prior portal will not rollover into the new portal and you will need to set up a new login for the new portal.  

 

Have a great idea you'd like to vet out? Need some guidance on submitting a session? Contact Lauren Oakley, Director of Professional Development today!

Calendar

All About CONNECTIONS Session Submissions

Deadlines

The deadline to submit session proposals for CONNECTIONS: CPRS Conference and Expo breakout education is September 15th followed by October 15th.  Submissions on file by September 15th will receive priority consideration.

Continuing Education Units (CEU)

The majority of education sessions are expected to offer CEU.  CPRS aims to offer CEU specific to three certifications noted below.  The review committee will reference the handbooks of each certification during the review process.  At least two of the three learning objectives identified in the session submission ought to squarely address at least one of the competencies identified in the handbook.  

  1. Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP)
    1. See pages 12-14 of the CPRP Candidate Handbook (2025)
  2. Certified Park and Recreation Executive (CPRE)
    1. See pages 12-15 of the CPRE Candidate Handbook (2025)
  3. Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI)
    1. CPSI CEU are broken down into two groups:
      (A) Hazard Identification, Risk Management
      (B) Surfacing, Playground Environment, Audit, Inspection & Maintenance 
    2. CPSI CEU may only be taught by a Playground Maintenance, Risk and/or Safety Subject Matter Expert

Note: The Recreation Therapy "RT" Institute (a pre-conference ticketed event) does offer CEU specific to the Recreation Therapy Certification (RTC) / Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) program. 

Keynote Presentations

There is one general session per day at CONNECTIONS, each offering a keynote presentation.  Given our audience, we have a preference for speakers with a direct connection to the park and recreation industry (or related fields like public administration).  Keynote presenters are booked directly by CPRS HQ -- please do not submit keynote proposals through the session submission portal.  To learn more about keynote opportunities, please contact Lauren Oakley, Director of Professional Development.

Presenter Headcounts

The duration of the session informs how many presenters are welcome to participate. 

  • Sessions of 45-50 minutes will not exceed two presenters.
  • Sessions of 60-75 minutes will not exceed three presenters.
  • Sessions of 90+ minutes will not exceed four presenters.

Session Durations

CONNECTIONS offers three breakout education blocks on Wednesday, three on Thursday, and two on Friday.  All blocks are scheduled to be 60 minutes with the exception of the third block at the end of the day on both Wednesday and Thursday -- these blocks can accommodate sessions of 60-, 75-, or 90-minutes.  
We recommend preparing 45-50 minutes of content for a 60-minute session to allow time for opening/closing remarks (by the volunteer Room Host) and questions from attendees.