WOW! What a day!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our 2017 Outdoor Recreation Summit. Thank you also to all of our sponsors, speakers and volunteers for your support, time and talent in bringing it all together.

Enjoy some snapshots from the day:
Recreation Northwest 2017 Outdoor Recreation Summit Photo Album (facebook)

We had 100 attendees from Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, Island, Kitsap, King and Thurston counties representing gear manufacturers, retailers, guides & coaches, land managers, government officials, stewardship & advocacy organizations, active lifestyle media, tourism and health professionals. 

You all brought amazing energy, expertise and inspiration to conversations around strengthening Washington’s outdoor recreation businesses, getting more people outdoors, the health benefits of being outside, economic development around mountain biking and trail towns, public lands advocacy, marketing and increasing access to the outdoors for all.  Our groups even got outside to enjoy a beautiful stroll down to the beach!

Thank you again to Jon Snyder and Cailin O’Brien-Feeney for rounding out the day with great updates on what’s happening across the state and country for Outdoor Recreation and our public lands.

Please share the Recreation Northwest facebook live stream video with colleagues who weren’t able to be there.

Here’s a quick run through of the day as it unfolded, with some snapshots:

#1 Breakout Sessions

Building Loyalty through Creative Consumer Engagement
Facilitator: Brian Roche – GearAid
Steve Roguski – Fairhaven Runners  
Martina Brimmer – Swift Industries  
Jenn Seva – Geocaching.com

Steve has the podium below, engaging both the audience and his fellow panelists.

Highlighting unique projects that increase outdoor access and improve community wellness.
Facilitator: Rob Sendak – Washington Wildlife & Recreation Coalition
Mandy LaBlanc – Group Health & National School Based Health Alliance
Jill Boudreau – Mount Vernon Mayor

Rob Sendak getting it rolling!

Growing Bellingham’s Recreation Economy Through Mountain Biking

Join local mountain bike manufacturers, retailers, coaches, professional athletes, stewardship organizations, tourism professionals, advocacy groups, land managers and public officials for a dynamic conversation and idea sharing session.  Facilitator: Laura Todd, Laura Todd Consulting

Eric Brown, Trail Director with Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition has the floor as others get ready to share.

Lunch and break into Peer to Peer Conversations were led by Ashley from Nuu Muu and Laura Todd. They got us going and ready to dive into meaningful talks with one another.

The “speed dating” rounds were fun and engaging!

“Jenn, The leadership qualities that I see in you are…,” Jon.

After to getting to know “everybody” in the room, we sat down for Peer to Peer Conversations. Below, the topic “Trails: Creating Connections, Shared Use, and Community Challenges” was facilitated by Brian Adams, Skagit County Parks Director; Katie from Geocaching.com; Jeff Kish, Executive Director PNWTA and Amy Spain with Snohomish County Tourism.

The Peer to Peer Conversations also took the opportunity to head outside and take the talk on the trail, down to Squalicum Beach.

#2 Breakout Sessions

How does your Business Define Success?
Facilitator: Ashley Fullenwider – Nuu Muu
Jason Martin – American Alpine Institute 
Amy Olive – Superfeet 
Martin Maisonpierre – MSR-Mountain Safety Research

Ashley sets the tone to a full room of engaged industry professionals representing some of Washington’s leading outdoor brands!

Snohomish County Trail Towns: Re-imagining community connections along the trail

Snohomish County residents have long valued regional trails for recreation, open space and transportation. More recently, long-distance trails in the County are recognized as important geo-cultural routes, bringing economic benefit to the communities located along the way. Now, Snohomish County is supporting new, regional grass-roots tourism efforts between diverse cadres of stakeholders, to re-imagine downtown districts as trail towns, where visitors can find needed services and amenities along the trail.

Using examples from the Whitehorse Regional Trail, this session explored the nature of this grass-roots process; discuss the significance of the trail town concept and how through budding regional collaborations, diverse groups with interests in access, small business opportunities, history, culture and education, can work together to re-imagine visitor amenities for trail users along shared regional routes.

Facilitator: Annique Bennett, Snohomish County Parks, Recreation and Tourism
Amy Lucas, Snohomish County Parks, Recreation and Tourism
Amy Spain, Snohomish County Tourism Bureau

Ken Klein, Snohomish County Executive Director introduces the panelists below.

2017 Outdoor Recreation Summit Keynote Speakers

Jon Snyder – Governor’s Policy Advisor on Outdoor Recreation and Economic Development

Cailin O’Brien-Feeney – Local Recreation Advocacy Manager, Outdoor Industry Association

Please share our Recreation Northwest facebook page to watch live stream video with colleagues who weren’t able to be there.  Live stream sponsored by: Varvid: Internet Broadcasting & Live Stream Events

Thank you, to all of our sponsors, speakers and volunteers for your support, time and talent in bringing it all together to make a complete day for our attendees. We appreciate all of you who joined us for the day.

We look forward to seeing you next year!