Celebrating the California Park and Recreation Society at 75

For the last three weeks, the quickly-set routine of jogging by the Sacramento Waterfront had brought me a little more energy with each passing day. As someone who enjoys a refreshing run to start the day, it’s easy to appreciate the role of such open spaces in helping us lead healthier and more enriching lives! Parks and recreational spaces introduce us to a world of boundless possibilities and their impact is a living testament to the work of thousands of parks and recreation professionals across the country. 

This is why it piqued my interest when our Advisor, Neelay Bhatt, suggested we participate in the annual California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS) Conference and Expo this year. CPRS has been uplifting recreational spaces by educating and empowering parks and recreation professionals as they seek to create a healthier world for everyone. That this amazing organization was turning 75 this year only made it all the more special for us!

Over the last few years, we at Omnify have been working to bridge the gap between communities and recreational spaces, serving as an easy medium that facilitates community interaction at every level. Our growing connections with people and professionals across the industry have served to broaden our perspectives and give us a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by park and recreation professionals today. We reached out to the organizers and decided to sponsor a booth of our own. It would be our first such conference - and a special one that saw the CPRS return the Conference & Expo to an in-person event once more!

Having a memorable experience may have been a foregone conclusion, but we made sure of it anyway by getting off to an adventurous start soon after we landed. A mixup at the airport meant we left behind our roll-up banners for the Expo and had to have it retrieved later that night! Things went a lot more smoothly from there, and we thank the organizers for treating us to a wonderful Welcome Reception at Cafeteria 15L and the Fremont Parks & Recreation team for making it a truly special evening for us.

The conference gave us a wonderful opportunity to connect with professionals from across the industry. It was illuminating to see the level of innovation taking place in all spheres of park and recreation development and the attention to detail that is being afforded to nurturing healthier communities. We spent most of our time during the next two days engaged in enlightening sessions conducted by industry experts and veterans sharing their most valuable insights with the rest of us.

Looking back at the whole experience, we couldn't have asked for a better opportunity! It was an absolute honor to meet amazing folks from all over the country who have dedicated their lives to developing parks and recreational spaces for the people and their communities. Being relatively new to this industry, we found reassurance in the efforts we have made so far to serve the needs of these incredible professionals and gained a storehouse of knowledge and insights for the road ahead!

Managing an in-person conference again after a considerable gap, the CPRS deserves all the credit for organizing a warm and memorable event that not only brought people together, but also encouraged an inspiring exchange of thoughts and ideas. Hearty congratulations too, to the President and Vice President-elects, Doug Grove and Kyla Brown, and the new board of the CPRS. We look forward to seeing your work changing lives across communities and setting new benchmarks for healthy living!

As Omnify endeavors to make the path to greater well-being more accessible to communities, we are encouraged by the support of organizations like CPRS, NRPA, and every single state and local organization working to develop parks and recreational facilities across the country.

If you would like to work with us to bring people closer to your recreational space, sign up for a FREE TRIAL today and find out how we can help you!

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Author

Nikhil Moorjani is the Chief Growth Officer at Omnify Inc.
He can be reached via Linkedin, Twitter, and Email at nikhil@getomnify.com