Congress History / Background

NRPA's Congress and Exposition is the flagship event of NRPA and the premier annual event of the park and recreation community. The three-day conference brings together more than 6,500 park and recreation professionals, citizen advocates, and industry suppliers for amazing networking opportunities, hundreds of educational sessions, and the industry's largest trade show showcasing the products and services of nearly 450 exhibitors.

The NRPA Annual Congress location has historically been selected to follow a geographic rotation in the Eastern, Central or Western portion of the Country. Beginning with the 2014 Congress & Exposition, NRPA will not select locations based on this rotation but select but by which area would benefit the greatest number of members and support the association's goals. Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are currently out for 2017 and 2018. Please contact Karla Kelly for additional information.

Future Conference Dates and Locations

• Congress 2012: Anaheim, CA (October 16-18)
• Congress 2013: Houston, TX (October 8-10)
• Congress 2014: Charlotte, NC (October 14-16)
• Congress 2015: Las Vegas, NV (September 15-17)
• Congress 2016: Saint Louis, MO** (October 4-6)
• Congress 2017: *
• Congress 2018: *
• Congress 2019: Baltimore, MD (September 24-26)

* TBD.
** NRPA's 50th Congress and Exposition.

Past Conference Dates and Locations

• Congress 2011: Atlanta, GA (November 1-3)
• Congress 2010: Minneapolis, Minnesota (October 25-29)
• Congress 2009: Salt Lake City, Utah (October 13-16)
• Congress 2008: Baltimore, Maryland (October 14-18)