2022 IPRA Annual Conference & Expo Recap

By Courtnie Pettigrew and Felisha Canillas, IPRA

new IPRA members and new conference attendees gathered for the New Member Reception, sponsored by HWC Engineering and the Crowne Plaza. This event allows attendees to network with IPRA and IPRF board members as well as connect one with another and network in a smaller setting. The evening wrapped up with the 4th Annual Trivia Night event. Teams of 6 dressed in their best 70s attire and had a groovy time!

IPRA through many legislative sessions. Patterson also served as the President and member of the Indiana Parks and Recreation Foundation.

After the banquet, attendees were invited by Butler Fairman & Seufert Inc and Midstates Recreation to attend the After-Hours Speakeasy Social. Attendees dressed in 1920’s themed attire enjoyed live music, played cards, and sang karaoke!

On November 15-17, IPRA hosted more than 500 parks and recreation professionals in Indianapolis for the Indiana Park and Recreation Annual Conference and Expo. Attendees from across the state gathered to reconnect, share new ideas and reignite their passion for parks!

The event kicked off on Tuesday with various summits and round table discussions including the directors, maintenance, programmers, and student summits. The first offsite tour of the conference was also held on Tuesday at Riverside Park in Downtown Indy. Offsites give conference goers the opportunity to explore the host city’s parks and learn more about their unique features and operations. Other offsite sessions throughout the event included trips to Eagle Creek Park, Garfield Park and Holliday Park – all of these parks are a part of the 212 parks that Indy Parks and Recreation maintain.

Tuesday’s evening activities included the Opening Night Kickoff event, sponsored by Butler Fairman & Seufert Inc and Miracle Playgrounds of Indiana. Attendees heard from IPRA President, Becky BarrickHiggins and several of our sponsors as they welcomed attendees and shared more about the work they do for parks professionals. Following the kickoff,

The IPRA Annual Conference is the go-to event in the state for inspirational education sessions and energetic networking opportunities and this year was no different! Attendees spent most of the day Wednesday delving deep into learning. Attendees chose from 57 different education sessions ranging from topics about diversity and inclusion, employee recruitment and retention, park design, funding sources, creative programming and so much more. In addition to the education session speakers, attendees heard from this year’s Keynote Speaker Neil Ihde, sponsored by Landscape Structures. While it was an early morning message on Wednesday, Ihde, delivered a message about recreating recreation within oneself and encouraged attendees to play, explore, relax and contemplate and emphasized how important it is to find a renewed since of self in these post pandemic times.

After a full day of learning, attendees gathered to celebrate the achievements of Indiana park professional during the Awards Banquet, sponsored by Commercial Recreation Group. While we recognized many organizations and individuals for their outstanding work, we were honored to present the Distinguished Life Member Award to Allen Patterson. Patterson was a dedicated IPRA member for over thirty years. He served in many different roles within the organization, including Board President, member, executive committee member, chair of the conference committee and led

More than 60 exhibitors filled the Expo Hall and hall foyer this year. Exhibitors showcased their latest products and services and there was something for everyone. The bright-colors and interactive exhibits caught the attention of attendees and both vendor giveaways and a scavenger hunt kept attendees engaged throughout the event. And who could forget the VW photo bus? Attendees enjoyed taking fun photos inside the wagon and keeping their memories of the conference alive with their photo strips!

IPRA is dedicated to making a difference in our local communities by supporting charitable organizations. IPRA held a donation drive to collect non-perishable canned goods for Indy Parks food pantries.

In the spirit of giving, IPRA also hosts an annual Silent Auction for the Indiana Parks and Recreation Foundation. This year, the auction brought in over $7,000 for the IPRF scholarship fund.

The Title Sponsor for the sixth year in a row was Midstates Recreation. Without their continued support this event would not be what it is. Their company is a fullservice dealership that represents the best recreational products in the industry.

RLTurner was our Gold Sponsor this year. It was RLTurner’s second time sponsoring at the IPRA Conference! RLTurner is a premier construction partner, dedicated to helping you along the way in all your

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projects. It was a pleasure to have RLTurner at the conference again this year!

Commercial Recreation Group was our Cocktail Hour and Awards Banquet. CRG is one of the largest commercial dealers for playground equipment in the state of Indiana. They have been around for over 25 years and installed hundreds of commercial type products in and around Indiana.

PlayPros was our Silver Sponsor again this year. PlayPros offers top of the line commercial playground equipment through Landscape Structures, and the best prefabricated recreational shelters through

Other sponsors include: Miracle Playgrounds of Indiana, iStrike, Rundell Ernstberger Associates, Sinclair

Recreation, Snider Recreation, Butler, Fairman & Seufert, ForeverLawn

Northeast Indiana, Tiny Mobile Robots, Pilot Rock, HWC Engineering, Crowne Plaza and Landscape Structures

The conference event would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work from the IPRA Conference Planning Committee! Their efforts brought the event to life!

We can’t wait to see everyone in 2023 at the next conference, but until then keep making a difference in your communities and parks.

Leslie Brinson, Bloomington Parks, Chair

Lisa Nye, IPRA

Courtnie Pettigrew, IPRA

Felisha Canillas, IPRA

Harmun Sandhu, IPRA

Alexa Lingg, Whitestown Parks & Recreation

Amanda Bender, South Bend Venues, Parks & Arts

Amber Lane, Brownsburg Parks & Recreation

Annette Harden, Indy Parks

Ashley Greene, Indy Parks

Brandy Feichter, Bluffton Parks & Recreation

Charlie Elliott, Indy Parks

Courtney Johnson, Franklin Parks & Recreation

Dan Dunten, West Lafayette Parks & Recreation

David Bault, Greencastle Parks & Recreation

David Roth, Cripe

Denise Retz, Richmond Parks & Recreation

Dominic Cornett, Whitestown Parks & Recreation

Jonathan Blake, Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation

Liz Blake, Washington Township Parks & Recreation

Madison Henderson, Danville Parks & Recreation

Mike Clendenen, New Haven-Adams Parks & Recreation

Patti Davis, Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation

Randy Royer, Hitchcock Design

Sarah Muller, Johnson County Parks

Savannah Solgere, Whitestown Parks & Recreation

Shawn Bolinger, Play Pros

City of Bloomington Parks & Recreation

Charly Koopman, Walkerton Parks & Recreation

Lisa Leach, Portage Township Department of Parks & Recreation

Annie Aguirre, Elkhart County Parks & Recreation

Vanessa Hernandez-Orange, City of East Chicago Parks & Recreation

Rhonda Foster, Knox County Parks & Recreation

Kara Yax, Logansport Parks & Recreation

Stephani Massa, Washington Township Parks & Recreation

Steve McDaniel, Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation

Will Lacey, Danville Parks & Recreation

Lora Helmick, Washington Township Parks & Recreation