Thank you for your interest in becoming a speaker for the Washington Recreation & Park Association.
WRPA offers trainings year-round and your session proposal may be considered for a variety of training programs. WRPA would love to hear your session ideas for one of our upcoming events. We are constantly on the lookout for new speakers. We want to know what are you doing that is different, what experiences can you share, what are your best practices, and more. Please review the information below to learn more.
We will be accepting proposals for:
2023 Fall Training Event
2023 Webinars
2023 Network Events
Please prepare before submitting your proposal. Review the RFP Preparation Guide and the Speaker Proposal Form Outline.
The goal of WRPA is to fulfill the educational needs of our diverse audience by providing a selection of relevant topics addressed by top-notch presenters. WRPA event attendees represent a broad spectrum of professionals from entry-level employees to executive-level Administrators.
WRPA members represent a wide variety of professional disciplines including, but not limited to: recreation programming, park maintenance, park planning, golf course management, administration, marketing/public relations, facility management, aquatics, athletics, youth/teen services, special events, capital project management, and public land management.
WRPA members come from a variety of communities and programs, so their perspectives and challenges vary greatly. The audience also reflects a range of experience levels, from longtime WRPA members to people who are just starting to investigate the park and recreation profession.
Session proposals that are relevant to a cross-section of members are more likely to be selected.
Selection Criteria
WRPA seeks to fulfill the educational needs of our diverse audience by creating a balanced program that is comprehensive and reflects a multitude of perspectives. We will select sessions based on the following criteria:
The overall quality of the proposal, including the completeness of the application
Focused and well-defined topic
Relevance to the park and recreation profession
Practical application of the material
Presentation skill(s) and experience of the proposed speaker(s)
Applicability to a statewide audience
Commercial/Promotional Presentations
Presenters/speakers may NOT sell, raffle, or otherwise promote a product, service, or organization in which they have a financial interest.
Speaker Agreement
If your proposed education session is selected, the lead presenter will be required to sign a Speaker Agreement that may include the following general information.
Getting Started
Before starting your proposal, we suggest you review the list of content below that is requested in our speaker application form.
Thank you for your interest in becoming a speaker for the Washington Recreation & Park Association. The information requested in the following Session Proposal form is necessary to ensure the Conference Education Committee (CEC) has the information needed to review and evaluate your proposal. If your session is selected, detailed information is also needed to ensure that WRPA can approve your session for Continuing Education Units (CEUs). WRPA offers trainings year-round and your session proposal may be considered for a variety of training programs.
Speaker Proposal Form Outline
We recommend collecting all of the following information in preparation for summiting your proposal.
This information will be used by the selection committee during the proposal review process, and will also be used in promotional materials, such as flyers, brochures, programs, etc. Please be clear and concise. Please also be creative! (Please limit to 300 words).
Has this session been previously presented at a WRPA training?
Session Title (Please limit your session title to 10 words or less)
Session Type
Keynote Presentation (50-min in length, 200+ audience)
Educational Session (75-min in length, 40-100 audience)
Session Description (300 words maximum)
EXAMPLE: A shortage of funding and diminishing subsidies is the reality that many agencies are facing, yet the demand for parks and recreation services continues to climb. Sustaining programs and operations is a balancing act, but it's also an opportunity to engage a new business philosophy...entrepreneurialism! The speaker will share his experience working for two of the largest counties and transforming a subsidized operation into a successful entrepreneurial operation. Learn the keys to partnering with retailers, vendors and major corporations while still preserving the integrity of your parks system.
Learning Objectives: Learning outcomes or objectives are statements that specify what learners will know or be able to do as a result of attending the session. Outcomes are usually expressed as knowledge, skills, or attitudes. They help to:
Focus on learner's behavior that is to be changed
Serve as guidelines for content, instruction, and evaluation
Identify specifically what should be learned
Convey to learners exactly what is to be accomplished
Since the learner's performance should be observable and measurable, the verb chosen for each outcome statement should be an action verb which results in overt behavior that can be observed and measured. Sample action verbs are: compile, create, plan, revise, analyze, design, select, utilize, apply, demonstrate, prepare, use, compute, discuss, explain, predict, assess, compare, rate, and critique.
EXAMPLE: The participant will be able to identify and understand various entrepreneurial strategies available to public sector agencies
Presenter Details
You can have up to three presenters total and all of the following information must be provided for each.
Presenter Name
Job Title
Company
Email
Phone Number
Presenter Bio (100 words maximum)
Presenter Headshot
Professional Speaker/Trainer
Presentation Category: Please select a primary and secondary category that is most applicable to your proposal.
Advocacy
Aquatics
Business Operations: Customer Service/Marketing/Finance
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Emerging Professional (Less than 5 years experience)
Health and Wellness
Leadership and Management
Park/Facility Maintenance and Operation
Park/Facility Planning and Design
Programming
Risk Management
Knowledge Level: Select the level of knowledge your audience should have around Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging to be full participants in your session.
Beginner: These sessions are for individuals who have little knowledge or are just beginning to learn about diversity, equity, inclusion, and cross-culture issues whether personally or professionally. They will introduce and stress fundamental concepts and approaches, offering participants time to work for understanding in a supportive environment.
Intermediate: These sessions are for individuals who have a working knowledge of diversity, equity, inclusion, and cross-cultural issues, and have begun exploring the concepts of privilege and anti-racism. These sessions stress the interconnection between fundamental concepts and new knowledge, techniques, methodologies, and skills. Individuals who are looking to explore what to do and how to apply their new knowledge and skills are the target audience for intermediate workshops.
Presentation Preferences
Time of day: Wednesday Morning/Afternoon, Thursday Morning/Afternoon
Presentation style - In-person/Limited number of hybrid presenters
Recording: yes/no
Room Set-up Preference
Lecture/Theatre
Small Group Discussion (Round table format)
Honorariums & Travel Reimbursements:
WRPA works with a small budget to pay for speaker honorariums. If you, the speaker, require an honorarium in order to present this proposed session, please complete the appropriate information below.
Please Note: Any proposal with a speaker who requires an honorarium will be reviewed separately from the other proposals and be held to different selection criteria based on budgetary and programmatic needs. If fees are not requested via this proposal form, it is assumed they will not be required or requested at a later date.
Please note, WRPA has the right to modify content, including session descriptions for marketing purposes.
The goal of WRPA is to fulfill the educational needs of our diverse audience by providing a selection of relevant topics addressed by top-notch presenters. WRPA event attendees represent a broad spectrum of professionals from entry-level employees to executive-level Administrators.
WRPA seeks to fulfill the educational needs of our diverse audience by creating a balanced program that is comprehensive and reflects a multitude of perspectives. We will select sessions based on the following criteria: