Congress Program Guide, 1965-2014

The NRPA Congress Program Guide, 49, quietly passed away at its home in Ashburn, Virginia, following complications from a recent extreme makeover. The hefty publication, known as a comprehensive information source for all attendees, was unable to endure another yearly editing and overhaul and peacefully slipped away into NRPA’s archival shelves just weeks before the 2014 event was scheduled to begin. 

The guide enjoyed a long but humble career, most often nestled in Congress-branded tote bags among lanyards, pens, bottles of water and other sundries visitors gathered as they explored various conference halls. Although in recent years, the event it so thoroughly documented was short — a scant three days — it was long enough for the guide to be transformed from its initial glossy glory to a lovingly tattered souvenir as attendees thumbed and bookmarked their way through Congress. 

Many park and recreation professionals were known to archive their program guides as reminders of the excellent educational and networking opportunities they enjoyed or as reference material to recall particularly engaging speakers and presenters featured year after year at their industry’s premier event. 

An avid traveler, the guide visited such beautiful locations as Seattle, Minneapolis, Houston, Anaheim, San Antonio, and Atlanta among many other locales.   

The program guide is survived by three offspring; the Pocket Guide, Exhibit Hall Guide and the NRPA Event Mobile app, all of which were born just this year. In honor of the guide, they will all travel to Charlotte, North Carolina one of the last places the guide had on its travel “bucket list.”

Those who wish to offer condolences may do so here in the comments and on social media (#NRPAConference). To lend support to the guide’s bereaved offspring download the app.