Last week, we attended the Florida Recreation and Park Association Annual Conference for the first time. Geared toward Park and Recreation officials in Florida, there is a lot of education and training that takes place throughout the week-long event. Everything from leadership sessions, park system management, and design and safety tips, to theraputic recreation education is offered. There is also a two-day seminar for vendors to exhibit their products which are relevant to park systems (that’s where we came in!). Since Chem-Pruf works with a lot of park and recreation facilities, we were excited to attend the event.
Everything from Fiberglass Doors to Playground Equipment!
The exhibit was very beneficial, as we were able to connect with a lot of great people in a relaxed, informal setting. This helped us learn more about the challenges these folks face when it comes to the equipment used in their park systems.
Challenges such as graffiti and physical damage are high on the list of problems which we can happily solve: the glass-like finish of our molded-in gelcoat allows spray paint and marker to be wiped off, and our doors withstand a huge amount of abuse without damage (they pass the “large missle impact” test).
One of the best things about this conference (from an exhibitor’s perspective), was that the exhibit hours were condensed and we weren’t competing with concurrent conference activities. This made for a more relaxed atmosphere where you felt like there was time to truly connect with people.
We met some new companies that were interested in our product, especially after having some bad experiences with metal doors that began rusting after just 8 months in service! We were able to share how our fiberglass doors are guaranteed for life against rust and corrosion. We also caught up with some of the design firms we’ve partnered with over the years, and met some representatives from a city pool rennovation project that our doors were spec’d in. It’s always nice to reconnect with customers and hear postiive feedback on the quality of our doors.
One of the most exciting aspects of the exhibit was when the silent auction was wrapping up. We auctioned off a Bose Soundlink bluetooth speaker, and it got a little tense right at the end! In all seriousness, the auction was a fun aspect of the conference and is a big fundraiser for the FRPA foundation. We were glad to participate!
Who’s gonna win the auction?
All in all, we’re glad we attended. The food was great, and it went beyond just networking: it was great to connect with some fun-loving people who are dedicated to providing great park facilities to the public.
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