Partners Outdoors – a unique gathering of recreation community leaders from the private and public sectors – has been a mainstay of the outdoor recreation community for almost 30 years. This special meeting is designed to promote public-private brainstorming focused on identifying workable, innovative solutions to recreation management challenges. Partners Outdoors 2018 was one of the most successful gatherings in the event’s history, featuring diverse Great Ideas for the Great Outdoors as part of RECx, as well as the annual Outdoor Recreation Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. Videos of the RECx presentations, as well as the 2018 Beacon and Legends Awards presented during the meeting, can be found at www.funoutdoors.com/PO2018.
The next phase of Partners Outdoors is beginning to take shape. An expanded group of public and private recreation leaders met November 28 to chart the future of this important event. They agreed that Partners Outdoors will continue, and that 2019’s gathering will take place in Washington, D.C. in late May/early June. Members of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable – the chief organizer of Partners Outdoors in partnership with federal land and water management agencies – committed to expanding their involvement and encourage the active participation of corporate leaders from the $734 billion outdoor recreation industry.
Since 1992, Partners Outdoors has brought together leaders from the public and private sectors to focus unified recreation community action on core issues and showcase innovation in thinking and practice. Now more than ever, the creation of recreation-community partnerships to take on challenges and capitalize on opportunities is at the heart of Partners Outdoors. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months about how to attend Partners Outdoors 2019!