Annual Conference & Expo
Arizona Parks and Recreation Association
76th Anniversary Conference & Expo
Phoenix Convention Center - South Building
August 31 - September 2, 2026
Presented by Dave Bang Associates
The APRA Annual Conference is the only annual meeting of the parks and recreation community in the state of Arizona. Held annually, the beloved APRA Conference and Expo hosts professionals, students and those with business interests in the areas of parks, recreation, conservation, and open spaces, for three days of discovery and industry innovation.
The Conference experience offers education sessions covering broad range of topics and presented by prominent speakers on local, state and national levels; a state-of-the-art Exhibit Hall.
The conference includes a wide variety of educational sessions covering a broad range of issues on a local, state and national level. We will host prominent speakers, state-of-the-art related exhibit hall, informative and interactive workshops, tours, socials, golf tournament and much more.
APRA has pricing for Early Bird, Member and Non-Member, and discounts available to volunteers and speakers.
76th Annual Conference Registration
Registration for APRA's 76th Annual Conference and Expo is open as of May 1, 2026. See the timelines and specific pricing below and click 'Register for Conference' to register.
Early Bird Rate
May 1, 2026 - May 31, 2026
Full Conference:
$475 member/$600 non-member
Single Day:
$300 member/$375 non-member
Standard Rate
June 1, 2026 - July 31, 2026
Full Conference:
$525 member/$650 non-member
Single Day:
$325 member/$400 non-member
Discounted Rate
May 1, 2026 - July 31, 2026
Full Conference:
$100 student/$350 volunteer
Single Day:
$50 student/$200 volunteer
Conference Links
Schedule of Events
Sunday
Evening:
Golf Tournament
Monday
Morning:
Maintenance Rodeo
Off-site Institutes
Afternoon:
TEAMS Roundtables
Open Space
Evening:
Best of the Best Awards Banquet
Pre-Conference Social
Tuesday
Morning:
General Session
Education Breakout Sessions
Exhibit Hall
Afternoon:
Education Breakout Sessions
Exhibit Hall
Evening:
Future Professionals Social
Directors Social
Conference Social
Wednesday
Morning:
Education Breakout Sessions
Exhibit Hall
Afternoon:
Education Breakout Sessions
Exhibit Hall
Meet our General Session Speaker
Anthony Robles
Anthony Robles
Anthony Robles, keynote speaker at the APRA 76th Annual Conference and Expo, is a 3-time All-American wrestler and the 2011 NCAA Division I National Champion whose story of resilience and determination has inspired millions. A two-time ESPY Award recipient, including the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, Anthony is an internationally renowned motivational speaker, sharing his message with Fortune 500 companies and organizations around the world.
A member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, Anthony also serves as an ESPN college wrestling analyst and is the author of Unstoppable. His powerful message of perseverance, mindset, and overcoming adversity embodies what it means to go “All-In”—for our parks and recreation profession, our communities, and a more inclusive future.
Meet Our Education Session Speakers
Meet some of our incredible Education Session speakers at our 76th Annual Conference.
Michael Elliot and Wayne Barnett
Parks and Recreation Directors Town of Gilbert, Town of Marana
Different Paths, Common Ground: Rookie Directors Leading Change
Janet Bartnik
Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation in Prince William County
Your Roadmap to CAPRA’s New Standards
Ryan Hegreness
Manager | Parks, Recreation, Libraries
Artificial Intelligence: Productivity, Pitfalls, and Organizational Readiness
Annual Awards
Our Annual Awards honor communities throughout the State of Arizona that demonstrate excellence in long-range planning, resource management and innovative approaches to delivering superb park and recreation services with fiscally sound business practices.
The APRA Award Program includes twenty-one categories. At the beginning of each October, agencies are invited to submit applications for consideration. Award winning recipients are announced at the ARPA Annual Conference.
A committee of park and recreation professionals reviews and scores all application materials. Committee members are chosen for their considerable experience and knowledge in the field parks and recreation on both local and national levels.
Looking for past winners? Browse through winners going back to 2006. Should you find an error or have documentation prior to 2006 please email jsullivan@apachejunctionaz.gov.
Speaker Information
Conference sessions are meant to provide information for industry professionals, not to make a sales pitch for services or products. Attendees will be dissatisfied if they sense a presenter is providing promotional material for his or her own benefit.
Once a proposal is accepted, APRA asks the speaker of the session for a copy of the session PowerPoint presentations and other handouts to be emailed to admin@azpra.org before July 1 to be included in the Conference App to be accessed by the delegates before and after the session.
Conference attendees are often seeking CEU’s for certification purposes. APRA encourages all sessions to qualify for CEU’s. Continuing Education Units qualified speakers will be asked to provide their credentials, experience speaking on the subject, an outline of the presentation and method of ascertaining that attendees met the session learning outcomes. To comply with CEU standards, all speakers are required to submit these details with their session proposal form.
Attendees consist of parks, recreation and open space professionals, volunteers, board and commission members, government officials, managers, administrators, trails and park users, company/industry representative, athletic directors, and anyone interested in our profession. Our conference draws 600+ attendees, 120+ booths in the exhibit hall, and nearly 100 volunteers. Know your audience!
76th Anniversary Conference Sponsors
Peak Partner
Platinum Partners
Platinum Connect Partner
Platinum Educate Partner
Platinum Inspire Partner
Conference Sponsors