Best Information and Experiences from the 2013 ACCT Conference

We had a great time at the recent ACCT Conference in Red Rocks, Nevada.  Brian, Kathy, Jodie, Shawn, Nick, and Adam joined over 1000 other attendees for the 23rd Annual ACCT International Challenge Course Conference and Expo.

The conference was a great success!  Below, find out about the best information we came across at the conference, Kathy and Brian's Pre-Conference workshop on rescues, Adam and Shawn's session about "using uncertainty as a facilitation tool", and Brian's election to the ACCT Board of Directors.

Adventureworks attends the ACCT Conference each year for a number of reasons:

• It's the largest gathering of challenge course professionals in the world

• The presenters are often world-class experts who have the best information available

• The exhibit hall provides an opportunity for face-to-face contact with our existing vendors, as well as a chance to see new products before they hit the market

• We serve on a number of committees, which meet during the conference

• We have a chance to see our clients (hello Beth & Jori)

• We are speakers at the conference most years (see below for the scoop on our presentations from 2013)

Feedback from our staff:

Nick:

Best learning I had - went to a session called "Understanding and Utilizing Wire Rope".  Lots of info. about the intricacies of wire rope, esp. technical information about 3/8' galvanized aircraft cable.

Brian:

"Building Successful Local Operating Procedures for your Facility" by Oliver McLeod and Jamie Barrow of Bonsai Design was a great workshop.  It focused on distinguishing between the operations manual provided by the vendor, administrative operating procedures, and local operating procedures.  The focus was on developing procedures to ensure consistency, quality, and cost reductions.

Kathy:

Best part was meeting with vendors in the exhibit hall to ensure that our supply chain is 2 levels deep for every item.  This should help us navigate back-orders or supply interruptions to get our clients what they need as quickly as possible.

Adam:

I had a number of great workshops: "It's all FUNN-damental" (a terrific games session with Karl Rohnke), "The Feasibility of Canopy Tours and Adventure Parks" (big-picture session with Paul Cummings about the steps involved in creating a large open-to-the-public adventure experience), & "Basic Math & Physics Behind Zip Line Layouts" (with Darryl Hore, an engineer from Ontario).  These sessions all forced me to think critically about the work I do on a daily basis.  Well worth it!

Jodie:

Best Learning: "When in Doubt, Give ‘em Your Heart" with Jim Grout. In the midst of all the excitement about adventure parks and adrenaline activities, as a facilitator who intends to see transformation in participants and their ability to process, just be you!  Following the ‘less is more’ principle, if we can do few but intentional activities, we can often get more mileage out of that one experience for our participants.

A Principle-based Approach to Rescue Systems

Kathy and Brian presented a day-long pre-conference workshop entitled, "A Principle-based Approach to Challenge Course, Aerial Park, and Canopy Tour Rescue Systems".  The workshop was very well attended (even though registrants were warned to bring calculators!).  You can explore the presentation here:

Using Uncertainty as a Facilitation Tool

Adam and Shawn presented a workshop in the main conference called "Using Uncertainty as a Facilitation Tool".  The workshop explored uncertainty as a major component of successful adventure programs, and used a series of activities to demonstrate the usefulness of uncertainty - both for facilitators and for participants.  The entire presentation is here:

If you would also like to see videos, photos, and other presentation documents, visit this folder.

Other News from the Conference

We are pleased that Brian has been elected to the ACCT Board of Directors.  This position will allow him to continue to serve the challenge course industry by advocating for best practices, ensuring Canadian representation in ACCT, and guiding the growth of the Association for Challenge Course Technology.


And, lest you think our trip to Vegas was COMPLETELY about work - check out the climbing we did on the day before we flew back to Ontario.  Red Rocks...it's like climbing on the moon!