October Event Recap
2024 Day Camp Conference
A gorgeous fall day + 225 attendees + one incredible host camp = The 2024 Ben Appelbaum Day Camp Conference. The ACA, NY & NJ and the volunteer committee spent months planning a day-long event at Camp Riverbend in Warren, NJ. Rather than traveling a long distance to see a second camp, we decided to return to how the conference used to be – one camp, endless learning possibilities! We learned that while attendees enjoy seeing facilities, they also thrive while learning topics that effect their camps directly.
The Hot Topic Panel that kicked the day off had people taking notes, heaving collective sighs, and feeling less alone in the world of day camps. Lunch was a perfect time to network and enjoy the weather and then we sung and danced with the Riverbend team as we learned about the incredible history of the camp. After we took the tour of camp – how cool is it when a day camp has a river to boat on? - we met back up for two breakout sessions and ended the day with a happy hour and more networking time.
While we know some years we will want to tour two camps and may have less time for sessions in the afternoon, we know we will continue opening up with a “hot takes on summer” panel and ending with a snack and more networking time. Community is a building block of our industry and our association and events like this are integral in continuing to build our community!
EPIC Fall Retreat
On October 18th, 37 Emerging Professionals in Camping (EPIC) gathered together for a full day of fun, networking, and learning at their 1st annual EPIC Fall Retreat. Not only was it an absolutely gorgeous fall day, we were fortunate enough to spend it outdoors together at beautiful Jeff Lake Camp (such a great way to spend the day out of the office!). Our morning electives allowed these camp pros to participate in camp activities that they may have missed out on during the summer while allowing everyone to network and relax after a very busy camp season. After lunch, we worked through group problem-solving, allowing each EPIC to deep dive into one of their biggest challenges, coming out of it with new ideas and possible solutions to bring back to the office. To give our brains a break, we made some old-school tie-dye EPIC t-shirts (a great souvenir)! We wrapped up the day with team-building competitions in the guise of Color War! Many of us may have come into the day as strangers, but we left as friends, peers, and teammates in camping!
