PARK BRIEFS
NEWS FROM AROUND THE AERIAL ADVENTURE INDUSTRY
Webb Named ACCT Executive Director The Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) appointed longtime staff member Melissa Webb as its new executive director in August. Webb had been serving as temporary director of operations since May, while ACCT board chair Korey Hampton was the acting executive director following former executive director Bill Zimmermann’s departure in February. “Melissa has been a valued member of the ACCT staff for a decade now,” Hampton said in a statement. “She has done a remarkable job of assuming responsibility for the day-to-day operation and management of the business of ACCT, and she has very clearly demonstrated her ability to lead.” “Due to my 10-year involvement with this association, I feel I have a good under- standing of where the association is currently, and I am excited to continue serving ACCT in a new role as executive director,” Webb said. Webb served as a volunteer for the annual ACCT conference while working at Iredell County Parks & Recreation and the U.S. Whitewater Center in North Carolina in 2010, and became a member of the conference committee in 2011. She joined the ACCT staff in 2013, serving as special events and membership coordinator. She later be - came events manager and subsequently events director. In that last role, Webb was responsible for orchestrating the annual International ACCT Conference and Expo.
Webb noted that she and Hampton “had an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of running the association” as they worked together this year, and they “intend to continue to work together to help guide the association through the next chapter.” • ACCT Conference to Offer More Education, Efficiency, and Adventure The 34th Annual International ACCT Conference and Exposition, scheduled Feb. 22-25 at the Oklahoma City (Okla.) Convention Center, gives industry members the means to stay up to date on best practices and current research, as well as a chance to network and connect with suppliers and customers. This year’s event will look and feel different than recent iterations, though it also includes many familiar elements. ACCT has revamped the schedule and both the sponsorship and scholarship opportunities to encourage greater participation. Other changes aim to provide greater flexibility and expand the opportunities for exploring both within the convention itself and in the surrounding environment. The conference itself features an exhibit hall with leaner operating hours Feb. 22-24 and a wide range of seminars Feb. 23-24. The seminar schedule promises to be even more expansive than in past years, as session time slots range from 45 to 90 minutes in length. In past years, all seminars took place in 90-minute blocks. >> continued
SAM Summer Ops Camp
API ’s sister publication, Ski Area Managemen t ( SAM ) magazine, held its annual Summer Ops Camp at Steamboat, Colo., Sept. 10-12. The immersive three-day event aims to help ski area operators grow their non-winter business—and several leaders from the aerial adventure industry joined us. •
Clockwise from left: Jordyn Bremer of API and SAM with Dan Brennan of Holmes Solutions, Will Rockett of Wiegand Sports USA, Jack Fagone of API and SAM, Jesse McVey of CLIMB Works, and Chris Tamoney and Petar Margin of Walltopia at Steamboat’s Thunderhead Lodge; Robert Bentz from Anakeesta, LLC, on Arapahoe Basin’s via ferrata, engineered by Adventure Partners; Outdoor Ventures’ Candie Fisher with Sharon Walsh of API and SAM; Blue Mountain’s GM Graeme Dugale with Max Nichols of Singenuity, Jesse McVey of CLIMB Works, Jay Conroy of Ziptrek, and Nick Thompson of CLIMB Works; Sundance the dog supervises a mountain meadow yoga session.
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