2024 Pre-Conference Events

The LGBTQ Outdoor Summit

Nov. 12th & 13th, 2024 in Estes Park, Colorado

Started in 2017 with the goal of gathering 40 Queer folks and allies, the inaugural LGBTQ Outdoor Summit in Seattle exceeded all expectations with over 140 attendees, 16 speakers and 18 sponsors. In the four Summits since, over 70 speakers, as many workshops and over 600 attendees have come together in celebration, joy and community centered on amplifying the experiences and stories of the Queer community OUTside. 

For the fifth Summit we are elated to be joining forces with AEE and its international conference, and also excited to be coming back to the site of our third Summit at the YMCA of the Rockies. We hope you will join us and our friends at AEE on the beautiful ancestral homelands of the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapahoe peoples next November! *exact dates TBA

TAPG Pre-Conference

Nov. 12th & 13th, 2024 in Estes Park, Colorado

The Therapeutic Adventure Professional Group Pre-Con will be held November 12th & 13th, 2023 at the beautiful YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. We are excited to announce that the 2024 theme is “Preparing the Guide to Elevate". This pre-conference aims to encapsulate an immersive journey of self-discovery and skill enhancement for therapeutic adventure professionals aimed at elevating their participants' experiences.  Through interactive workshops and experiential training, participants will delve into the intricacies of effective leadership development, risk management strategies, and therapeutic intervention integration.  This Pre-Conference aims at Preparing the Guide to Elevate their participants' journeys, fostering connections, facilitating transformative growth, and ensuring safe and enriching adventures in the nature that surrounds us.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS! Due May 3, 2024 Please feel free to reach out with any questions to the conference convener, Marlene 'Marl' Reinert, directly at TAPG@aee.org 

Outdoor Orientation Program Symposium

Date TBA, 2024 in Estes Park, Colorado

OOPS brings program directors, school administrators, student leaders, researchers, and land managers in one place to discuss strategies for supporting students in outdoor/wilderness pre-orientation programs. OOPS provides context for program development and growth, best practices, new program techniques, and nuts and bolts information that will help established and aspiring programs. 

NOLS Risk Management for Administrators

Nov. 12th & 13th, 2024 in Estes Park, Colorado | $950

The National Outdoor Leadership School Pre-Conference

Registration opening July

Questions? Email risk_services@nols.edu

In this training for outdoor professionals and program administrators, you will build an action plan to improve your organization's risk management practices. Instructors will help you identify your program's strengths and areas for growth. You will also learn a framework for designing risk management systems that meet the unique needs of your program.

If you oversee a program that takes people off the beaten path, you are a good candidate for this course.

Viristar Risk Management for Outdoor Programs training

November 6 - December 4, 2024 (online)

The Risk Management for Outdoor Programs training by Viristar is a comprehensive, 40-hour online course that provides a systems-based approach to understanding why incidents occur and how they may be prevented. The course takes place over four weeks.

Topics include human factors in incident causation, systems thinking, legal considerations, safety standards, emergency response, risk management planning, and more.

The course has weekly Zoom calls with independent work in between. Participants review outdoor risk management models, learn best safety practices, develop a Risk Management Plan outline, complete a mock Risk Management Review, and develop a Strategic Improvement Plan for their organization.

Participants from over 60 countries on six continents have completed the training, which has been called "the most comprehensive and well-developed outdoor safety training available."

Details are at courses.viristar.com