By Heidi Cleary
This year’s Recreational Sports Expo featured 156 outstanding vendors who shared their expertise and new products with attendees representing 624 institutions from all 50 states and several Canadian provinces!
The Expo Hall’s Grand Opening, Wednesday evening, April 23, saw a frenzy of energy, excitement, and engagement! Attendees streamed out of the Opening General Session and lined the hallway outside of Ryman Hall, counting the minutes until the doors opened. On the other side, vendors displayed their most-enticing swag and put the finishing touches and shines on their latest equipment and technology.
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At 5:30 the Expo fun struck its opening chord—a note that would sound strong right up until Thursday’s close! Attendees circled the booths, watching vendors demonstrate everything from stair climbers to basketballs to treadmill desks, and it didn’t take long for many to take a spin themselves! Music pumped from the first of 11 fitness forum sessions—all of which were so quick to fill that NIRSA is already planning more space for 2015 to allow for even more fitness excitement!
At the NIRSA booth, attendees claimed over 2000 NIRSA Conference messenger bags, which were immediately put to use gathering giveaways from generous vendors. From stress balls to t-shirts, there was something for everyone to collect!
And attendees certainly needed their hands free! In addition to trying out all the latest fitness tech at the booths, the Expo Hall’s snacks—the soft pretzels with their array of mustards was a favorite—made the Expo Hall the place to be!
This excitement didn’t stop with Wednesday’s last call; an early morning workout got Thursday off to a jumpstart! The Expo Hall again greeted a flood of attendees during its first ever unopposed hour, starting at 10:45 am; coffee and tea were provided thanks to Sasaki Associates and the caffeine buzz kept the Hall packed right up until it closed!
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In fact, there was only momentum to be gained. Heading into the afternoon, a second unopposed hour allowed attendees time to again enjoy the Expo without having to forego any ed sessions in the process! This hour also featured a much-enjoyed ice cream social—four different stations, each outfitted with three, one-gallon buckets of ice cream and a table full of toppings, served hundreds of happy NIRSA members!
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The NIRSA booth also remained busy, handing out bags and collecting raffle tickets for the Spinner® Blade manufactured by Star Trac. Entries were accepted right up until drawing time. The grand prize winner of the Spinner® Blade, including its free delivery and set up by Star Trac pros, went to Kelly Kessler of Eastern Illinois University.
Overall, the 2014 NIRSA Recreational Sports Expo was a huge success because of the support of attending vendors, and continued support of conference sponsors and NIRSA Partners. Their generous sponsorship dollars help offset the costs of a fantastic overall event. Many thanks to those who contributed and continue to contribute throughout the year!
T-shirt Exchange
The T-shirt Exchange took place on Thursday morning and drew a wonderful collection of campus recreation departments together to swap apparel and ideas.
Some walked around with multi-colored shirts draped over their arms and shoulders, calling out, “I’ve got two smalls left! Two smalls!” or “We’re looking for some larges! Who has larges left?” Others found a section along the wall and unloaded folded stacks of shirts from roller suitcases and gym bags, like vendors in a city square or local farmer’s market.
For some the experience—rapid-paced and jam-packed—was new and surprising in the best of ways. “We have to bring more shirts next year! We have to get a spot earlier!” they could be heard saying.
For others, this was a NIRSA Conference staple event. Professionals from one Alaska school mentioned this was a tradition for their department going on 15-20 years that all of their students, even and, perhaps, especially, those that couldn’t attend the event, looked forward to. The shirts they brought back to campus would be used in a seniority-based lottery.
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Representatives from the University of Cincinnati drove boxes full of t-shirts to Nashville, planning to take other schools’ shirts back and put them into a silent auction. Starting at one dollar each, students will be able to bid on the designs or school names they like the best and the money will then be put into their student development fund.
Professionals from Washburn University were also trading shirts with excited student staff in mind. “We give the shirts out to our staff to get them excited, keep them coming back, and to tell them about NIRSA,” they said. Before they give them away, though, they take pictures of the shirts to spark creative design ideas for the coming years. The t-shirts, they say, “are all about exchanging ideas and getting inspiration.”