The Outdoor Professional Conference (OPC) is the gathering for professionals from across the industry who facilitate participant-facing outdoor recreation. This event is designed for attendees to be empowered, get connected, and stay relevant.
Through workshops, education sessions, networking opportunities, and the exhibit hall, the OPC focuses on addressing the trends, issues and challenges within facilitated recreation and also allows for shared learning for those who lead others.
We are working to intentionally connect employers with potential employees, brands with decision makers, and attendees with fellow trailblazers. We invite seasoned professionals to share their insight and experience with emerging professionals as we all come together to advance the outdoor profession and professional.
The Outdoor Professional Conference strives to empower participant facing outdoor recreation and education providers and facilitators by:
expanding collaboration between the outdoor industry and outdoor recreation and education
offering high quality educational opportunities
building and strengthening professional skills and knowledge
broadening networking opportunities
educating on advocacy and public policy efforts within the industry
amplifying the value and impact of outdoor recreation
In this training, you’ll evaluate your organization’s risk management practices and build a comprehensive risk management action plan. NOLS doesn’t just teach operational risk management - we practice it every day. This means you learn a current and responsive risk management framework informed by our experience managing wilderness programs for 60 years. You will:
Learn a structured approach to designing or refining a risk management plan.
Analyze your approach to risk oversight, curriculum, staff hiring and training, field support services, and emergency planning.
Participate in exercises to help you evaluate your approach to staffing, contracting, and serious incident response.
The training culminates in an in-depth emergency scenario. You will leave the training having written a personalized action plan.
You'll also receive the following tools:
Risk Management Action Plan Workbook
NOLS Crisis Management Template and NOLS Wilderness Medicine Protocol Package
Resources examples include a risk release, health form, orientation checklist, transportation policy, and more.
The course is a combination of five real-time video-conference sessions, spaced one week apart, and independent work periods between live sessions.
Five live online sessions: (11:00 am New York time UTC-5. Times and dates based on New York time, UTC-5)
Wednesday, Nov 5, 11:00 am – 11:45 am UTC-5
Wednesday, Nov 12, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-5
Wednesday, Nov 19, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-5
Wednesday, Nov 26, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-5
Wednesday, Dec 3, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-5
Independent individual and group work occurs between live sessions.
Outcomes
Gain critical knowledge of best practices in outdoor program risk management
Learn procedures, systems, and plans essential to meeting key outdoor safety standards
Understand how to apply successful risk management strategies to adventure programs, experiential education, wilderness expeditions, and outdoor trips
Valuable for
Individuals overseeing outdoor programs, including program coordinators, risk management officers, safety committee members, lead training staff, Board members, and executive leadership.
In this training, you’ll evaluate your organization’s risk management practices and build a comprehensive risk management action plan. NOLS doesn’t just teach operational risk management - we practice it every day. This means you learn a current and responsive risk management framework informed by our experience managing wilderness programs for 60 years. You will:
Learn a structured approach to designing or refining a risk management plan.
Analyze your approach to risk oversight, curriculum, staff hiring and training, field support services, and emergency planning.
Participate in exercises to help you evaluate your approach to staffing, contracting, and serious incident response.
The training culminates in an in-depth emergency scenario. You will leave the training having written a personalized action plan.
You'll also receive the following tools:
Risk Management Action Plan Workbook
NOLS Crisis Management Template and NOLS Wilderness Medicine Protocol Package
Resources examples include a risk release, health form, orientation checklist, transportation policy, and more.
The course is a combination of five real-time video-conference sessions, spaced one week apart, and independent work periods between live sessions.
Five live online sessions: (11:00 am Singapore time UTC+8. Times and dates based on Singapore time, UTC+8)
Wednesday, December 3, 11:00 am – 11:45 am UTC+8
Wednesday, December 10, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Wednesday, December 17, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Wednesday, December 24, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Wednesday, December 31, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Independent individual and group work occurs between live sessions.
Outcomes
Gain critical knowledge of best practices in outdoor program risk management
Learn procedures, systems, and plans essential to meeting key outdoor safety standards
Understand how to apply successful risk management strategies to adventure programs, experiential education, wilderness expeditions, and outdoor trips
Valuable for
Individuals overseeing outdoor programs, including program coordinators, risk management officers, safety committee members, lead training staff, Board members, and executive leadership.
AORE is an association built to help you grow your career and connect with others in the outdoor industry. The community is the most beneficial part of an association, so we are excited to host networking opportunities for you to connect with others you may not otherwise. These are non-facilitated meet-ups that allow both members and non-members to share experiences, exchange tips, and forge new connections.
In this training, you’ll evaluate your organization’s risk management practices and build a comprehensive risk management action plan. NOLS doesn’t just teach operational risk management - we practice it every day. This means you learn a current and responsive risk management framework informed by our experience managing wilderness programs for 60 years. You will:
Learn a structured approach to designing or refining a risk management plan.
Analyze your approach to risk oversight, curriculum, staff hiring and training, field support services, and emergency planning.
Participate in exercises to help you evaluate your approach to staffing, contracting, and serious incident response.
The training culminates in an in-depth emergency scenario. You will leave the training having written a personalized action plan.
You'll also receive the following tools:
Risk Management Action Plan Workbook
NOLS Crisis Management Template and NOLS Wilderness Medicine Protocol Package
Resources examples include a risk release, health form, orientation checklist, transportation policy, and more.
The course is a combination of five real-time video-conference sessions, spaced one week apart, and independent work periods between live sessions.
Five live online sessions: (11:00 am Singapore time UTC+8. Times and dates based on Singapore time, UTC+8)
Wednesday, Jan 7, 11:00 am – 11:45 am UTC-5
Wednesday, Jan 14, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-5
Wednesday, Jan 21, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-5
Wednesday, Jan 28, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-5
Wednesday, Feb 4, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-5
Independent individual and group work occurs between live sessions.
Outcomes
Gain critical knowledge of best practices in outdoor program risk management
Learn procedures, systems, and plans essential to meeting key outdoor safety standards
Understand how to apply successful risk management strategies to adventure programs, experiential education, wilderness expeditions, and outdoor trips
Valuable for
Individuals overseeing outdoor programs, including program coordinators, risk management officers, safety committee members, lead training staff, Board members, and executive leadership.
The course is a combination of five real-time video-conference sessions, spaced one week apart, and independent work periods between live sessions.
Five live online sessions: (11:00 am Singapore time UTC+8. Times and dates based on Singapore time, UTC+8)
Wednesday, February 4, 11:00 am – 11:45 am UTC+8
Wednesday, February 11, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Wednesday, February 18, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Wednesday, February 25, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Wednesday, March 4, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Independent individual and group work occurs between live sessions.
Outcomes
Gain critical knowledge of best practices in outdoor program risk management
Learn procedures, systems, and plans essential to meeting key outdoor safety standards
Understand how to apply successful risk management strategies to adventure programs, experiential education, wilderness expeditions, and outdoor trips
Valuable for
Individuals overseeing outdoor programs, including program coordinators, risk management officers, safety committee members, lead training staff, Board members, and executive leadership.
The course is a combination of five real-time video-conference sessions, spaced one week apart, and independent work periods between live sessions.
Five live online sessions: (11:00 am New York time UTC-5/-4. Times and dates based on New York time, UTC-5/-4)
Wednesday, Mar 4, 11:00 am – 11:45 am UTC-5
Wednesday, Mar 11, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-4
Wednesday, Mar 18, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-4
Wednesday, Mar 25, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-4
Wednesday, Apr 1, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-4
Independent individual and group work occurs between live sessions.
Outcomes
Gain critical knowledge of best practices in outdoor program risk management
Learn procedures, systems, and plans essential to meeting key outdoor safety standards
Understand how to apply successful risk management strategies to adventure programs, experiential education, wilderness expeditions, and outdoor trips
Valuable for
Individuals overseeing outdoor programs, including program coordinators, risk management officers, safety committee members, lead training staff, Board members, and executive leadership.
The course is a combination of five real-time video-conference sessions, spaced one week apart, and independent work periods between live sessions.
Five live online sessions: (11:00 am Singapore time UTC+8. Times and dates based on Singapore time, UTC+8)
Wednesday, April 1, 11:00 am – 11:45 am UTC+8
Wednesday, April 8, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Wednesday, April 15, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Wednesday, April 22, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Wednesday, April 29, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Independent individual and group work occurs between live sessions.
Outcomes
Gain critical knowledge of best practices in outdoor program risk management
Learn procedures, systems, and plans essential to meeting key outdoor safety standards
Understand how to apply successful risk management strategies to adventure programs, experiential education, wilderness expeditions, and outdoor trips
Valuable for
Individuals overseeing outdoor programs, including program coordinators, risk management officers, safety committee members, lead training staff, Board members, and executive leadership.
The course is a combination of five real-time video-conference sessions, spaced one week apart, and independent work periods between live sessions.
Five live online sessions: (11:00 am New York time UTC-5/-4. Times and dates based on New York time, UTC-5/-4)
Wednesday, May 6, 11:00 am – 11:45 am UTC-4
Wednesday, May 13, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-4
Wednesday, May 20, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-4
Wednesday, May 27, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-4
Wednesday, Jun 3, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC-4
Independent individual and group work occurs between live sessions.
Outcomes
Gain critical knowledge of best practices in outdoor program risk management
Learn procedures, systems, and plans essential to meeting key outdoor safety standards
Understand how to apply successful risk management strategies to adventure programs, experiential education, wilderness expeditions, and outdoor trips
Valuable for
Individuals overseeing outdoor programs, including program coordinators, risk management officers, safety committee members, lead training staff, Board members, and executive leadership.
The course is a combination of five real-time video-conference sessions, spaced one week apart, and independent work periods between live sessions.
Five live online sessions: (11:00 am Singapore time UTC+8. Times and dates based on Singapore time, UTC+8)
Wednesday, June 3, 11:00 am – 11:45 am UTC+8
Wednesday, June 10, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Wednesday, June 17, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Wednesday, June 24, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Wednesday, July 1, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm UTC+8
Independent individual and group work occurs between live sessions.
Outcomes
Gain critical knowledge of best practices in outdoor program risk management
Learn procedures, systems, and plans essential to meeting key outdoor safety standards
Understand how to apply successful risk management strategies to adventure programs, experiential education, wilderness expeditions, and outdoor trips
Valuable for
Individuals overseeing outdoor programs, including program coordinators, risk management officers, safety committee members, lead training staff, Board members, and executive leadership.