February 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 59

How Accessible Is It?
Accessible trails are featured in a City
of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks series starring and edited by
Topher Downham, an outreach coordinator for the agency who uses his
quadriplegia to highlight recreation opportunities for people with disabilities.
The videos are closed-captioned, and
some are in Spanish.
As Downham is seen powering his
wheelchair, his voiceover conveys the
percent of cross-slope and grade, the
amount of shade and terrain type, and
he anticipates such concerns as how big
the lip is to get up on a bridge.
Downham highlights such features as
the lake with wheelchair-accessible pier
at Teller Farm (http://bit.ly/1cCHnJf).
He simulates catching a " big one " on
the line before hauling out a lightweight
fish made of paper. " We tried to do it
in a lighthearted way, because no one
wants to watch a serious video for very
long, " he says.
The series is rooted in the healing
power of nature. " When I broke my
neck 18 years ago, I found one of the
best things for convalescence was getting out on the trail and realizing that I
wasn't stuck in my house, " he says. " I
could still be on the trail, camp, fish.
" A lot of times in the first couple of
years, I forced myself to go for a hike.
About halfway down the trail, I'd feel
better taking everything in - the birds
chirping, the water going by, little animals playing in the trees. That was one
of the catalysts for me wanting to do
this. "
Just as Downham motivates others
with disabilities to get out and explore,
he encourages other park and recreation
agencies to tap the power of video.
" Anybody can learn to do it, "
he says.
William Lebzelter is a Communications
Associate for Jeffco Open Space in Colorado
(wlebzelt@co.jefferson.co.us).

Marketing Speed Session Encourages
Video Creativity for Big Payoff

n her role as administrative manager for the Town of Breckenridge, Colorado's Recreation Department, Jenise Jensen wears many hats - " everything from personnel
support to systems and strategies to marketing, " she says. Three years ago, Jensen
was tasked with creating a highly effective marketing campaign to promote Black
Friday discounts at her facility. That effort was so successful, Jensen was encouraged
to share the idea with dozens of NRPA members during the 2013 Congress and Exposition held in Houston, Texas.
Last year, NRPA first introduced speed sessions: quick, lively and innovative 20-minute
classes designed to energize and inspire conference attendees. Jensen's speed session, " Want
to Make $100K Online on Black Friday? Here's
How, " encouraged park professionals to pull
out all the stops when it comes to creatively
marketing the opportunities offered in their respective locales. She outlined her organization's
campaign - featuring aliens who traverse the
universe just to take advantage of Breckenridge
Recreation's Black Friday discounts - which in
its first year netted almost $100,000. She used
costumed actors, developed a cartoon series and leveraged appearances on local television stations to reach as many Breckenridge residents as possible.
Jensen emphasized, " Be creative. There are a lot of things you can do that don't
cost a lot or any money to advertise your promotion: websites, government TV stations, appearances on local morning shows.... There are a lot of ways to advertise
without spending money. "
Michelle Nesrsta, recreation manager with the City of Alvin, Texas, took that message to heart in creating a Black Friday promotion for her department. Assisted by a
handful of coworkers, Nesrsta came up with a western bandit-style character named
Alvin P. Recreation, whose sneaky manipulation of class and sports team registration
fees meant big savings for the citizens of Alvin. The team created a YouTube video, printed flyers and promoted the campaign on Facebook. " People loved it, " says
Nesrsta. " We got a lot of positive feedback - I think Alvin P. Recreation was definitely
the right character for the job. "
Although Nesrsta's department didn't see the sort of revenue numbers Jensen
enjoyed, she believes simply getting on residents' radar will do much to boost citizen participation in 2014 classes and programs. " When [our Black Friday promotion]
comes out this year, people will know what it's about and can prepare for it, " she says.
Whether measured in actual dollars or registration numbers, both Jensen and Nesrsta say notable results can be achieved with a bit of creativity, and it doesn't have to cost
a fortune to make a big impact. " Word of mouth is so much stronger and better than
[any other promotion] I can do, " says Nesrsta. " If I get just a few people who really enjoy
what we're offering, our classes will double in size because people will talk about it. "
NRPA is happy to announce the return of our Speed Session class experiences at our
2014 Congress and Exposition, held October 14-16 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and
we want your input on which sessions to include! Go to www.nrpa.org/Congress2014
to view a list of submitted Speed Session proposals and vote on your favorite. The most
popular speed sessions will be included in the 2014 Congress agenda.
- Samantha Bartram, Associate Editor of Parks & Recreation Magazine

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