The Association of Aquatic Professionals’ annual conference broke records for attendance and exhibitors.
Held February 11 to 16 in Colorado Springs, Colo., the event was co-located with the conference for the National Drowning Prevention Alliance.
AOAP had 778 attendees, and NDPA registered approximately 230, said AOAP Executive Director/CEO Juliene Hefter. The shared trade show floor included 204 exhibitor attendees. “By partnering with NDPA, it brought in 24 new booths into the exhibit hall that are run by foundations,” Hefter added. “That helped our attendees, and it helped those foundations get their message out to more people.”
This was the first year of the co-location between AOAP and NDPA. That partnership has been intensified and extended through 2025. Next year, those who sign up for either conference will automatically be able to attend the others and earn continuing education credits.
Also at next year’s conference, the Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code will hold meetings and vote on the code’s next edition.
The next AOAP Conference (including pre-conference workshops and schools) will take place Feb. 10-17, 2024 in Reno, Nev.