'This one is going to be a tough act to follow': revitalized NRPA puts on stellar 2003 National Congress & Expo.

For a few days in October, "the spirit of St. Louis" took on a new meaning--namely, the spirit of the public parks and recreation movement poised to fulfill its increasingly vital role in American society. Such sentiments were the overwhelming consensus of attendees at the 2003 NRPA National Congress & Expo, held Oct. 21-25 in St. Louis, Mo.

The event brought together a record of 605 exhibitors, and more than 300 educational sessions and 8,600 attendees, for the industry's premier education, training and expo opportunity of the year.

Delegates and exhibitors alike attended the general session keynote address by U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Richard Carmona, who spoke on the importance of parks and recreation in furthering America's health agenda. The Surgeon General declared obesity as one of the most significant issues in American public health, and supported his claim with costs associated with obesity-related diseases stating that 95 percent of U.S. health costs go to treatment and only 5 percent to prevention. Carmona ended his address by acknowledging the NRPA and the United States Department of Health and Human Services as partners in health promotion and disease prevention. For excerpts from his speech, see p. 40.

Bruce Hallett, president of Sports Illustrated, also spoke at the general session. He noted the magazine's partnership with NRPA and the "It Starts in Parks" advertising campaign aimed at increasing the public's awareness of the physical benefits of recreating in parks.

The National Sporting Goods Association and NRPA co-presented the prestigious National Gold Medal Awards to park and recreation agencies, while NRPA delivered its National and Kudos Awards to distinguished individuals and organizations that have performed exemplary work in advancing the park, recreation and conservation field. For more on the Gold Medal winners, see p. 15; for more on the other award winners, see p. 68.

Exhibit at the 2004 Congress & Expo

Nearly 300 companies are already committed to exhibit at the 2004 Congress & Expo in Reno-Tahoe, Nev. For more information about exhibiting, contact Cynthia Davis at 703-858-2184 or [e-mail].

Purchase Congress Photos

To purchase photos from NRPA's National Congress & Expo, go to www.conventionphotography.photo reflect.com. Photos are organized by day, and can be purchased through the site's shopping cart module.

Purchase Congress Papers

If you are interested in purchasing any of the handouts or speaker materials from the education sessions, visit Conference Papers Online at www.conferencepapersonline.com.