Tri-State Camp Conference

Camp has been a huge part of my life for the past 10+ years. It’s something that I have looked forward to every year, as most camp people do! Throughout my school years and to this day the big question has always been how do I fill my “camp fix”. Every the years my answer has always been reunions and keeping in touch with friends. This past March I was able to find a new way to experience camp during the off-season. The American Camping Association held the Tri-State Camp Conference in Atlantic City where several hundred camps and camping professionals came together to talk about camp.

As a first time attendee, I was a bit overwhelmed. There are so many different aspects of camp to consider. Yes, there were the basics and what comes to mind when you think of camp. I got to go to sessions on programing, new games, and plenty of sessions on why camp is so important to our youth. The range of camps almost seemed limitless; day camps, residential camps, sport camps, gender-specific camps, for profit, not for profit, and religious-specific camps. Each camp is unique in its own way and is run a specific way. Getting the opportunity to collaborate with other camp professionals that share my passion for camping was eye opening because camping is such a creative field. There is so much room for growth and innovation, the conference allowed everyone to come together and share.

What was really spectacular was the vendor hall. Imagine a massive room filled with everything needed to run a camp. That may be a bit overwhelming so let me break it down for you. For those of you that go second session, think about the exhibition hall at the Wisconsin State fair filled with basketball courts, gaga pits, buses, waterfront blowups and tons paddleboards. Aisles were filled with booths for a hundreds of different products. Companies were selling peanut butter alternatives, camp medication systems, photography systems, walkie talkies, beds and mattresses, games, games, and more games.

As we all grow up we move ourselves into niche’s and career paths that we hopefully love. Whatever field you choose to go into, conferences like Tri-States are what help the industry move forward. Not necessarily because of the things you can buy or the sessions available. What keeps the industry moving forward is the act of bringing professionals together to connect with one another. Whether you are still in school or in the workplace, communication and connectivity is so crucial to your own personal success. Conferences are just used as a platform to make it easier for everyone in a specific field to connect. So Tri-States Camp Conference was camp for the camping professional, but wouldn’t all conferences be “camp” for every professional? A conference consists of a group of people coming together for a shared cause and to better themselves and the field. Every summer staff and campers come together to connect with one another, better themselves, and build relationships that continue for a lifetime.

-Alex Pomerantz