Three days. Real conversations. Ideas you can use the moment you get home. Discover the value of the 2027 Community Rec Leadership Summit.
You show up every day committed to building something that matters: a place where your community gathers, grows and thrives. But leading a rec center isn’t simple. You face budget pressures, staffing challenges, programming decisions and the constant question of how to do more with less. You have goals and have obstacles standing between you and them.
What you need isn’t another webinar or a generic industry report. You need a room full of people who’ve stood exactly where you’re standing. You need the space to have honest conversations about what’s working, what isn’t and what comes next.
The challenges you face at your center are real, but they can also feel isolating. Who do you turn to when you’re wrestling with a big decision? Where do you find peers who understand your world at a deep enough level to give meaningful advice?
The top movers and shakers in the industry from across the U.S. will gather February 22–24, 2027, at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, California for the 2027 Community Rec Leadership Summit. The Summit was designed from the ground-up around intentional connection between real leaders about the real challenges of running a community rec center.
The schedule is structured to give you dedicated time with sponsors who offer solutions tailored to your needs, as well as unstructured time to connect with peers across the country. From early morning conversations to evening activities, the Summit creates an environment where meaningful relationships form naturally.
What Three Days at the Summit Looks Like
Continuous Engagement
The Summit is a fully immersive experience. Plan to be engaged with attendees, our education sessions and networking activities from morning to nighttime. Every hour is thoughtfully designed to maximize learning, connection and enjoyment.
Curated Networking
The Summit’s format allows for individualized conversations — not just a business-card swap, but real dialogue with sponsors and peers who understand your context. You’ll leave knowing people by name, not just by company.
Impactful Learning
Every session, conversation and shared experience is grounded in the real world of community rec leadership. Attendees consistently report walking away with ideas they could implement at their centers the very next week.
Lasting Friendships
Many attendees return year after year not just for the programming, but for the people. The Summit has become a place where lasting professional friendships are made and maintained.
Attendee Testimonials
Heather Foster, the CEO of the Missoula Family YMCA
“I usually attend YMCA conferences, so it was refreshing to learn alongside leaders from Kroc Centers, community recreation centers and JCCs. Hearing how others approach similar challenges from different organizational models was incredibly insightful and gave me some new ways of thinking. Those conversations felt useful, not transactional. Overall, it felt thoughtful, well balanced and genuinely valuable. I’d absolutely participate again.”
Jude Dooley, the COO at the YMCA of Greater Birmingham
“This Summit doesn’t just inspire ideas — it drives action. I left with immediate, executable plans and the clarity to innovate and solve challenges with confidence.”
Kelly Coffey, the COO of the B.R. Ryall of Northwestern DuPage County
“The Community Rec Leadership Summit was a conference unlike any other that I have attended. The small size allowed for connecting with both attendees and vendors/sponsors in intimate settings throughout the workshops and events, which was extremely beneficial.”
Crystal Montana, regional account manager at Daxko
“As a sponsor, the opportunity to join roundtable discussions with nonprofit leaders was extremely valuable. Listening to what matters most to them and how they’re tackling those challenges gave us real insight we can act on. The event staff were exceptionally helpful and intentional about making sure we gained strong value from our time and investment. It’s clear this team truly knows how to run a great event.”
This Is Your Invitation
The 2027 Community Rec Leadership Summit is accepting registrations now. This is your chance to step out of the daily grind, invest in your own growth, and join a community of leaders who are as committed to their work as you are. Come prepared for conversations, ready to share, to listen and to be challenged.
Attendees of the Community Rec Leadership Summit leave with more than a tote bag and a stack of business cards. They leave with:
- Fresh ideas they can act on immediately.
- Peer relationships built on shared experience and mutual respect.
- Access to sponsors and solutions tailored to community rec centers.
- Renewed energy and clarity for the challenges ahead.
- A professional community you can lean on long after the event ends.
Every year that passes without attending the Summit is another year navigating your challenges without the network, ideas and momentum that come from being in this room. You don’t have to figure this out alone. The 2027 Community Rec Leadership Summit is waiting for you.
Spots are now filling up! Email john@peakemedia.com to learn more about attending. Interested in sponsoring? Email rico@peakemedia.com. For the full Community Rec Leadership Summit itinerary and details, visit peakemediaevents.com/cosummit.
Thank you to our current 2027 sponsors for making next year’s event possible, including Premier sponsor Arly; Diamond sponsors ACTIVE Network, Daxko, InBody, Keiser, NinjaZone, seca and Traction Rec; Platinum Plus sponsors Amilia, CourtReserve, Matrix Fitness, NuStep TMI Sustainable Aquatics and SportsArt; Platinum sponsors Brown & Brown, DynaDome and Power Plate.
