The 13th Annual World Aquatic HealthTM Conference (WAHC) saw a surge of attendees throughout the two-and-a-half-day conference held in Nashville, Tennessee. The National Swimming Pool FoundationⓇ (NSPFⓇ) hosted the successful event at the Sheraton Music City Hotel from October 19-21, 2016.
This year’s WAHC had 412 attendees, including 158 first time attendees. “NSPF offered new incentives in order to reach more people to convey the value and benefits of aquatics. It concluded in more than 60 additional registrations,” stated NSPF Chief of Marketing and IT Officer, Alex Antoniou, PhD. “The feedback from both attendees and sponsors was resoundingly positive; WAHC 2016 was by far one of the best we’ve had.”
The 13th annual WAHC was the largest on record and the team intends to continue its momentum into the next year for the 14th Annual conference. “The science presented helps us draw conclusions and actions that shape the future,” reinforced Thomas Lachocki, PhD, CEO with NSPF. The WAHC is well-attended by representatives from aquatic facilities, service providers, consultant companies, parks & recreation, water parks, manufacturers, academia, associations, builders, community organizations, hotels, government, media, retail, distributors, and NSPF Instructors.
The next step is to reach more professionals from the medical/health fields. The last two WAHCs have included tracks and keynote speakers that focus heavily on the health benefits of water and aquatic life. Best-selling Author, Dr. Wallace J. Nichols gave a riveting opening keynote about his concept of “Blue Life” while providing references through his book Blue Mind. The idea of water improving the lives of others in numerous ways was continued with the second keynote, Professional Waterman, Bruckner Chase.
Conversationally, the Blue Mind lifestyle and how to not only live it, but also promote it, was continued by Nichols and Chase in the unique Health Benefits workshop. Collaborative minds came together to learn more about the health benefits of water. Inspiration gleamed through the eyes of the participants, resulting in the commitment of expanding water life to more people through clubs, facilities, and jobs. Every Blue Mind Workshop was packed with undivided participation, laughter, and joy, which is a perfect summarization of the lifestyle Nichols and Chase try to provide to the public.
Returning attendees, first time attendees, sponsors, and speakers all learned new information that will help benefit themselves, their careers, and the industry. “I came to the World Aquatic Health Conference when it was held in Atlanta about 10 years ago,” stated returning attendee Vonda Wooten, Rec Manager at Aquatics City of Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks. “With it in Nashville this year, I was approved to attend, which is great as I enjoyed it so much in Atlanta. I compiled so much information and I’ve used that information for the past ten years in my career; I wanted to get new information at this one located in my home state.”
“The WAHC is one of the most educational conferences we have, if not the most educational conference that the industry has,” expressed Troy McGinty, returning sponsor, Global Product Manager of Hayward Commercial Products. “The people that attend this conference have passion; they care tremendously about what they do. The attendees, speakers, and sponsors all participate so much in the WAHC because the type of people here have so many great topics that they’re speaking on, along with the research done behind their presentations. It is a wonderful atmosphere in general.”
The 14th Annual World Aquatic Health Conference will be held in NSPF’s home state next year, in Denver, Colorado at the Omni Interlocken on October 18-20. Early registration will take place in April 2017. Learn more about the leading educational aquatics conference at thewahc.org.
