Saturday March 6th, 2027
Event Overview
The Metcalf Summit brings recreation and tourism professionals together to address social isolation through collaboration. This advocacy-oriented event features discipline-specific and cross-sector discussions that help participants build partnerships, enhance their careers, and demonstrate why recreation services are vital to community health.
Thank you to all who attended our inaugural Summit in 2026. I am now working on compiling the post summit report and developing an advocacy plan for the next 12 months.
If you couldn't join us don't worry, you can still get involved, simply complete the contact form and let us know you'd like to get involved.
Contact Form
How The Metcalf Summit Differs from Traditional Conferences
Traditional conferences feature passive lecture-style presentations with limited networking. The Metcalf Summit engages participants in facilitated roundtable discussions that generate actionable outcomes and concrete 90-day pilot initiatives. Morning discipline-specific sessions transition to afternoon interdisciplinary collaboration, fostering cross-sector partnerships rarely achieved elsewhere.
Participants need not submit presentation proposals or prepare materials—they simply bring their professional expertise and lived experience to structured conversations. This removes the gatekeeping inherent in traditional conference models while ensuring every attendee actively contributes to solutions. Students and professionals work together throughout, creating authentic mentorship beyond typical conference interactions. Moderators compile findings into reports distributed within a month of the event, maintaining momentum and accountability after the event.
Our Keynote
Dr. Bryan McCormick
The Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies department at SUNY Cortland and The Metcalf Foundation would like to express our sincere thanks to Dr. Bryan McCormick for his introductory keynote address and his engagement with our students and guests during the summit.
Registration
Registration is Currently Closed
The Metcalf Summit registration is not yet available for the 2027 Summit.
Registration Fees
Students ... Free
Professionals ... TBD
2027 Summit Schedule
Saturday March 6th, 2027
Moffett Center, SUNY Cortland Campus
Schedule for 2027 TBD
2026 Summit Next Steps
Our one-day summit is just the start of the work here is a timeline of the next steps in the Summit process:
-
Summit Transcription: Notes from all summit sessions will be transcribed and analyzed to produce a draft report.
-
Draft Report: A draft report will be prepared outlining measurable activities and recommended next steps for the coming months.
-
Final Report: Following expert review, the final report will be published on this website and distributed to summit attendees. It will include a series of recommendations for advocacy activities that recreation professionals can pursue.
-
Ongoing Advocacy: We will maintain an active dialogue with stakeholders and continue to advance Recreation, Tourism, and Events as essential community assets in addressing social isolation and related public health challenges.
-
Advocacy Report: In early 2027, a report will document the concrete, measurable actions taken since the 2026 summit. It will be shared with attendees at the 2027 summit and published on this website in the days that follow.
2026 Summit Report
Coming Soon
The Metcalf Summit report will be posted here once complete
