Aquatic and Recreation Institute counts down to 56th annual conference

The Aquatic and Recreation Institute’s upcoming annual conference is to be held with the Leadership and Sustainability, exploring, after two years of unprecedented disruption to the aquatics and recreation industry, how professionals lead and create sustainable organisations now and into the future.

Being held at the Crowne Plaza in the NSW Hunter Valley, ARINSW’s 56th Annual Conference will be addressed by a range of industry speakers - including Chief Executives James Ellender of ActiveXchange, Nick Cox of Belgravia Leisure, Susannah Le Bron of Y NSW and Todd McHardy of Bluefit - while former multiple world surfing champion Layne Beachley will deliver the keynote presentation.

Regarded as the most successful female surfer in history, Beachley (pictured) claimed six consecutive world titles between 1998 and 2003 and went on to win a seventh world title in 2006 before retiring from the World Tour in 2008.

Introducing Beachley’s presentation, ARINSW advise “her genuine leadership style blazed a trail for equality at the beach, on the waves and in the boardroom. She shares her stories and powerful authentic voice in the recently released documentary Girls Can't Surf, highlighting the chauvinistic and sexist culture of the surfing world in the 80’s and 90’s and how she was able to overcome these challenges to influence and celebrate pay equity in 2018.

“Not only has she conquered the world of surfing, but also mentored the Australian Olympic team at the London Olympic Games, holds the Guinness Book of World Records, is Chair of Surfing Australia and holds an Officer of the Order of Australia.

“Her new venture Awake Academy, is a centre for self-empowerment, designed to help people detach from fear, take control and design a life they love. 40 years of life lessons from a World Champion, distilled into a self-paced seven round on-line course, empowering people to find their edge and fulfil their potential.

“She has overcome two bouts of chronic fatigue, depression, life threatening injuries, self-sabotage and self-doubt. No-one sees the struggle, they just see the outcome and think it was easy. Layne firmly believes our fears and limitations are a hot spot for growth and opportunity.

“A highly sought-after motivational keynote speaker, mental wellness champion, mentor and facilitator, Layne specialises in awakening and aligning people with their truth as a self-proclaimed ‘Honesty Barometer’. She has endured her fair share of challenges, failures and trauma, and attributes these to the character she is today; resilient, compassionate, honest and fun.”

Click here for more information on the 2022 ARINSW conference in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.