ARI 56th Annual Conference battles through power cut to deliver successful event

Organisers of the 56th Annual Aquatic and Recreation Institute Conference at the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley had the challenge of delivering the majority of the two- day event as a 24-hour power cut wiped out electricity throughout the region.

Accommodation and much of the hotel including the trade show floor were left without electricity from 4pm on the first day till the conclusion of the event resulting in delegates arriving on the morning of Day 2 in unironed shirts, unkempt hair and shivering following their cold early morning showers.

“ARI and the Crowne Plaza have to be applauded with the superb contingency organisation,” said one delegate. “A generator fortunately enabled the hotel to lay on a welcome hot breakfast in the morning, mobile charging stations, electricity to the main plenary room and a very welcome mobile barista. It was a magnificent effort.”

The second day saw the theme on leadership continue. This was complemented by fascinating talks on training and the development of lifeguards. Professor Mark Wiggins (pictured top left) delivered an enthralling talk on the psychology of lifeguarding which focussed on the challenge of sustaining attention and avoiding ‘attention shift’. The talk concluded with a demonstration of ground-breaking virtual reality training which provides real life scenarios for trainee lifeguards.

Another highlight was a talk by David Burns Chief Executive at Collective Leisure (pictured top right) which focussed on a number of moving case studies detailing the work Collective Leisure are doing in the social enterprise space. The case studies highlighted how the company’s programs provide access to training and employment for people from marginalised communities.

The conference concluded with a talk via Zoom by Nick Morris, Director at Morris Goding Access Consulting which focussed on the technical and fundamentals of accessibility and the subsequent changing nature of facility design.

Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley released the following statement on the power outage via Facebook:

“With the recent strong winds and rain yesterday, our resort and surrounding areas are currently without power, which has also affected our phone lines.

“We sincerely apologise to our guests for this disruption and thank them for their continued support while we work with emergency services.

“Additionally, our golf course is closed today, due to fallen trees and debris.

“Although we expect power to be restored by this afternoon, those arriving guests who wish to cancel their booking can do so without charge. Should you wish to do this, please contact 0434 319 809 or email reservations.hunter@ihg.com

“For those wishing to stay, food options at the resort are heavily impacted. We strongly recommend planning meals prior to arrival, or enjoying a great selection of local choices in Cessnock, where power has been restored.”

Image top: Professor Mark Wiggins (L) and David Burns