Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation Wins Five Industry Awards

Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation (VBPR) continues to be a leader in the parks and recreation field and was recognized with five prestigious awards from the Virginia Recreation and Park Society (VRPS) at the 2024 VRPS Annual Conference held Sept. 14-17 in Norfolk, Virginia.

VBPR was recognized in the following categories for cities with populations above 200,000.

Most Creative Marketing Strategy: Legendary Value Marketing Campaign

In 2023, VBPR launched the “Legendary Value” campaign to promote the value of our adult recreation center memberships. With inflation causing rising prices, VBPR chose to focus on the value of our membership. To showcase the value of an annual membership cost, VBPR created a series of illustrated legendary creatures in our signature parks for the campaign.

Best New Environmental Sustainability Award: VB Trees Digital Tree Inventory

In 2023, VBPR launched an interactive tree canopy map using GIS tools to provide a real-time overview of the city’s tree canopy to meet the City’s sustainability goals. The maps show over 22,000 trees in the city and will help track tree loss and tree plantings to help achieve the City’s goal of a 45% Urban Tree Canopy by 2045.

Best New Program: Parks After Dark

Parks After Dark launched in June 2023 as a key component of the Mayor’s Youth Violence Prevention Task Force strategy at Williams Farm Park. After a successful first year, more than 12,000 people attended 28 events. The goal was to provide safe, inclusive and family-friendly activities, to help improve public safety in the neighborhood with sports, free food and meeting other members of the community.

Best New Special Event: Autumn in the Air Festival

In November 2023, the new Autumn in the Air festival was held at Mount Trashmore Park with more than 5,000 visitors. The free ‘bluegrass, brews and bites’ festival included live music, food trucks, a beer garden that helped raise funds for the Parks & Recreation Foundation, and activities including a climbing wall, axe throwing, pumpkin tossing and a petting zoo.

Most Creative Marketing Piece: Virginia Beach Parks Pocket Map

A new printed, pocket-size park system map was produced in late 2023, to showcase the system’s most popular parks and their amenities. The map, designed in-house, includes a park directory with amenity icons to help promote hundreds of amenities, from canoe launches and dog parks, to pickleball courts and pump tracks.

Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation
Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation strives to promote healthy lifestyles and protect the City's coastal environment, as well as to ensure all residents – regardless of their physical, social and economic circumstances – can access Parks & Recreation programs. The department's vision is to be the national leader in providing enriching and memorable lifelong experiences. Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation is the 2023 National Gold Medal Award winner for excellence in Parks and Recreation Management in the Class I category by the American Academy for Parks and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association. Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation is accredited by CAPRA, the certifying agency of the National Recreation and Park Association.

About Virginia Recreation and Park Society
The mission of VRPS is to unite all professionals, students, and interested laypersons engaged in the field of recreation, parks, and other leisure services in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The members work together to promote and improve the profession in all its diversity.