The State of Parks and Recreation

For decades, Xplor parks and recreation solutions – Vermont Systems, RecDesk, nextRec, and ePACT – have helped smart leaders connect with patrons, streamline operations, and drive their agencies forward. That's because our technology springs from firsthand experience and insights into what it takes to manage participant needs, staffing, community expectations, and dynamic budgets.

Today, all of those things and the industry as a whole are moving exponentially faster. We can't be everywhere and know anything, but we do believe that you can't have too much knowledge or information.

If you're a recreation professional, you're living it. We want to hear what you're experiencing. That's why we created the Modern Recreation Agency 2026 Survey; to discover and share the challenges, trends, and opportunities affecting agencies and communities everywhere.

By taking the survey, your perspective will join recreation professionals across the industry to help create a clearer picture of where recreation stands today and where it's headed next. The survey explores hot topics in parks and recreation including:

• Staffing
• Budgets
• Operational challenges
• Technology
• Administrative workload
• Opportunities for automation
• AI adoption and impact
• Changing community expectations
• Revenue priorities and cost recovery
• Organizational priorities for the future

As a thank you for participating, you'll be among the first to receive a copy of the results, offering a great opportunity to benchmark your foundation and challenges with those of your peers industry-wide.