On Friday, the inaugural Upper Peninsula Outdoor Summit will be held at the Jacobetti Complex on the campus of Northern Michigan University. Hosted by the Outdoor Recreation Innovation Action Network, this one-day event seeks to bring together outdoor industry leaders, students, business professionals, and recreation enthusiasts for a day of insights, innovation and connection. (Photos courtesy of Aaron Peterson Studios)

MARQUETTE — On Friday, the inaugural Upper Peninsula Outdoor Summit will be held at the Jacobetti Complex on the campus of Northern Michigan University.

Hosted by the Outdoor Recreation Innovation Action Network, this one-day event seeks to bring together outdoor industry leaders, students, business professionals, and recreation enthusiasts for a day of insights, innovation and connection.

“This event is the culmination of a year of work by the ORIAN committee and the consultants we’ve been working with,” said Phil Britton, ORIAN Committee Facilitator. “The event is primarily to bring outdoor recreation stakeholders together and presenting the Outdoor Recreation Industry Growth Strategy and the Electrified Trails Feasibility Study. There will be other presentations from state-level outdoor recreation industry leaders, and ample time to network and browse vendor tables.”

Britton said that this event will help groups make connections, which may lead to future collaboration opportunities.

“Different outdoor activity groups may find that they can work together on a project they both have interest in, or there might be a resource provider or community of practice that they are unaware of,” he said. “It’s going to be a really fun and enjoyable day.”

Britton also said this is the first of what he hopes will become an annual event.

The schedule features a keynote presentation from Sarah Lucas focused on outdoor recreation’s ties to rural prosperity, and research-led sessions by TIP Strategies and UPland, offering insight into electrified trails and the growth of the outdoor recreation economy. The summit will also offer interactive panels and demos, giving attendees a chance to engage in hands-on experiences and topic-driven conversations.
Registration, programming, a full schedule of events and links to the studies can be found at upoutdoor.org, where tickets for the event are available for $10.

The event is hosted by ORIAN in collaboration with the MI Outdoor Summit, CUPPAD, Innovate Marquette, and more.