Feb 17, 18, 19 - WV Outdoor Economy Summit Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center

Effective wayfinding helps visitors move confidently across destinations while reinforcing a shared regional identity. This session explores how coordinated signage, maps, and navigation tools can work across jurisdictions to create a more seamless visitor experience.

Speakers will highlight best practices for developing regional wayfinding systems that improve navigation, enhance safety, and strengthen destination cohesion. The discussion will focus on how thoughtful design and consistent messaging can help communities collaborate across boundaries and present a unified sense of place.

Well designed outdoor infrastructure is critical to managing use, protecting resources, and controlling long term costs. This session focuses on trail design and maintenance strategies that prioritize durability, functionality, and longevity.

Speakers will share practical approaches to building and maintaining trails that withstand heavy use, minimize erosion, and reduce ongoing maintenance needs. The discussion will highlight lessons learned from established trail systems and offer insights communities can apply to extend the lifespan of their outdoor assets.

This session explores how outdoor businesses move from concept to operation in West Virginia. Drawing on statewide resources, regional support systems, and real-world business experience, speakers will discuss what it takes to launch, adapt, and grow a successful outdoor enterprise.

The conversation will highlight strategies for navigating early challenges, building four season operations, and sustaining businesses in rural communities. Attendees will gain insight into the tools, partnerships, and lessons that can help turn ideas into lasting impact.

Recurring programs and events play an important role in turning occasional participation into lasting outdoor habits. This session explores how communities design inclusive, purpose driven programming that encourages repeat engagement and builds stronger connections between people and place.

Speakers will share examples of programs that activate local spaces, strengthen community identity, and create welcoming pathways for people to get involved outdoors. The discussion will focus on how thoughtful program design can help communities foster participation, belonging, and long term engagement.

As outdoor visitation grows, destination organizations have an opportunity to shape not only visitor behavior but also the next generation of outdoor stewards and workforce participants. This session highlights how Visit Mountaineer Country uses Leave No Trace principles to engage youth through education and community based programming.

The discussion will explore how messaging, signage, and hands-on learning can build stewardship, foster place Speaker:
Stella Hehnly, Brand Experience Manager
Visit Mountaineer Countrybased pride, and increase awareness of career pathways connected to the outdoor economy. Attendees will gain insight into how visitor education can support long term destination health while helping communities invest in future leaders.

This session explores how the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA) formed and evolved into a successful model for collaboration across public and private sectors in outdoor recreation and rural place based development.

The discussion will examine key lessons in cross jurisdictional coordination, community driven planning, and strategic stakeholder alignment. Attendees will learn how durable partnerships can be built over time to strengthen rural destinations, support shared goals, and turn collaboration into lasting impact.

Access to capital is one of the most common challenges facing outdoor businesses and community based projects. This guided discussion focuses on how capital actually moves in the outdoor economy, including loans, grants, technical assistance, and blended financing approaches.

Rather than highlighting individual programs, the conversation will explore how lenders think, what it means to be capital ready, and how public, private, and philanthropic resources work together to support growth. Grounded in real world experience and West Virginia examples, this session is designed to help attendees better understand financing pathways and how to navigate them with greater confidence.

How do communities move beyond one off youth programming to build experiences that meaningfully shape future leaders, workers, and stewards of place? This session explores scalable, place based approaches to engaging young people in the outdoor economy.

Using Nature’s Mountain Classroom as a case study, the discussion will highlight how Pocahontas County has developed a countywide outdoor education model that serves every public school student. Attendees will gain insight into how long term youth programming can strengthen connections to place, build skills, and create pathways into future participation and careers connected to the outdoor economy.

This interactive roundtable brings participants together to identify shared priorities, strengthen connections, and surface opportunities for collaboration across West Virginia’s outdoor economy.

Through facilitated prompts and live polling, attendees will engage in small group discussions designed to highlight common themes, reveal alignment across sectors, and identify practical next steps. This session is focused on listening, learning from one another, and laying the groundwork for continued collaboration beyond the Summit.