Last month, the 2015 SHIFT Festival brought together outdoor recreationists, land managers, and conservationists to examine the challenges and opportunities in protecting North America’s public lands and waters—shining a spotlight on the $646 billion “economic juggernaut” that is outdoor recreation. There were tons of inspirational speakers (like Mark Bittman and Yvon Chouinard), a mini-film festival, and plenty of happy hours, but here are some  more important reasons why you should attend SHIFT next year:

1. It's in Jackson, WY.

When thinking about which conferences to attend in 2016, ask yourself: do I want a view of  Grand Teton National Park, or bumper-to-bumper traffic? Most of the SHIFT Festival sessions were in the beautiful Jackson Performing Arts Center, with the Tetons close enough to explore during free time.

2. It unites recreation with stewardship.

Outdoor enthusiasts and conservationists have, at times, been in warring camps. SHIFT has started large-scale peace talks between the two groups, following in the footsteps of institutions like Patagonia and Conservation Alliance (who are masters of blending stewardship with recreation).

3. It’s diversifying the outdoor world.

This year, SHIFT deliberately promoted new, younger, and racially diverse voices—voices that don’t represent traditional plaid-clad, white outdoor enthusiasts (full disclosure: I’m white and I wear a lot of plaid). We’ve still got a long way to go in this area, but SHIFT did a good job of showing attendees that we must invite new communities outside with us in an effort to teach as well as learn.

4. It gives you access to badass industry leaders.

What outdoors-lover hasn’t wanted to pick Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard’s brain? You can talk to the legendary Yosemite climber before chatting up Peter Metcalf of Black Diamond and Dan Nordstrom of Outdoor Research, who are more than happy to answer questions. Then head over to meet nationally-established grassroots organizers like Rue Mapp from Outdoor Afro or Jose Gonzalez from Latino Outdoors to hear how they’re changing the face of conservation.

5. It inspires you to take action.

Have you ever come back from a cool conference, excited and energized to put your ideas in motion but unsure of how? Attendees came away with a Pledge to the North American Principles of Recreation as well as a framework for developing future programs and policies. Has your organization signed up yet?