Schedule

Make sure to browse the many sports-officiating related companies and organizations, featuring the latest in technology, gear, uniforms, assigning & administrative services, recruiting and more.

Kick things off with some rousing observations to bring us all back together! Expect discussions focused on celebrating and advocating on behalf of sports. Special emphasis will be on the demands being made of officials, their ability to fulfill those demands, the requirements of accountability and the need for more open communication about officiating. Thought-provoking and welcoming at the same time. A great start to this year’s Summit!

Officiating has gotten so much harder, set within the broader society which seeks to right every wrong, to have any perceived injustice addressed or, in the case of sports, each “thought-to-be-wrong call” righted. Officials are now being asked to do what most others in positions of authority are loathed to do: know what the rules actually require and then to enforce them impartially. That takes Character, Commitment, Courage. This will be an expert-based panel discussion laying bare these critical “three-Cs” that define effective officiating within the current climate.

These workshops put you to “work.” Breakouts assigned beforehand. Each one with a special task. Each with a workshop leader. Each will provide a narrow focus on a topic that then, when taken together with the topics in the other breakouts, will paint a unique and dramatic picture of the business of officiating and the challenges faced by officials and leaders. This session will tap the expertise and experience in the building – many sports, many levels, many disciplines. The breakout summations will be made available by NASO to the entire officiating community in the Summit recap published after the Summit ends. A vital addition to the Industry’s body of knowledge.

We need to find effective ways to expand the recruiting-reach in officiating, to include a number of under-represented groups. To have success with these groups will take thoughtfulness, sensitivity and creativity. Often times it will take a changed mindset and this session will serve as your base camp for that journey. Practical, persuasive and prideful. Together we can include so many more than we currently do. Together we can build a belief in the power of belonging.

What’s new? What works? What will make your officiating program more effective? The largest gathering of products and services serving officiating. From leading-edge companies and organizations. This place and this time – set aside for you to immerse yourself, introduce yourself, inform yourself. In just a few steps, you experience the latest tools, techniques and tested programs to help you better manage, lead and administer sports officiating programs.

The Officiating Industry Luncheon (OIL) is the mega-attended event of every Summit. A superbly catered meal followed by remarks on the state of sports and officiating by Davis Whitfield, Chief Operating Officer of the NFHS and Barry Mano, president of NASO. The audience is composed of the best and brightest in the world of officiating – at all levels. The OIL provides the signature annual national overview of the main accomplishments and the primary challenges of officiating management: high school, youth, collegiate and professional. A must for any officiating leader.

The “pandemic years” have taught us deep lessons about ourselves. These years have also raised our awareness of matters vital to the officiating community: what is lost without face-to-face interactions; the convenience and impact of remote learning; a value-statement about what officiating actually brings to the table; technology’s good and bad impact on officiating; the challenge of assigning during this time of cancellations, postponements and abrupt schedule changes. There is more for us to learn.

What’s an officiating Summit without some serious attention being paid to hands-on officiating on a sport-by-sport basis? Video breakdown sessions that have record-breaking attendance every Summit. Immerse yourself. Led by some of the most respected and renowned officials. The plays, the mechanics, the rules, the enforcements, the philosophies: see the video, hear the breakdown, listen to the dialogue and then add your perspective. Together with the others, you help to build the body of officiating knowledge and practice. Hands on. Ears open.

Make sure to browse the many sports-officiating related companies and organizations, featuring the latest in technology, gear, uniforms, assigning & administrative services, recruiting and more.

Four words: Say Yes to Officiating – a powerful campaign to help you find, nurture, and retain sports officials. The extraordinary challenge of uncovering candidates and then improving the retention rate for them after their first three years. There are directionals from the data. There are now more resources available than ever before. And, there are unique efforts already underway – efforts making significant inroads. The shortage of officials has never been more pronounced. It takes all of us: local, state, regional and national to make a difference. This session will be a difference-maker.

Change happens. Welcome it in! Each session is a live demonstration. Fast-paced and focused on a topic of unique importance to officiating. New products, new ideas, newly minted ways of doing things. Each Game Changer has been carefully selected by NASO. You will be able to attend more than one of these sessions. Each speaker has a concept or a product that can be a Game Changer for you and your officiating program. Every year, this session gets rave reviews for its practical and timely presentations.

Presented under the auspices of NASO’s MICP program. The need for legal perspective in officiating has never been greater. This session is guaranteed to over-deliver on the promise of providing a legal perspective on the critical issues being faced today in officiating. First critical issues get defined, then they get expertly deconstructed and put back together for you – in language and concept you will easily understand. We officiate in challenging and often perilous times. The known–knowns. The known–unknowns. Insights and advice not readily available other than at the Summit.

(NASO has a unique benefit for its members: its Member Information and Consultation Program [MICP]. This program has built a base of business and legal solutions that bear directly on officiating practice and management.)

• A Leadership Institute
Creating leaders in officiating. How to create an environment that advocates effectiveness for those who lead groups of sports officials. Confidence, courage, commitment and selflessness. Helping officials fully carryout their responsibilities in an increasingly complex and demanding world. And, let’s not overlook the need that leaders themselves have – instinct, introspection, incisiveness. This is the session that will touch each attendee deeply, in a lasting way.

• State High School Association Executive Forum
Invitation-only – closed-door. Workshop for state high school association office executives, staff members and invited guests – a unique opportunity to share ideas and best practices. Topics included: registration and payment options, developing requirements for officials, the rules and regulations relating to discipline, public-statements about officiating, state-tournament officiating selections, turning video into a program that can teach, improved interpretation meetings, recruitment efforts, background checks, budgeting tied to registration fees and much more.

• Legal and Insurance Q & A
Itching to ask a legal or insurance question? Attendees want to ask questions – a hallmark of every Summit. They want hard information about the law and legal responsibilities that affect officials and organizations that use their services. They want definite, understandable answers to the questions they have about insurance coverages and legal risks. These areas are the bedrocks of smart, savvy and sensible officiating practice in today’s litigious world. This workshop is presented by renowned speakers, each of whom has years of experience servicing and supporting the sports officiating industry. Bring something to take good notes!

• National Governing Bodies Forum
Invitation-only – closed-door. Workshop for national governing bodies executives, leaders, staff members and invited guests – a unique opportunity to share ideas and best practices in an ever-changing sports landscape.

Call it “call forwarding!” A snappy set of plays, on huge screens – presented by the supervisors/coordinators who lived through and with them. And you get to call ‘em right from your seat in the ballroom (no whistle needed!). Yes, you get to vote…let your clicker be your guide. All votes are tallied and quickly the audience makes its voice heard – on full display in the front of the ballroom. Dynamic, enthusiastic, mix of education and entertainment…extra energizing to watch everybody on hand work through plays well worth remembering.

Wanted: More officials to be more successful, more respected. One of the foundational lures of officiating is the very challenge of it. It’s not for the fainthearted. What are the necessary ingredients for any program to put officials in their best place to succeed? Teaching them smarter using new curricula and methods of delivery. Training them quicker by focusing on survival fundamentals. Networking across demographic boundaries. Informing on the minefields of social-media interaction. Building community spirit within any group of officials. We have a lot to do. Let’s get started.

We have a voice…so many voices! This session will make you feel warm about how cool officiating can be! The concept is simple: speakers under the lights, each telling a story, giving an insight, sharing a moment – each that will help you reflect, think deeply and reconnect to what is important in officiating. Referee Voices will put words in your mouth. Not to be missed.

Get dressed up and mix and mingle with all the attendees, speakers and luminaries of the officiating world before the big gala.

Join us as we celebrate the best that officiating has to offer during an elegant evening banquet to close the 2022 Summit program. NASO is privileged to recognize the efforts of outstanding people and outstanding deeds by awarding the NASO Inspire Award, the Mel Narol Medallion Award and officiating’s highest honor, the Gold Whistle Award. You’ll feel an intimate connection with and tremendous pride in our shared officiating community – while at the same time helping to recognize those who have made an impact.