As part of the MealViewer team at Heartland, I have been to many school nutrition events in over 40 states and I always enjoy them. However, the impact of this year's School Nutrition Industry Conference (SNIC) was different - TOTALLY different! When I flew home from Austin, I left with a renewed sense of purpose and ambition for what we all do each day in the school nutrition industry.

It's almost here! This year the School Nutrition Association is taking their Annual National Conference to Vegas. From July 9-12, over 7,000 school nutrition professionals and vendors (including us!) will be gathering for the biggest conference in our industry. From sharing bright ideas in educational seminars to visiting over 800 vendors at exhibition, this year's event is sure to keep you busy!

Here's a few things you won't want to miss at this year's Annual National Conference:
 

Stop by and say hi at SNA's second annual Virtual Expo!  This is your chance to earn CEUs, connect with your peers, and visit 30+ industry representatives (including us) all from the comfort of your home or office!

Registration is open for next year's Heartland Training Conference in Nashville, TN! Join us on April 10-12 for extensive software training, guest speakers, open forum discussions, and amazing content.

Meeting and connecting with other nutrition professionals is a great way to help develop and grow your career in school nutrition. After all, your peers are your best resource to learn new tips and skills, understand best practices, and share success stories. Here are a number of ways you can connect with other school nutrition professionals in your area:

Five Heartlanders attended the 44th Annual Legislative Action Conference (LAC) held on February 28-March 1, 2016 in Washington, D.C.  Child Nutrition Reauthorization was the primary focus of this year’s conference.  As discussed in this blog, the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act authorizes all of the federal school meal and child nutrition programs, which provide funding to ensure that low-income children have access to healthy and nutritious foods.

Heartland’s own Pete Belknap, National Account Manager, shares his experience of the 2016 School Nutrition Industry Conference.