The International Association of Culinary Professionals’ 37th Annual Conference is bound to cook up a lot of innovative and delicious ideas.

This weekend, culinary professionals—everyone from food writers, editors, and publishers to event coordinators to restaurateurs and chefs—will gather in the nation’s capital for IACP 2015 to share experience and expertise.

Association: International Association of Culinary Professionals

Conference: 37th Annual Conference

Venue: Marriott Renaissance Downtown

Location: Washington, DC

Big names in the culinary industry are on the speaker roster for this year’s meeting. Among them are internationally acclaimed chef José Andrés, James Beard Award-winning blogger Elissa Altman, and American Chef Corps member Victor Albisu. Here are three more of the meeting’s key ingredients:

Sunday’s Creative Showcase, which is open to attendees and the public, “celebrates creativity in culinary communications.” Authors, bloggers, website designers, and photographers exhibit, while attendees can collect autographs, make connections, and enjoy food and drink. In 10-Minute Mentor sessions, attendees can meet with senior editors, publishers, and agents, as well as experienced videographers, to get advice and feedback.

What’s next? As the world’s population grows, so will demand on food supply. That’s why National Geographic’s Future of Food initiative—which seeks to explore, expose, and explain the biggest issues around feeding 9 billion people by 2050—will take center stage during Sunday’s keynote presentation..

Wrap-up. The meeting will conclude on Monday with special intensive sessions focused on skills required to be a successful culinary professional today, including photography, writing, video, social media, and branding.

If you want to learn more about what goes into IACP’s 37th Annual Conference, you can read its blog. And check out the usual social media hotspots like Twitter (#IACP15), Facebook, and Instagram.

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