Conference Circuit: Reinventing Meals on Wheels

With changing demographics at play, expect attendees at the Meals on Wheels Annual Conference and Expo—August 26-28 in Scottsdale, Arizona—to place a high priority on innovation.

“The landscape for Meals on Wheels is evolving. The need to diversify revenue streams, accommodate shifting demographics, foster new partnerships, and leverage cutting-edge technologies will become increasingly critical to our success,” the event’s promotional materials declare  (opens in a new tab). “Collaboration, innovation, and adaptation will strengthen us for the path ahead.”

The Administration on Aging  (opens in a new tab) predicts that there will be 72.1 million Americans age 65 or older—19 percent of the total population—by 2030. That’s a sizable increase from 2000, when just 12.4 percent of Americans were seniors. Already, 9.3 million Americans older than 60 face the threat of hunger  (opens in a new tab), a situation made worse by the recent economic recession. With more seniors comes more strain on Meals on Wheels, which already serves 2.5 million seniors.

Alongside idea generation about how to meet increased demand for Meals on Wheels’ services is a schedule filled with celebrity speakers  (opens in a new tab), instructional courses  (opens in a new tab), and expositions  (opens in a new tab).

The Week Ahead

August 22-26: The Student & Youth Travel Association will hold its annual conference in Toronto  (opens in a new tab). Plenty of events will keep attendees busy  (opens in a new tab), and SYTA will take advantage of all that Toronto and the neighboring area have to offer  (opens in a new tab) attendees when they’re not in sessions or workshops—from tours of the city to explorations of nearby Niagara Falls.

August 22-25: The National Guard is back in the spotlight since its Missouri contingent was called up to help calm ongoing tensions in the Ferguson community  (opens in a new tab) in the wake of the police shooting of an unarmed African-American teen nearly two weeks ago. Those events are likely to be top of mind for many at the 136th General Conference & Exhibition  (opens in a new tab) of the National Guard Association of the United States. On the agenda for attendees in Chicago is a vote on the organization’s legislative priorities for the next year  (opens in a new tab).

August 21-24: Journalists and media pros are also heading to the Windy City for the Association of LGBT Journalists’ National Convention and LGBT Media Summit  (opens in a new tab). The event will help advance the group’s mission  (opens in a new tab) to “foster fair and accurate coverage of LGBT issues” and will provide a full slate of professional development opportunities for attendees.

Down the Line

October 14-16: Have you spent the summer enjoying your nearby parks? Say thanks to the National Recreation and Park Association, which will hold its annual congress  (opens in a new tab) in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tentative details on the event are available via NRPA’s initial program  (opens in a new tab).

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