National WIC Association

2017 Annual Education and Training Conference & Exhibits

April 2-April 6, 2017



Registration Closed


About the Conference


NWA 2017 Annual Education and Training Conference & Exhibits will be held at the Marriott Philadelphia Downtown Hotel in Philadelphia, PA, April 2 - 5, 2017.

The theme of this year's conference is Greater with WIC: Empowering Families, Strengthening Communities!

This Conference will offer an excellent opportunity to acquire new skills and to network with an estimated 1,000 of your peers, and colleagues along with exhibitors who provide WIC related products and services for your participants. The conference will also offer an opportunity for attendees to hear from USDA officials and to dialogue on relevant updates and challenges that the program faces.

For the rest of the conference, you will have the opportunity to choose from 27 general and concurrent sessions that is sure to expand your professional skills and knowledgebase to equip you to face coming WIC challenges and to take advantage of current and future WIC opportunities.

Sarah Widor, the Director of Supplemental Food Programs Division, sent a letter to all state agency WIC directors supporting the NWA 2017 Annual Conference. This letter confirmed that WIC Program funds may be used to fund travel expenses and registration fees for this conference.

Registration

Sarah Widor, the Director of Supplemental Food Programs Division, sent a letter to all state agency WIC directors supporting the NWA 2017 Annual Conference. This letter confirmed that WIC Program funds may be used to fund travel expenses and registration fees for this conference.

Registration Fees

Please Note that On-line Registration will Close COB Wednesday, March 29, 2017.

REGULAR REGISTRATION FEES
Fees between now and March 8, 2017
Regular Member Rate: $385
Regular Non-member Rate: $485

LATE REGISTRATION FEES
Fees after March 8, 2017
Late Member Rate: $410
Late Non-member Rate: $535

All payments are due before or on the first day of the Conference. Payments must be received to gain access to and participate in Conference activities and sessions. No PO will be accepted on-site.


Cancellation & Refund Policy

It is the policy of NWA's to access a processing fee for all cancelled registrations. To cancel your registration, a written request MUST be received by NWA via e-mail to Registration@nwica.org or fax to 1-202-387-5281 no later than close of business on Tuesday, February 28, 2017.

Cancellations received before or on February 28, 2017 will be refunded, less a $75 processing fee. No refund will be granted for cancellations received after February 28, 2017. NWA regrets that refunds will not be granted for "No-shows."


Online Registration

Online registrations are processed via our web-based system. Each registrants must have or create a profile (account) in order to register online.

Registrants using a Purchase Order (PO) or check, must select the "Bill Me" option from the online registration system when registering. Credit card paments will be processed via our secured Stripe site. The system will automatically e-mail a registration confirmation to the e-mail provided. If you do not received a confirmation, please call our office.


Registration via Mail, Fax or Email

To register by mail, fax or e-mail, download the Conference Registration form, complete, and submit it via e-mail to Registration@nwica.org or fax it to 202-387-5281. Registration forms may also be mailed to:

National WIC Association
2001 S Street, NW Ste. 580
Washington, DC 20009

To obtain our Federal Identification Number, please call our office at 202-232-5492.


Hotel & Transportation

The Conference Host Hotel

Marriott Philadelphia Downtown Hotel
1201 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Main #: 215-625-2900
Res. #: 1-800-320-5744


Hotel Reservations

To make your hotel room reservations, please call 1-800-320-5744 and identify yourself as a NWA 2017 Annual Conference attendee to receive the negotiated conference rate. You may also make room reservations on-line via a special web-site created just for you. To do so, please click here.


Hotel Room Rate

NWA has negotiated a special room rate of $184 per night plus a nightly room tax currently set at 15.5%. Note that this tax rate is subject to change without notice. For each additional person sharing a room, there will be an additional charge of $20 per night.

The cut-off date for these rates is Monday, March 20, 2017. After this date, reservations will be subject to the hotel’s prevailing rates.

We encourage you to make your room reservations early to ensure that you will be in the host hotel at the guaranteed room rate. Upon checking in, each guest will be asked to provide a valid government issued ID along with proof to which the room reservation was made.


Method of Room Guarantee

The hotel requires a major credit card to guarantee your room reservation, and first night's deposit (including taxes) payable at the time the reservation is being made. Room cancellations must be received at leaset 24 hours prior to your arrival date to avoid being charged the first night's room rate and applicable taxes.


Hotel Check-In/Out Policy

Hotel check-in is 4:00pm and check-out is 11:00am. The hotel can arrange to have your bags stored depending on room availability. Late check-out may be requested upon arrival.


Guest Parking

The hotel offers on-site parking for all registered guests at a daily rate of $49. Note, rate may change without notice.


Airport/Hotel Transportation

The Marriott Philadelphia Downtown hotel is accessible via the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), a public international airport, and is about 10 miles from the airport. Click here Visit PHL Airport website to visit the Airports' web-site.

Shuttle and taxi cab services are available at the airport. The current estimated taxi/cab fare is $26 (one way). Please Note that the hotel does nor provide shuttle service.

Alternate transportation:

  • Subway service, fee: 8 USD (one way)

Accreditations

Conference Survey

Let us know what you thought of the conference! Take our conference evaluation survey.

The NWA Annual Education and Networking Conference & Exhibits was held at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, April 2 - 5, 2017. 

Conference Survey Link: https://app.surveygizmo.com/distribute/share/id/3442747

Speaker Presentations

SUNDAY, APRIL 2ND

Opening General Session
Keynote Address: The Double Edged Sword: Supporting Those in Need

Concurrent Sessions, 3:45 - 4:45 p.m.

MONDAY, APRIL 3RD

Concurrent Sessions, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

  • Improving the WIC Participant Experience
  • Addressing Breastfeeding Disparities through WIC
  • Assessing the Diet and Health Behaviors of Participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) with the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) 
  • Capturing “Golden” Opportunities in WIC Nutrition Counseling

General Session
Strong First Impressions Lead to Great Client Experiences

TUESDAY, APRIL 4TH 

General Session
The Power of Partnerships to Prevent Chronic Disease and Improve Community Health

Concurrent Sessions, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

General Session
Review of WIC Food Packages: Improving Balance and Choice

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5TH

Concurrent Sessions, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Closing General Session
Being Great … How Conscious Communications Lead to Remarkable Transformations

If you don't see a presentation, we are either awaiting permission or the presenter did not give permission.

Exhibitor Prospectus

We invite you to participate as an exhibitor and/or sponsor at our 2018 Annual Education and Networking Conference and Exhibits.

VIEW EXHIBITOR PROSPECTUS

VIEW INTERACTIVE FLOOR PLAN

Get a discount on your booth by becoming a Sustaining Member of the National WIC Association! Sustaining members receive deeply discounted exhibitor rates for all NWA conferences. There are six membership tiers to choose from, and all of your employees can take advantage of the benefits. Sustaining Membership benefits can be found in detail here. To receive the NWA Sustaining Member exhibit rate, you must be a sustaining member at the time of submitting the exhibit contract/application and at the time of the conference itself. To become a sustaining member or to renew, contact Emily Gilcher, egilcher@nwica.org, 202-232-5492, with questions. 


Why Exhibit?

If you are seeking to introduce your products and services or an alternative promotional strategy to a new or existing audience, this conference offers several affordable options to meet your marketing needs.

By exhibiting and/or sponsoring at this conference, you will:

  • Create new customer and client relationships with WIC decision makers from across the nation;
  • Strengthen and build upon existing customer and client relationships;
  • Increase visibility for your company/organization in a targeted market;
  • Promote and market your products and services;
  • Reach prime target market segments for your products and services; and
  • Demonstrate your commitment to promoting quality public health nutrition for women, infants and children.

Platinum, Gold, Silver & Bronze Sponsors have first choice to all available exhibitor spaces.


Exhibit Dates/Hours:

Sunday, April 22, 2017
8:00 am - 4:00 pm --- Exhibitor Move-in and Set-up
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm --- Exhibit Show Opens

Monday, April 23, 2017
7:30 am - 8:30 am --- Breakfast / Networking & Exhibits
10:30 am - 11:30 am --- AM Break / Networking & Exhibits
12:30 pm - 12:00 pm ----- Lunch on your own
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm --- PM Break / Networking & Exhibits

Tuesday, April 24, 2017
7:30 am - 9:00 am --- Breakfast / Networking & Exhibits
10:30 am - 11:30 am --- AM Break / Networking & Exhibits
11:30 pm - 5:00 pm --- Exhibitor Teardown & Move Out
 

For questions or to exhibit at this conference, please contact Dale Greenberg, the Association's Conference Manager, at 410-491-2654 or at dale.greenberg@conferencedirect.com


New This Year: NWA Talks

In this year’s exhibit hall, there will be an Education Lounge where exhibitors will have the opportunity to lead a 15-minute educational presentation (think TED Talk) for conference attendees. These talks will be held in conjunction with concurrent sessions and during breakfast & breaks. You will be allotted 15 minutes for your presentation and Q&A. The area will have a microphone and a TV monitor to provide the option for visual presentations. Please complete the below application for consideration and return to Shameka Jennings at sjennings@nwica.org. Applications due Friday, December 15, 2017. There are a limited number of spaces. Those selected will be notified in the early January 2018. This opportunity is complimentary for sustaining members and for purchase for non-members. If you sponsor breakfast or a break, you will be guaranteed this opportunity.

NWA Talk Application