NAMA’s board of directors and government affairs division are finalizing NAMA’s ‘Advocacy in Action,’ the association’s second public policy conference in Washington, D.C.
The conference, taking place October 7 to 9, is expanded to include representatives from both NAMA’s government affairs committee as well as the Emerging Leaders Network (ELN).
The overall goal of ‘Advocacy in Action’ is to deliver NAMA’s message on priority policy issues and to reinforce recognition of NAMA as the primary resource for federal policy makers on vending and refreshment services industry issues.
Designed around NAMA’s organizational objectives and the recent government affairs survey results, the conference will introduce NAMA board members, industry leaders and emerging leaders to members of Congress representing districts where they live and work. Discussions with members of congress will focus on: health, nutrition and wellness; electronic payment fees; coin and currency and the effects of federal regulatory expansion.
“This year’s conference will be another important step in reaching our goal to increase the industry’s presence in Washington, D.C. and position NAMA as a sought-after resource for objective and expert advice on issues important to the industry,” said Eric Dell, NAMA’s senior vice president of government affairs, in a prepared statement.
“On a personal level, I look forward to the event since it is my inaugural Public Policy Conference with NAMA. Through my contacts on Capitol Hill and within the agencies, I hope to build on the foundation of the successful efforts from last year and the significant work previously done, weighing in strongly on issues that have measurable impact on our members,” continued Dell.
“The bottom line is that we consider advocacy ‘job No.1’ and the discussions our conference attendees will conduct signal a significant move forward as we continue to work on these issues, day-in and day-out.”
Potential meetings include: discussions related to healthy choices in vending and micro markets with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); meetings connected to office coffee service (OCS) with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE); and meetings associated with Fit Pick and “Healthy Vending Choices” with Government Services Administration (GSA) and the Department of Defense (DOD).
“Our leadership and board of directors will meet with a powerful cross-section of government officials and staffers, and our focus for this effort – and all others – is positioning NAMA as the industry leader with federal officials,” Dell concluded.
