Agenda

Schedule

*All conference events will take place at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside unless otherwise noted

Wednesday, July 15

8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Registration
8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Membership Desk and Dining Awards Display
8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Edutours
11 a.m. - 4 p.m. NACUFS Café
4:30 - 5:30 p.m. First-Time Attendee Reception
5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Culinary Challenge and Welcome Reception
7:30 p.m. Open Evening

Thursday, July 16

7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Registration
7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Membership Desk and Dining Awards Display
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Region and Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast
8:45 - 9 a.m. Conference Welcome
9 - 10:10 a.m. Unlocking the Potential of Generations - Alicia Rainwater
10:10 - 10:40 a.m. Refreshment break
10:40 - 11:40 a.m. Roundtable Discussions
11:50 a.m. - 12:35 p.m. Blueprints to Breakthroughs: How LSU Transformed Dining Through Master Planning and Student-Centered Innovation
  Feeding Every Red Raider: How We Expanded the Table
  From Hire to Higher: Elevating Student Employees into Student Leaders
  Harvard Menu R&D - Partnering with Commodity Boards and Corporate Chefs to Supercharge New Recipe Development
  Nourishing Minds, Supporting Lives: A Multi-Disciplinary Model for Student Success
  SOP's - The Time Proven System in an AI World
  The Secret Ingredient: Special Events in Collegiate Dining
  The Meal Plan Multiverse: Cause & Effect
12:35 - 12:50 p.m. Walk/Shuttle to Showcase
12:50 -12:55 p.m. Ribbon cutting at Showcase - Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Convention Center
12:55 - 4:55 p.m. Showcase - Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Convention Center
5 - 6 p.m. Industry Appreciation Reception - Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Convention Center
6:45 - 8 p.m. Theodore W. Minah Award Presentation & Dinner
8 - 9 p.m. Theodore W. Minah Dessert Reception

Friday, July 17

8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Registration
8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Membership Desk and Dining Awards Display
8 - 9:20 a.m. Awards Breakfast 
9:20 - 9:55 a.m. General Membership Assembly
9:55 - 10:15 a.m. Walk/Shuttle to Showcase
10:15 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. Showcase - Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Convention Center
1:15 - 1:45 p.m. Break 
1:45 - 2:55 p.m. Super Session - Gain a Competitive Edge in Campus Dining Recruitment
1:45 - 2:55 p.m. Super Session - Industry Panel 
2:55 - 3:25 p.m. Refreshment break
3:25 - 4:25 p.m. Super Session - From Dining Hall to Smart Kitchen: A practical AI playbook for campus dining
3:25 - 4:25 p.m. Super Session - Student Panel
4:25 - 4:55 p.m. Refreshment break
4:55 - 5:40 p.m. Dining that Builds Belonging
  From Detractors to Promoters: What High-Performing Dining Programs Do Differently
  Invisible Impact: Using Nudges to Drive Silent Success
  Paid to Learn: How Paid Language Learning Transformed Our Workforce
  Raccoon Eyes- What's Left Behind
  Shifting Gen Alpha and Gen Z Food Norms: Student Voices
  Turning Noise Into Knowledge: How Schools Use AI to Transform Comments and Data Into Action

Saturday, July 18