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Thinking of attending your first PLA national convention and tradeshow? You won’t be alone. Meredith McClatchy, director of human resources for Eastern National, will be at the convention in February for the first time.

“I look forward to attending to meet other professionals in similar organizations,” she said, “and learning all I can about conserving and preserving our public lands and parks.”

That’s the goal behind the PLA convention Feb. 12-16 in Washington, D.C. The convention and trade show will offer high level conversations and community discussions with peers and leaders from land management agencies and nonprofit partners. There are educational sessions to explore new ideas, develop skills and create valuable connections. There’s also a Capitol Hill day, and a chance for convention attendees to take their message right to their elected officials.

Megan Cartwright, the director of retail at Eastern National, attended her first PLA convention soon after starting work in public lands. It became clear that the convention was “one stop shopping” for networking with peers, meeting new agency partners and learning about the latest educational products available to park stores.

Hear more from Megan as she discusses the upcoming convention: