Every year, the most important gathering of Irish primary school leadership takes place under one roof, and Freshtoday is proud to be one of the key exhibitors that principals look forward to meeting. The IPPN Annual Principals’ Conference & Education Expo is Ireland’s largest trade event for schools, and for Freshtoday, it is one of the most important dates in our calendar.
This event is more than a trade show. It is where the people who run Ireland’s primary schools; the principals who make decisions every single day about the wellbeing of their students, come together to learn, connect, and look ahead. And healthy school meals are firmly part of that conversation.
What Is the IPPN Conference & Education Expo?
The Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) is the professional body for the leaders of Irish primary schools. Its annual Principals’ Conference is the flagship event of the Irish primary education calendar, bringing together over 1,000 school principals and more than 100 exhibiting companies across two packed days.
Running alongside the conference programme; which features keynote speakers, workshops, and seminars on the biggest issues in Irish education, is the Education Expo. This is the exhibition floor where companies supplying products and services to primary schools have the opportunity to connect directly with the principals who matter most. It is exclusively open to attending principals, making it one of the most targeted and high-value events in the Irish education sector.
The most recent conference took place in November 2025 at the INEC Arena & Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney, Co. Kerry, under the theme ‘Reflect, Reimagine, Renew’, a call for school leaders to assess where education stands today, and where it needs to go. It was also a landmark occasion, marking 25 years since IPPN was founded.
Why Freshtoday Is There Every Year
For Freshtoday, the IPPN Education Expo is not just an exhibition; it is an opportunity to sit at the same table as the people shaping the future of Irish primary education. School principals are at the heart of everything we do. They are the decision-makers who bring our meals into their schools, the advocates who understand the link between good nutrition and student performance, and the champions who ensure every child has access to a healthy, freshly prepared lunch.
Being present at the IPPN Expo allows our team to:
- Meet principals face-to-face from schools across Ireland, from the Midlands to the coast
- Share what makes Freshtoday different: our commitment to quality, safety, and freshness
- Introduce our menus, ordering system, and the Freshtoday app to schools who may not yet be with us
- Listen directly to what school leaders need and bring that feedback back to improve our service
- Showcase our ISO 22000:2018 certification and AIBF accreditation as proof of our standards
In a room full of Ireland’s school leaders, Freshtoday is there to make a simple case: that every child deserves a meal that fuels their day, and that we are the team that can deliver it safely, consistently, and with care.
The Connection Between School Leadership and School Meals
Principals carry enormous responsibility. They oversee the learning environment, the wellbeing of their students, and the day-to-day running of their schools. The Hot School Meals Programme, supported by the Department of Social Protection, has placed school meals higher on the agenda than ever before, and principals are central to how that programme is rolled out at school level.
At the IPPN Expo, conversations about school meals are not peripheral; they are central. More and more principals understand that a child who arrives at afternoon lessons hungry is a child whose learning suffers. That connection between nutrition and academic readiness is something Freshtoday has built its entire mission around, and the IPPN conference is where we can bring that message directly to the people who need to hear it most.
What You Can Expect from the Freshtoday Stand
If you are a school principal attending the IPPN conference, we would love to see you at the Freshtoday stand. Our team will be on hand to walk you through:
- Our full school meals menu; from hot dishes and wraps to snacks and daily specials
- How our ordering app makes meal management simple for schools and parents
- Our approach to allergen transparency, Halal-friendly options, and gluten-free meals
- The food safety standards that underpin every single meal we produce
- How to get started with Freshtoday quickly, simply, and without disruption to your school
Whether your school is already using Freshtoday or you are exploring your options for the first time, our stand is a place to ask questions, taste the difference, and see exactly what we are about.
A Partnership Built on Trust
The schools we work with are not just customers; they are partners. And the IPPN conference is a reflection of that philosophy. By showing up each year as one of the Expo’s prominent exhibitors, Freshtoday is making a statement: we are invested in Irish education, we understand the challenges school leaders face, and we are here for the long term.
We are proud to serve schools across the Midlands and Dublin, and we are proud to stand alongside Ireland’s school principals at events like the IPPN Expo, because the future of Irish education deserves the best. And at Freshtoday, keeping children healthy and nourished will always come first.
