If you’re a fan of lushly green, gently rolling farmlands dotted with bright red barns under big blue skies, you might have picked up that affinity while traveling to The VGM Group’s annual Heartland Conference.

The conference for providers of durable medical equipment, complex rehab technology and accessibility products draws more than 1,000 attendees every year to Waterloo, Iowa, hometown of VGM.

And now that fact has been officially rewarded, as the Heartland Conference has been given the 2014 Cedar Valley Tourism Award as Event of the Year.

In addition to offering educational sessions in a large range of business and clinical categories, the Heartland Conference is also known for its hospitality and networking events, which traditionally include a hog roast and fireworks.

“Our goal every year is to provide a superior educational conference for our membership, while showing off our Cedar Valley hospitality and charm,” VGM Events Manager Sarah Eisenman said in a news announcement of the award. “The conference brings crowds to downtown Waterloo, primarily to the Five Sullivan Brothers Center and downtown restaurants and bars. We will also provide transportation to Main Street Cedar Falls for shopping, and to the VGM campus and brand-new John Deere Museum for tours.”

The Event of the Year award is given to an event or festival “that created significant economic impact, attracted substantial out-of-town visitors, generated positive media attention and/or positively promoted the Cedar Valley as a destination,” VGM said in its announcement. Winners are chosen by a public vote.

This year’s Heartland Conference is June 15-18.