NAFDMA’s Annual Workshops take Farm Direct Marketing and Agritourism to the Next Level

Twelve different workshops will be offered for farm direct marketing and agritourism operators on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland. The workshops will take place on Education Day, as part of the Annual Convention held by North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA). The entire convention runs February 4-10, 2011.

Attendees can choose from one of six full day workshops, or mix and match half day workshops. Workshops can be attended as part of an inclusive registration package, or a one day only attendance. Registration includes breakfast and lunch as well as materials specific to the chosen workshop. Morning and full day workshops begin at 9:00 a.m., and break for lunch at noon. Full-day workshops restart and afternoon workshops begin at 1:30 p.m., all workshops end at 4:30 p.m.

Customers are increasingly knowledgeable about what they want from farm visits. Learning what it takes to be competitive in today’s marketplace and understanding where trends will go in the future is essential for farm direct marketers. Whether the subject matter is new to the farm operation, or builds on what is already being done, the line-up of topics and speakers on NAFDMA’s 2011 Education Day will help take businesses to the next level.

Workshop presentations include food marketing expert, Dr. Richard George who will present a workshop on connecting with today’s customers. John Stanley of Australia, a NAFDMA Convention favorite and expert in retail design, will be returning this year to help farm market owners meet the challenges in the industry. Brad Montgomery’s workshop “Laugh-O-Nomics”, will focus on how levity in the workplace can make a business more effective and productive, thus increasing the bottom line.

Lovoni Walker, host of the popular national Canadian food show ‘Simple, Fresh, Delicious’ will present two half day workshops. In the morning, she will equip attendees with the necessary tools and resources to set up and run a cooking school on the farm. She will conduct a cooking class in the afternoon. See the practical tips and techniques for holding successful cooking classes as Lovoni puts it all into practice as she demonstrates with limited equipment just how easily it can be done.

For those agritourism operators who offer parties on the farm, Frank W. Price, founder of Birthday University will present information on today’s party consumer and what they really want. Those in this workshop will get specific tools to evolve their party concept, become unique and capable of mass customizing. Franks approach is to teach a simplified, low cost party marketing strategy, add simple yet great service and give a little extra at the party table.

The slate of workshops is rounded out by speakers from inside the industry to expose conference goers to new ideas while maintaining relevance to their operations. The additional workshops feature a workshop designed for folks who want to start up an agritourism destination, one to cover the most important topics when considering adding or expanding a bakery or food service and everything one needs to know about adding a small scale apple orchard to diversify an agritourism operation.

Full details on all the workshops and their featured speakers can be found on the NAFDMA convention website at www.nafdma.com/NAFDMA2011.

Annual NAFDMA “School on Wheels” Networking Bus Tour

North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association announces its annual Bus Tour. The Bus Tour is part of the 26th Annual NAFDMA Convention, and will be held on Feb. 5-7, 2011. Known as NAFDMA’s School on Wheels, the annual bus tour is a popular feature of the NAFDMA convention. The tour will begin on Saturday, Feb. 5 in Baltimore, Maryland. It will then spend the next three days traveling to farm direct marketing and agritourism locations in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Overnight accommodations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are included in the bus tour package.

Past attendees of the NAFDMA bus tours know that the networking, sharing of ideas and friendships made on the tour are invaluable to their business. “Often times, it is the conversations that go on between the stops where people get their ideas,” says Kerry Engel, NAFDMA Vice President of Convention Operations. “We learn more from things that are not perfect, we discuss things, and we all learn how we can improve things back home.”

There will be many stops packed into the three day tour. Many of the farms and markets that will be showcased are owned by longtime NAFDMA members. There are two different tour options, Farm Direct Marketing and Agritourism. While both tours will visit some of the same stops, the focus will be different when the bus arrives to visit.

Farm Direct Marketing Tour
The Farm Direct Marketing Tour will focus on the retail side of the businesses on tour. Highlights of this tour include the new retail store at Richardson Farms in Old Marsh, Maryland, the farm market and new build planned at Hollabaugh Brothers Fruit Farm in Biglerville, Pennsylvania and the farm market at Linvilla Orchards in Media, Pennsylvania. Tour goers will learn how the owners of these locations decided that it was time for expansion and how they met the challenges along the way. Additional stops on this tour focus on knowing your customers and how to structure a farm market to meet their needs.

Agritourism Tour
The Agritourism Tour will focus on activities and events on the farm. The stops on this tour know that customers are looking for family entertainment that offers a good value for their money. These farms are capitalizing on the up surge of this industry. There are innovative new ideas and agritourism standards to learn from on this tour. Three of the numerous stops on this tour are Crumland Farms in Frederick, Maryland, Weber's Cider Mill Farm in Parkville, Maryland and Shady Brook Farm in Yardley, Pennsylvania.

For both options, tour goers will have the chance to see historic sites in the region. The overnight hotel in Philadelphia is across the street from Reading Terminal Market and a short distance from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Time will be allowed to visit these well-known locations. The tours will also drive through the battlefields of Gettysburg on day one of the tours. A complete list of tour stops for each tour option will be available on the NAFDMA Convention website at www.nafdma.com/NAFDMA2011.