Direct Marketing Conference
January 9, 2010 | Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT
NOFA Vermont holds an annual Direct Marketing Conference to provide a networking and educational opportunity for farmers’ market managers and vendors and farmers marketing through Community Supported Agriculture and farm stands. This year Ken Meter is our Keynote Speaker and, in addition to excellent in-depth marketing workshops, we will host roundtable and networking sessions.
Schedule
8:30-9:15 Registration
9:15-10:00 VFMA Annual Meeting
10:15-11:20 Workshop Session I
11:30-12:30 Keynote Address
12:30-1:30 Lunch
1:30-2:35 Workshop Session II
2:45-3:50 Workshop Session III
4:00-4:45 CSA Networking Meeting
VFMA Annual Meeting
The Vermont Farmers' Market Association will report of progress to date, including new state legislation supporting farmers' market signage and development of the VFMA website. All Vermont farmers' markets are encouraged to send a member to the meeting to vote on the 2010 work plan and new board nominations. Consider nominating someone from your market to join the board. All are welcome to attend.
Workshop Session I
Make Time for Planning: Discover how to use strategic and market plans to take your sales to the top:
Taking time away from the daily tasks of managing your farm or farmers' market can seem impossible. However, setting aside time to craft short and long term plans can actually help your business operate more efficiently. This workshop will provide an overview of different planning techniques and strategies for how to put these plans into action. Farmers' markets who are applying for a 2010 Mini-Grant are highly encouraged to attend this workshop.
Bringing New Customers (and More $$) to Your Farmers' Market with Wireless Card Readers:
In 2009, 16 Vermont farmers' markets generated over $100,000 in sales using wireless card readers. Wireless card readers enable markets to accept Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) and debit cards, which provides cash-limited consumers with access to your market. Come to this workshop to learn about the benefits and logistics of accepting debit and EBT cards and about grant opportunities.
Developing Strong Relationships between Your Farmers' Market and Host Community:
Considering the evidence that farmers' markets provide a valuable resource to their community, it is a surprise that many markets do not feel valued and welcomed by the wider business and political communities of their towns. How can markets improve town-market relationships? This workshop will provide examples of initiatives designed to foster strong town-market collaborations and discuss the benefits of fostering these affirmative relationships.
Communicating Your Brand & Marketing Message through Print & the Web: Learn how to define and effectively communicate your unique brand through marketing tools that work for your farm and budget-from print materials to websites. Bring your business cards to enter into a drawing!
Marketing Raw Milk:
Many farmers are excited about the opportunities for marketing unpasteurized (raw) milk thanks to recently passed Vermont legislation. This workshop will explore the details of the legislation, including guidance on how to navigate the new 2-tiered regulation system. Presenters will also discuss marketing best practices.
Farmers' Market Roundtable I:
Challenges, Innovations, and Best Practices in Market Management: Is your market wondering if it is time to hire a manger? Do you share a manager with another market? Have you found a sustainable way to compensate your manager? This roundtable meeting invites farmers' market board members and coordinators to network around challenges and innovations in market management. Bring your questions and ideas.
Keynote
Finding Food in Farm Country: Building a community-based food economy is one of the best strategies available for building health, wealth, connection, and capacity in our communities, both rural and urban. Knowing the economic fundamentals is critical to making the case for community-based foods. Solid data can attract new partners, unify your effort, and deepen the impact of your work.
Ken Meter is one of the most experienced food system analysts in the U.S., integrating market analysis, business development, systems thinking, and social concerns. As president of Crossroads Resource Center in Minneapolis, Meter holds 38 years experience in inner-city and rural community capacity building. He heads the proposal review process for USDA Community Food Projects.
Workshop Session II
Making Community Foods Work with Local Officials:
County and state officials often do not understand the importance of local foods in promoting community economic development. Come to learn about successful efforts in around the U.S., and to strategize with others about how best to make the case for local foods as economic recovery.
Bringing the Benefits of CSA to the Workplace:
Employers are realizing that workplace CSA programs provide employees access to healthy, nutritious farm-fresh foods. This workshop will explore three Vermont based workplace CSA initiatives and discuss logistics, challenges, unexpected outcomes and next steps.
The Internet is Your Friend:
"Find us on Facebook! Follow our farm on Twitter!" The World Wide Web is a virtual potluck of marketing opportunities. This workshop will introduce you to a variety of web-based market tools including facebook, weblogs, twitter, and google.
Successful Markets, Happy Vendors:
This workshop will cover how to get a new market off the ground, and give fresh ideas for fledgling markets to be more successful this coming year. Topics such as what makes a good market location, recruiting vendors, signage that works, inviting vendor displays and more will be covered. A slide show of many farmers' markets and its vendors in Vermont will augment the discussion. Come and bring your questions!
Farmers' Market Roundtable II: Winter Farmers' Markets:
19 Vermont winter farmers' markets and counting! This roundtable will provide a networking opportunity for experienced winter farmers' marketers and folks who are interested in starting a winter market. Roundtable topics will include: 1) finding space for the market 2) balancing vendor diversity, 3) weekly vs. monthly, and your ideas.
Navigating Farmers' Market Regulations:
We all know that certain products at the farmers' markets must meet state regulations, but do we know which ones? This workshop will update value added product producers and farmers' market coordinators of the safe food handling and market regulations.
Workshop Session III
Inviting the Community into Your CSA:
How you can make farm-fresh food accessible to limited-income customers: Community Supported Agriculture has traditionally sought ways to make local food accessible to people at different income levels, while maintaining fair wages for farmers. This workshop will discuss different opportunities for reaching out to limited-income consumers.
Using Rapid Market Assessments to Guide Your Farmers' Market to Success:
Rapid Market Assessments (RMA) offer a simple and efficient way to get an in-depth evaluation of how many customers come to your market, where they are coming from, how much they spend, and more. This workshop will teach you how to conduct RMAs at your farmers' market.
Regional Marketing: Connecting rural and urban communities through direct farm to consumer sales: There is a growing movement to expand our local food values towards the development of a regional food system. This workshop will discuss direct marketing opportunities in regional urban centers like Boston and NYC. Presenters will discuss the cost-effectiveness and logistics of participating in these markets.
Farmers' Market Roundtable III: Vendor Issues: This roundtable meeting offers coordinators a chance to share ideas around a variety of vendor issues, including: 1) vendor mix, 2) vendor conflicts, 3) hosting successful vendor meetings/trainings, etc. Discussion topics are open to your most pressing concerns.
Getting a Grip on Farmers' Market Legal Issues:
501(c)3 or 501(c)? LLC or Sole Proprietorship? Employee or Consultant? Coordinating a farmers' markets brings up a lot of legal questions. This workshop will provide technical guidance to markets that are trying to get a grip on legal issues of incorporation and employment. Bring your questions!
Can Meat CSA Programs Improve Your Farm-Fresh Meat Sales? Updates on direct to consumer meat marketing innovations and regulations:
Are you interested in direct marketing farm fresh meat? Wondering what is happening with the Farm Fresh Meat bill? This workshop will explain updates in Vermont meat legislation/regulation and explore innovations and best practices in meat CSA programs.
CSA Networking Meeting
With so much innovation and growth occurring in Vermont CSA programs, it is time for CSA farmers and coordinators to network around new challenges, best practices, and statewide goals. This meeting will be an opportunity for CSA programs of any size and age to discuss key themes. Discussions will be hosted in facilitated roundtables on topics including: marketing materials, member retention, winter CSA challenges/opportunities, etc. Please bring examples of your marketing materials and other resources that you want to share with other CSA programs. Also bring suggestions for discussion topics that are important to your CSA.