Regional Flavors Discovery Day
Due to the winter weather that is forecasted, we are postponing the event until further
notice. We will update this page once we have decided on a date to reschedule. Please
contact Alex at alexmerk@iastate.edu or 319-
Join us for a day of celebrating the agriculture, food, arts, and tourism of the Great River Region, and discover strategies for improving our economic vitality!
Thursday, February 21
9AM-
Pilot Grove Savings Bank Community Room
506 North Main Street
Donnellson, IA
COST: $20
Includes lunch and refreshments
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
9:00AM Registration, Refreshments, Meet and Greet
9:30AM Welcome and Introduction
9:45AM Regional Flavors Branding for Economic Vitality: ACEnet's Success Story
Leslie Schaller, Director of Programming, Appalachian Center for Economic Networks
Regional Flavor as an entrepreneurship strategy celebrates the food, agriculture, tourism, heritage, artisan and recreation opportunities, and assets of a geographical region and pulls together support from many community stakeholders to build a stronger economy.
10:45AM Break
11:00AM Panel Discussion: Regional Initiatives for Enhancing Tourism
Steven McMenamin, Department of Transportation, Iowa Rest Area Administrator
Dorthy
Gilbert, Villages of Van Buren, Organizing for an Iowa Great Places Grant
Katy Anderson,
Pathfinders RC&D, Historic Hills Scenic Byways Initiative
Hear from a panel of regional experts who will share their experiences in regional branding, obtaining funding, organizing stakeholders, and executing plans to enhance tourism.
12:00PM Lunch
1:00PM-
Farm Marketing Strategies for Attracting Farm Visitors
Marsha Laux, Value Added Agriculture Program, ISU Extension and Outreach
Harvest season and school tours can provide sporadic or seasonal customer flow, but
this session will examine various strategies to attract on-
Marketing and Merchandising for Farmers Market Vendors
Andy Larson, Small Farms Specialist, ISU Extension and Outreach
Learn strategies to optimize the appearance and layout of your farmers market booth to draw in customers, make the sale and bring customers back.
Regional Branding and Entrepreneurial Networks
Leslie Schaller, Director of Programming, Appalachian Center for Economic Networks
Learn how regional brands can showcase entrepreneurs in many business clusters. This session will provide examples of successful regional brand programs in rural communities across the U.S. and how these models can be adapted to your community.
2:15PM-
Choosing the Market that Fits My Farm
Marsha Laux, Value Added Agriculture Program, ISU Extension and Outreach
Jan Swinton, Food Systems Coordinator, Pathfinders RC&D
How do you decide between 1) selling direct to consumers through farmers market; 2) selling retail to chefs in restaurants or at grocery stores; 3) selling to institutions such as schools, nursing homes or hospitals; or 4) selling to wholesale distributors? This session will examine factors involved in various markets and the advantages and disadvantages in each.
Should I Scale Up my Lifestyle Farm to Turn it into a Business?
Andy Larson, Small Farms Specialist, ISU Extension and Outreach
Larger scale production and marketing begins with a conscious decision to do your research and take the appropriate steps to grow for your preferred market. Explore strategies for marketing research, cooperative production, cooperative marketing, and other opportunities that exist currently in local foods.
Designing Stakeholder Partnership Collaboration with Entrepreneurs, Community Leaders, and Elected Officials
Leslie Schaller, Director of Programming, Appalachian Center for Economic Networks
Learn how to engage a diverse network of stakeholders in developing regional brand and consumer education strategies in your rural communities.
3:30PM-
Lessons Learned and Take Home Ideas from a Participant Panel
Door Prizes, Refreshments, Adjourn
This program is sponsored by:
Great River Region Entrepreneurial Technical Assistance Project