Expect the Unexpected: NAFDMA heads to Wisconsin!

Expect the Unexpected is the theme of the 2008 North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Convention. That theme plays out throughout the convention, from the keynote speaker to the smallest details.

The convention, held annually by the North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA), will be held in conjunction with the Wisconsin Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Conference in 2008. It will be held on Feb. 15-20, 2008. The convention comprises a three-day, pre-conference bus tour, a day of workshops and a two-day conference of educational sessions. A trade show will also be part of the convention. The workshops, conference and trade show will be held at the Kalahari Waterpark Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. The Kalahari features beautiful rooms, FREE Internet access, FREE parking and FREE admission to its indoor waterpark!

Keynote speaker is T. Scott Gross of Kerrville, Texas. Gross is author of several books, including Positively Outrageous Service, Micro Branding, Why Service Stinks and When Customers Talk.

Laurie Graff, of South Texas Maze in Hondo, Texas, has put Positively Outrageous Service to work on her farm. She has offered incentives to her staff for reading the book and encourages them to put it into action.

“The thing we are trying to do in giving POS is to give the public something they are not expecting,” she says. “This always creates a WOW and a positive buzz.”

We expect that Gross will wow us with his own POS. When he takes the stage, expect the unexpected!

Bus Tour
This year, NAFDMA is offering five different bus tour options, each tour with a maximum of two buses. The tour will be based in Madison, Wis., and will be held Feb. 15, 16 and 17, 2008. Three nights of lodging, including arrival day, are included with bus tour registration. Tour themes are “A Little of This, A Little of That,” “Grow it, Bake it, Sell it,” “Buy it, Stack it, Track it,” “Apples, Pumpkins and More,” and “Dreams and Screams.” Full details about the tour are available at www.nafdma.com/Wisconsin. Buses will be filled on a first-paid, first-served basis.

Workshops
A day of workshops will be held Monday, Feb. 18, 2008. Workshops include a mix of NAFDMA workshops as well as a series of half-day Fruit & Vegetable workshops on apples, berries and vegetables. Lori Colborne of Edmonton, Alberta, who was rated the best speaker of the entire convention last year, returns for another incredible workshop. Jane Eckert, of St. Louis, Mo., another NAFDMA favorite, also returns. We’ll also feature a workshop by Madison retailer Carol Schroeder, owner of Orange Tree Imports, and Margaret Krome will give an energetic grant writing workshop to help service professionals better support farm direct marketing and agritourism in your own states. Finally, we’ll present an interactive workshop that shows agritourism operators how to create innovative activities for families and children.

Trade Show
Our 2008 Trade Show will be our biggest in several years. With room for 100 booths, it is well on its way to selling out. It already features an incredible mix of exhibitors to help farm direct marketers in the market and out in the fields. The Trade Show will be open Feb. 18-20, 2008. Admission is included with your workshop and conference admission.

Conference
Our two-day conference will be held Feb. 19-20, 2008. This year’s conference features six tracks, including a special track, Family & Youth, dedicated to young people involved in farm direct marketing. Speakers in this track are youth to foster peer-to-peer learning and networking. Other tracks are Farmers’ Markets, School Tours, Retailing Principles that Sell, Technology and Advanced Learning. Be sure to visit the Web site for speaker and session details.

For convention information, visit www.nafdma.com/Wisconsin. Registration is available on-line. An early registration discount is available until Jan. 6.

The North American Farmers' Direct Marketing Association is the leading farm direct marketing association in the world. It promotes and fosters the growth of farm direct marketing throughout North America. Its members support their family farms by selling millions of dollars worth of farm-grown produce directly to consumers at farm stands, farmers' markets, pick-your-own farms, consumer-supported agriculture, agritourism venues, and other ever-growing innovations in direct producer-to-consumer agricultural marketing methods. Find out more about the organization at www.nafdma.com.