Roundtables

February 4th and 5th  -

Starting Promptly After the Live Stream Ends

Feb 4 - Roundtable 1 

Employee Engagement

Connecting people with purpose is what engagement is all about. John will balance an approach of both facilitation and audience participation as we together tackle “The Why” of engagement, “The Who” of ownership, "The How” of execution and "The What” as outcomes for your team, your customers and your farm. Feel free to bring your bucket of questions to both John and the participants and learn how “thinking inside the box” is a great strategy for Employee Engagement.

Feb 4 - Roundtable 2 

Challenges and Resources for Agritourism Operators: Findings from a National Survey

To help agritourism operators better understand challenges and successful strategies used by their colleagues across the United States, we conducted a national survey in 2019 of farms, ranches, and vineyards participating in agritourism including on-farm direct sales. Questions included products and experiences offered, motivations, challenges, support systems, profitability measures, and plans for the future. At this roundtable, we’ll share the survey findings with a focus on regional differences around the US. We are looking forward to addressing questions about the results and hearing your experiences and ideas about how to translate the findings into support for agritourism.

Feb 4 - Roundtable 3 

Growing What Your Customers Want

Who wants white, dry fleshed sweet potatoes? What’s a wax gourd? I thought eggplant was purple and pear shaped. It is often difficult for us to see beyond our own experiences, but when it comes to marketing that is what we have to do. This session will help attendees identify their potential customer base, and grow what the customer desires. It is really not that hard. It could be as easy as changing varieties.

Feb 4 - Roundtable 4 

Retail Ideas and Best Practices 

Join us to discuss everything Retail. We want to hear about your retail best practices from store design and product placement to staffing, POS platforms and best-selling merchandise. Let’s share our ideas to make this coming 2021 retailing season the best ever.

Feb 4 - Roundtable 5

How to Improve Your Agri-Entertainment Venue With Unique Low-Cost Attractions

In this Roundtable, we will discuss a number of low-cost unique activities and attractions that will engage your customers and enhance your farm’s offerings.

Jim will include pictures of the attractions, vendors from which to purchase these attractions, and instructions of how to build some on your own. Examples of what

will be shared include the following:

• Giant Family or Friends Swing Sets

• Face to Face Parent to Infant/Toddler Swings

• Children’s Playhouses

• Stationary Bungee Trampoline Units

• Pumpkin Bowling Games

• And Much More

As this is a roundtable discussion, please come prepared to share the unique experiences that you have on your farms as well.