| | “The Calgary Zoo knows youth tours,” says Leona Staples who operates The Jungle, a farm direct operation near Innisfail, along with her husband and three young sons. “Our boys love the overnight events at the zoo. They enjoy the Calgary Science Centre and Tyrrell Museum programs, but at the zoo they get to sleep with the animals. They just love it and they learn a tremendous amount.”
Educational Programming for People of all Ages at the Calgary Zoo is just one of the three advanced workshops that will be featured at the North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association’s (NAFDMA) Grow West Alberta 2007 convention. A visit to the zoo is a great opportunity for farm direct marketers and ag tourism operators to pick up tips from another industry. This workshop will take the show-on-the-road for some behind the scenes learning at the world-renowned Calgary Zoo.
Grow West offers seven interactive, stimulating full-day workshops, three at the advanced level and four intermediate,” says Kerry Engel, ag tourism development specialist with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and director Canada West NAFDMA, Edmonton. “Attendees can pick one of the workshops and spend six hours delving deeply into the details. The workshop at the Calgary Zoo is one of two customized, off-site learning experiences, a new feature of the convention this year.”
The other workshop will immerse attendees in some extreme event planning at Spruce Meadows. This is an opportunity for farm direct marketers and agritourism operators to learn from Kurby Court who will host the Advanced Event Planning: Best Management Practices workshop at Spruce Meadows. By the end of this intensive day, participants will no doubt have a stack of ideas to take home and catapult their own on-farm events to the next level.
On February 15, 2007, the on-site workshop day will be a Grow West convention highlight for those who crave knowledge and a thorough understanding of How to Package and Market Irresistible Agritourism Experiences.
This is a key topic for those who recognize that their success rides on their ability to stay on the cutting-edge. Workshop leader Claude-Jean Harel will bridge the gap between what is being offered and what consumers want. His approach is specially designed for remote areas and those who prefer to offer complete quiet packages and intimate experiences.
Grow West Alberta 2007, being held in Calgary on February 12 to 17, 2007, offers those who attend numerous chances to learn. The three main opportunities will be the bus tour, the workshop day and the conference. Participants can choose to attend one, two or all three. This year’s convention is being presented in partnership with the Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association, Alberta Farmers’ Market Association, Renewal Chapter of the Agricultural Policy Framework, and Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.
Convention details and registration packages are available on the NAFDMA website or by calling the NAFDMA office toll-free at 1-888-884-9270, or by contacting Kerry Engel at (780) 644-2927 to receive a copy in the mail.
Contact: Kerry Engel (780) 644-2927 |
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