Webinars & Workshops Archive

Marketing and Promotions for Farmers’ Market Vendors

Facilitator: Michelle Wolf

About the Facilitator:
Michelle Wolf is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading farmers’ market experts. She is the lead facilitator and program developer for the incredibly successful farmers’ market vendor and management training programs offered since 2011 throughout Nova Scotia, and has run online manager certification programs for provincial farmers’ market organizations in British Columbia, Ontario, and Alberta. She is a former award-winning farmers’ market manager, was an 18-year veteran farmers’ market vendor, sat on the founding board of Farmers’ Markets Canada, is a former president of Seeds of Diversity Canada, and teaches and trains across Canada at workshops, conferences, and events. Michelle has a background in board governance, community development, and adult education, and she is a trained workplace education consultant for Nova Scotia’s Department of Labour and Advanced Education. Michelle holds a Master’s Degree from York University, and runs a consulting and training company at www.wholegreenheart.com.

About the webinar:
In this webinar, we take a practical look at what brings people to farmers’ markets, what draws people to specific booths within a farmers’ market, and how to build a farmers’ market business without relying on the market itself to grow your customer base. Michelle introduces the “3P Principle” for farmers’ market selling, talks about what customer service really means in a farmers’ market setting, and shares some strategies for making the most of market day. Marketing for success is really about understanding what drives sales in a farmers’ market setting.

Merchandising and Displays – Building a Great Farmers’ Market Booth

Facilitator: Michelle Wolf

About the Facilitator:
Michelle Wolf is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading farmers’ market experts. She is the lead facilitator and program developer for the incredibly successful farmers’ market vendor and management training programs offered since 2011 throughout Nova Scotia, and has run online manager certification programs for provincial farmers’ market organizations in British Columbia, Ontario, and Alberta. She is a former award-winning farmers’ market manager, was an 18-year veteran farmers’ market vendor, sat on the founding board of Farmers’ Markets Canada, is a former president of Seeds of Diversity Canada, and teaches and trains across Canada at workshops, conferences, and events. Michelle has a background in board governance, community development, and adult education, and she is a trained workplace education consultant for Nova Scotia’s Department of Labour and Advanced Education. Michelle holds a Master’s Degree from York University, and runs a consulting and training company at www.wholegreenheart.com.

About the webinar:
One of the key ingredients in successful farmers’ market retailing is merchandising and setting up your booth and display to maximize the chances of connecting to potential customers. This webinar features over 100 photograph slides from farmers’ markets and farm stands throughout North America, showcasing the do’s and don’ts of successful merchandising. Vendors will see common mistakes that are made when setting up a farmers’ market booth, and will learn what small tweaks can make a big impact towards improving visibility, likeability, and relevance for customers.

Best Practices in Social Media for Farmers’ Markets and Vendors: Working Together to Leverage Your Online Presence

Facilitator: Rebecca Coleman

About the Facilitator:
Rebecca Coleman is a marketing, public relations and outreach specialist who advises clients on how to leverage social media to market their businesses. She works primarily in the creative, not-for-profit, small business and tourism sectors. She teaches Social Media for Business at both BCIT and UBC. Rebecca is also a devoted foodie and published author. She writes a popular food blog and has published three books, as well as a cookbook of original recipes, and yes, she spends a lot of time at farmers’ markets.

About the webinar:
As a local grower, maker, baker, harvester, or market manager you are passionate about farmers’ markets, and offering the best, highest quality product to sell directly to consumers. You probably don’t have a lot of time or energy to put into marketing. This 90-minute webinar will help! Jam-packed with practical social media tips and tricks, as well as successful case studies, you’ll get a clear understanding of how you can create content that will attract more business, and allow you leverage the market-vendor relationship to boost profile, sales, and engagement.

Reimagining Your Market

Presented by Richard McCarthy (Slow Food USA)

Note: Due to technical issues, the audio may be louder at some points than others in the video. Richard McCarthy is the Executive Director of Slow Food USA and is based in Brooklyn, NY. Co-founder and past-president of the Farmers Market Coalition (the voice for farmers markets in the USA), founder of the New Orleans-based Market Umbrella (public market operator and practitioner’s think tank), Richard has worked with farmers' markets on every continent to develop management best practices, innovative measurement techniques, and spearheaded public health programs that have since become codified in federal programs in the USA. He will share insights on how to harness your farmers' market’s ancient promise to grow healthy economies, communities and eaters.

Connecting Your Market to the Growing Ethnic Community

Presented by Roberta LaQuaglia (Vancouver Farmers' Markets), Kevin Huang (hua foundation), Eric Koo (Farmer Koo)

In 2016, the Vancouver Farmers Markets (VFM) launched their Local Food Global Flavours (LFGF) project with the goals of attracting more Asian shoppers and increasing sales of locally grown Asian vegetables at their markets. The Hua Foundation was a partner on the project and provided valuable insight into the Asian community's values, preferences and market traditions/norms. Kevin will provide that expertise in this workshop and offer his suggestions for markets and vendors to better appeal and serve the Asian consumer. Eric Koo is a VFM vendor and a participant in the LFGF program. Eric speaks Cantonese and grows Asian vegetables among other crops. He will share his experience with the LFGF program, and as a vendor who has developed a following for his Asian vegetables.

Delegations to Local Councils

Presented by Helen Fathers (White Rock Farmers' Market)

Participants in this workshop will learn about delegations and presentations to your local government, and how to make a business case for farmers' markets by highlighting their successes.

Blow Your Own Horn

Presented by Cat Majors (Armstrong Farmers Market). Michelle Wolf (Whole Green Heart)

Many opportunities abound to advertise and promote your farmers' market and vendors as a non-profit community group. Knowing how to access the valuable information necessary to catapult your organization into the public eye will take a little savvy detective work and research time. The volunteer investment can be FUN and well worth it. Think of involving all manner of community media including radio, TV, videos, newspapers, magazines, and social media. Learn how to put together a simple press release and conduct interviews to make your market the "talk of the town!" You are doing something important, so don't be afraid to raise your profile.

Cosmetic, Soap and Body Products

Presented by Jan MacDonald (Bodylove Bathworks), Jen Comer (Creston Valley Farmers' Market)

In order to legally sell soap, cosmetics, or body products in Canada, there are regulations that must be followed. These include Cosmetic Notification Forms, labeling requirements, and some licensing requirements. As more vendors are seeking to sell their products, it is imperative that both vendors and markets are aware of their responsibilities and liabilities in order to protect consumers from products that may be harmful if manufactured incorrectly. The Creston Valley Farmers' Market has made adherence to the above regulations a condition of participation in the market. The requirements for health supplements may also be presented in this workshop.

Guerilla Innovations

Presented by Angeline and James Street (Stellar Food Group)

This will be an interactive discussion and informative lecture showcasing numerous ways to innovate your farm market business. Focusing on three main categories: marketing, product lines, and booth display, the workshop will begin with a quick introduction and then dive right into why innovation is so important. This workshop is designed to give vendors both a roadmap and a list of free resources to help them create action.

Merchandising Best Practices - Photos to Inspire Your Best Booth Ever

Presented by Michelle Wolf (Whole Green Heart)

Fantastic product and a great personality are two of the three ingredients in successful direct selling. The third is merchandising and how you set up your displays. Join us for this dynamic workshop featuring over 100 photograph slides from farmers' markets and farm stands around North America, to study the do's and don'ts of successful merchandising and setting up a winning display for your product

Protecting BC's Farmland: How to Understand and Assess Local Land Use Policies

Presented by Dr. David Connell (University of Northern British Columbia)

How strong is your local government’s legislative framework for protecting farmland? How would you measure its strength? This session provides you with insights and tools to help answer these questions.

Strategies for Market Diversification Through Institutional Selling: UBC Farm

Presented by Dr. Lisa J. Powell and Véronik Campbell (Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm)

In this session, Dr. Lisa J. Powell and Véronik Campbell will discuss the farm’s three primary marketing avenues: direct sales (farm markets and CSA); wholesale to restaurants; and farm-to-institution.

Striving for a Healthy Sustainable Food System

Presented by Laura Kalina (Interior Health, Kamloops Food Policy Council) and Jill Worboys (Interior Health, Central Okanagan Food Policy Council)

This workshop will focus on partnership and collaboration, and how those involved with farmers’ markets can take action to support food security outside of the market. Participants will learn what communities are doing around BC, in partnership with the local farmers and farmers' markets to support a healthy sustainable food system. The workshop will describe the food security continuum and provide examples of how farmer’s markets are important players in emergency food provision, capacity building, and municipal policy development.

Food Systems Thinking - Seeing and Leveraging Connections To Transform Our Food Systems

Presented by Brent Mansfield (BC Food Systems Network)

We all know that farmers’ markets are an integral component of vibrant, local food systems. This presentation will focus on looking at the bigger picture of local food systems to try to better understand how to develop solutions by seeing and leveraging connections.

Food Systems Thinking - Seeing and Leveraging Connections To Transform Our Food Systems

Presented by Sandra Hamilton (FEED Comox Valley, Social Enterprise Business Consultant)

How to Be An Awesome Board Member

Presented by Michelle Wolf (Whole Green Heart)

This highly interactive session will take all farmers' market Board members (new, old, engaged, flustered, clueless, trying hard, and everyone in between) through a process of learning, thinking, and collaborating in order to become more effective, reflective, and influential in their work - without putting in any more hours!

Marketing Lessons Learned with the Comox Valley Farmers' Market

Presented by Hans Peter Meyer (marketing creative)

Since the summer of 2012, I have been working with the Comox Valley Farmers' Market on it's social media marketing. Along the way, we have tested various approaches, surveyed customers, produced a strong body of content, and learned a lot about what works and what doesn't work for producers and customers.

How Can we Bring our Indigenous Food Champions to the Market?

Presented by Fiona Devereaux (Island Health, Aboriginal Health), Keith Hunter (First Nations Wildcrafters BC), Jared Williams (Aluxut), C. Anne Robinson (First Nations Wildcrafters BC)

This session, led by dietitian Fiona Devereaux, will focus on creating greater cultural safety around food. Participants will collaborate and brainstorm on how to foster great opportunities and participation with the local indigenous communities.

Survive or Thrive? A Small Market Forum

Presented by Gordon Murray (Lytton Two Rivers Market) and Jonathan Knight (WoodGrain Farm)

Small markets face unique and varied challenges not just to build the local food system capacity but also to survive. This workshop is primarily a forum for volunteers (board, managers, etc.) and vendors from small markets to share and discuss strategies, technologies, communications, and campaigns that have enabled them to survive and to thrive. How do we engage vendors, community groups, local governments, and shoppers to help make our small markets relevant, valued, and vibrant parts of our communities?

When is Organic not Organic? Labelling Regulations at Farmers' Markets

Presented by Arzeena Hamir (Amara Farm), Lorne McCallum (Nourish Farm)

A number of markets on Vancouver Island have recently taken the initiative to require that any vendor using the word "organic" be part of a third-party certification program. Why should markets go to this extent? What benefit could this labeling have for a market? Discuss the issues with a panel of market members from across BC.

Strategies for Successful Product Pricing

Presented by Michelle Wolf (Whole Green Heart)

One of the biggest challenges producers and farmers' market vendors face is knowing how to price their products. During this workshop we will look at the twin components of successful, sustainable pricing. One: A frank discussion about money mindset and why your beliefs about yourself, your product, your worth and your competition are keeping you stuck in low-price, commodity thinking. Two: A winning pricing formula that accounts for costs plus labour plus profit in a way that feels fair to you and your customers.

Getting Good Data - How to and Why to Track Vendor Sales
Presented by Vickey Brown (Comox Valley Farmers Market) and Bruce Fatkin (Abbotsford Farm & Country Market)

Marketing your Farmers' Market

Presented by Michelle Wolf (Whole Green Heart)

Farmers' market vendors and farm producers will benefit tremendously from understanding that 'branding' is the art of crafting and sharing your unique story well and consistently. If we do not share our values through our stories, we leave our customers guessing and shopping elsewhere. Brands matter. But brands are not fancy, slick advertising campaigns. Brands come out of the passions and values and motivations we have for the gutsy work we do in the world. So come learn how to take what is amazing about you and your farm and product and turn it into a simple, winning brand.

Beer, Wine and Liquor Sales at your Farmers' Market

Presented by Chris Quinlan (Whistler Farmers' Market) and Mark Simpson (BC Wine Studio)

The ability to have BC-based producers of beer, wine, and liquor has presented a unique opportunity for farmers' markets to drive destination market visits and increase market revenues, all the while allowing for animation and diversity at the market. As with all opportunities, there are challenges with liquor sales. This presentation addresses these challenges.

Working with Local Governments 101

Presented by Jen Comer (Creston Valley Farmers' Market, Creston City Councillor)

This workshop will take you through “local government 101”. Farmers’ markets present significant opportunities for local governments: they create local economic development, address food security issues, build community connections, and support environmental sustainability. The challenge is getting your message heard by your city council, building a productive relationship, and planning for a thriving future together. We will look at specific ways farmers’ markets can get involved in community planning, tips on working with your city council, and how this will ultimately make our communities more sustainable.

MarketSafe Online

Presented by Adrian Hill (Open School BC)

This session will present the various facets of a new online MarketSafe course, including video, multimedia resources and updated graphics that are not found in the face-to-face training.

Extending the Season and Post-Harvest Handling

Presented by Lydia Ryall (Cropthorne Farm, 2014 Outstanding Young Farmer (BC))

Extending the season: topics include row cover, moveable and non-movable greenhouses, potential storage crops, raised beds, spring crops from a fall planting. Post Harvest Handling Infrastructure: Walk in coolers, barn layout, types of bins, pallets, and other tools used in post harvest.

Food Co-ops, Online Marketplaces and Farmers' Markets

Presented by Rick Juliusson (Cowichan Valley Co-operative Marketplace)

Consumers want more local produce and farmers want to be able to sell more of what they grow. This highlights the need to bring consumers and farmers together. Food Hub co-operatives are one way to make this happen. In the Cowichan Valley, we have formed a co-op that is launching an online marketplace this June. Consumers will have an easy way to find, order and pick-up (once a week) exactly what they need from the farmers they choose. Farmers will have an easy way to market their goods, then pick only what has been pre-paid and deliver it once a week to a central location. This session explores the potential of food co-ops to address various issues, as well as some of the specifics of setting up an online marketplace.

The Core Business of Farmers' Markets

Presented by David J. Connell (Associate Professor University of Northern British Columbia, PhD MBA RPP) and
Darren Stott (Principal, Greenchain Consulting)

For farmers’ markets to be successful in the rapidly growing and increasingly contested marketplace, we believe that a farmers’ market must be able to think of itself as a business. This webinar will help you to understand your farmers markets’ core business.

Competitive Analysis & Market Position

Presented by David J. Connell (Associate Professor University of Northern British Columbia, PhD MBA RPP) and
Darren Stott (Principal, Greenchain Consulting)

This webinar will introduce you to competitive analysis. The objective is to help you understand what factors influence relations among farmers’ markets and other competitors and how you can strengthen your farmers’ market’s position in the marketplace.

Communicating Value to Funder

Come join in this training session and learn to apply the Farmers Market Impact Toolkit, developed by the Vancity Community Foundation in collaboration with the BCAFM. This toolkit will give your market the means to assess how your market is performing and the value it adds to your community in a format that is useful for management and planning, and which you can present to funders of all types.

Business and Financial Planning

Presented by Elizabeth Lougheed Green (Vancity)

A good business plan enables your strategic plan to become a reality. Learn about the fundamentals and other benefits of creating a business plan. Explore your business objectives, success factors, competition, your competitive advantage and your market potential.

Develop Your Marketing Plan

Presented by Mike Rowlands (Junxion Strategies)

To create an effective marketing initiative you need to know who your target audience is, what they care about, and what’s the most effective way to reach them? In this webinar we cover how you can deliver the services and products your audience wants while achieving the mission and values of your organization.

Creating Effective Leadership through Better Governance

Presented by David Lee (Principal, Propellor Social Enterprise Advisors)

With planning for a new season on the horizon, bringing new directors and managers up to speed can be a challenge. This workshop brings high-level principles of governance to a working level that the participants can connect with and apply. Whether your market has only started operating in the last 2-3 years or is well established, this workshop will be of value if you are seeking more clarity on how key decisions for your market are made, and the relationship between your board members and your market manager.

Strategic Organizational Planning

Presented by Bohdan Zajcew (Siena Consulting)

This workshop focuses on the importance of strategic planning and all its components, from creating your vision and mission, to coming up with clear objectives and measures of progress. Explore roles and responsibilities when it comes to strategic planning, and come away with a clear picture of where your organization is currently, where you need to go, how and who will get you there.