For Organizers: Kansas Farmers Market Conference

Are you a:

• market manager?
• board member?
• extension or agency agent?
• market sponsor?
• community organizer?
  

When planning this year's conference, we looked back at the measly 100-minutes we were able to devote to the issues of market organization and management in February 2009. We barely made it through introductions before running out of time!

In the past year, KRC has offered numerous workshops to assist markets in planning for the future, to develop effective promotions and to begin measuring their impact. As a result, managers and board members from across the state have begun forging relationships and creating an informal market network.

On Monday, February 1, we will devote the entire day to building upon this foundation and strengthening the connections we have made. The morning will be filled with opportunities to learn from each other. In 2009:

• 15 market received promotional mini-grants
• 9 markets added Farmers Market EBT programs
• 5 market conducted Rapid Market Assessments
• 14 market participated in the Savor the Season program

There will be opportunities to learn from the successes and challenges of markets from across the state, to make new connections and to spend time with others in the world of market organization.

You will also have the chance to get hands on experience updating your market's info on the KSFM website and get a crash course in expanding your markets presence on the web through the use of site features such as event listings, photo and document uploads and blog posting.

Most exciting of all is our featured presenter Darlene Wolnik, Director of Marketshare at marketumbrella.org. Darlene was a Crescent City Farmers Market shopper and volunteer before joining the organization in 2002. She provides technical assistance to markets in the New Orleans region and beyond, helps create new tools to build and maintain successful markets and works to bring resources back to her community.

Darlene will be offering 20-minute sessions to develop your Market Portrait. With less than 30 questions, the Market Portrait can give your market a simple report to present to your community or allow you to compare their findings to other markets. (Learn more about Market Portraits on the blog.) Markets will be able to sign-up for a session with Darlene during the morning networking time.

After lunch, we will transition into the more typical conference session format and Darlene will present on the following topics:

The 4Ms of market management: Mission, Management, Marketing, Measurement
How knowing your 4Ms leads to better relationships for your market.

Communication: Stepping Up the Message
Deciding what, how and why to communicate within the market, between neighboring markets and to the larger world is often the lion's share of the work for a market manager. An overview of techniques from markets around the country who are using sensible and innovative communication tactics.

We hope you'll make plans to attend the 2010 Kansas Farmers Market Conference for Organizers on February 1 and encourage other key members of your market to join you.

Complete Vendor and Organizer Conference Brochure in BW