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Commonwealth's Counties

Register now for the 2017 Virginia Agritourism Conference

Agritourism entrepreneurs, economic development staff, and local government leaders are invited to the 2017 Virginia Conference on Agritourism on Tuesday through Thursday, April 18-20 at the Hilton Richmond Hotel Short Pump.

Day 1 features a full day of interaction with agritourism experts on social media, event planning, labor regulations, legal issues, financial resources, marketing strategies, and agritourism’s best practices. Day 2 will find participants visiting three featured farms including Hanover Vegetable Farm, Ashland Berry Farm, James River Cellars Winery, Keenbell Farm, Lickinghole Creek Farm Brewery, Shalom Farms, Lonesome Dove Equestrian Center, Skippers Creek Vineyard, and Boulevard Flowers.

Day 3 is launched at breakfast by the Honorable Basil Gooden, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, and a presentation on the findings of the 2016 agritourism economic impact study.  Participants will spend the rest of the morning working with Jon Schallert, an internationally-recognized speaker and business expert who specializes in teaching businesses how to turn themselves into a highly desired Consumer Destination.

“Every session is bursting with engaging speakers and tools for Virginia’s agritourism industry,” said Martha Walker, community viability specialist for Extension. “Our state planning team has secured an outstanding lineup of experts to share their knowledge. Anyone working with agritourism will want to be in Richmond for this conference.”

Register online by visiting https://vafb.swoogo.com/agritourism2017 and complete the registration process before Friday, April 7. You may register for one day ($105) or both days ($150). For more information, contact Dr. Martha A. Walker, Virginia Cooperative Extension, by phone at 434.766.6761 or by email at walker53@vt.edu.

The conference is sponsored by Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia State University Small Farm Outreach Program, Virginia Tourism Corporation, Jon Schallert/The Schallert Group, Farm Credit, Virginia Association of Counties, Virginia Department of  Agriculture and  Consumer Services, Virginia FAIRS, Virginia Farm Bureau, USDA Rural Development, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Agribusiness Council.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Martha A. Walker, Central District Office, at 434.766.6761 during business hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. *TDD number is 800.828.1120.

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