VA: VIRGINIA SPECIALTY FOOD EDUCATION CONFERENCE UPCOMING

News Date January 19, 2010

In this day of inter-connectedness, farmers and food producers are no exception. They Tweet, Digg, Link, post, browse and purchase online like everyone else. On March 22 - 23, they will have a chance to hone their digital as well as their food-producing skills at the 2010 Virginia Specialty Food Educational Conference. 

The conference, which takes place at the Omni Richmond, will feature several key workshops to help Virginia entrepreneurs not only grow their business but also capitalize on marketing in a virtual world. “We have produced a Specialty Food Educational Conference for years,” said Todd P. Haymore, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), “but this is our most ambitious foray yet into the virtual world. Sessions range from updates on food safety to trends in specialty marketing. One session I don’t want to miss is Brain Food – set in a Speed Dating atmosphere where new companies will each have five minutes to grill the veterans. When the buzzer rings, they move on to the next seat for a different series of questions.”

The conference begins with a networking breakfast at 8 a.m. March 22. Monday’s keynote speaker is Barbara Lang, once described as a mix between Betty Crocker and Bette Midler with a Master’s Degree in Food Marketing. Lang, whose resume includes restaurant and specialty food consultant, restaurant co-owner, culinary director for a Napa Valley winery and a 17-year career as a lecturer at Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, is a popular public speaker who believes in the power of telling a compelling story and fulfilling the needs of a targeted audience. Other conference topics include:  trends in specialty food retailing with buyers from major retailers, food safety, social media and social networking, using global positioning system so buyers can find you, pricing your product, distribution 101, how to expand into the government market, and a critical review of the state of Virginia’s specialty food industry.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/vafinest/highlights.shtml.  (Contact: Elaine J. Lidholm, 804-786-7686)