NAFDMA: Growing With You On Your Agritourism Journey.

This week I attended my first agritourism trade show.

The NAFDMA Agritourism Convention & EXPO is the premier event and expo for anyone in the agritourism industry. This year’s event was in Austin, Texas. I spent most of the event in our My Farm Marketing booth. I was able to share marketing ideas with some of the friendliest groups of people I have ever had the pleasure of connecting with, farmers!

If you present yourself in a natural and friendly way, then people will be more comfortable when engaging with you. This is especially true when standing in a trade show booth. My momma taught me that a simple smile can have a big effect on people’s attitudes toward you.

Working the trade show floor can be intimidating. People are walking by staring at you. You wonder if they’re interested in your product or if they just want the free stuff, but I didn’t let that discourage me.

No one likes to be “sold” on a product or service. Authenticity is everything. Asking questions is a great way to engage people and give them the opportunity to share their thoughts. What’s more important is that you listen and reply.

When I asked people about their farm’s story, I truly listened. I heard their generational stories. I felt the love as a fourth-generation farmer told me about learning to drive a tractor while sitting on their grandpa’s lap or when a couple shared the struggles of transitioning from traditional dairy farming to agritourism, I felt their stress and was overjoyed by their accomplishments.

I can honestly say that attending NAFDMA has inspired me to work harder every day to do what we can to ensure the farms that we work with are as successful as possible.

My Farm Marketing is about more than just posting pumpkin patch pictures on social media; but connecting guests to the land and people that are the foundation of our food chain— building connections between people and their environment, through agritourism. We want to help foster a deeper appreciation for the land and the people who work hard to provide us with food.

To learn more about how My Farm Marketing can help your farm grow, send us an email at info@myfarmmarketing.com.