Profit from Connecting with your Community
Wednesday 26 January 2011 Beaudesert Park Farm, Rugeley
10am - 4pm including tour of the farm and locally sourced lunch
Hosted by the Cope Family at Beaudesert Farm, this event is a must for anyone running a rural business, a food producing business, users and retailers of local food and farmers who have or are planning on diversifying.
Paul Kelly has an enviable attitude to marketing and product branding, one that we can all aspire to. Paul and his family have taken their turkey farming to dizzy national and international heights and are one of the best known poultry and meat brands in the Country – KellyBronze Turkeys. Paul is passionate about his product; and this is a fantastic opportunity to hear about how he developed his business, his principles of consumer awareness and how getting people interested in your product achieves results.
Improving your relations and connection with your local village, local school and local community is great for them and great for you: they are your closest customer and the customer you can most regularly get in front of. The day is focussed on helping all rural businesses identify ways of improving your relationship with your community, and what responsibility rural businesses should have to the community, and how to make the most of this.
The afternoon concludes with a fun, interactive media session with Eunice Finney and Robert Kynaston, who will give you some handy hints on how to make the most of the media.
Programme
10.00 Registration, coffee, welcome, introductions and outline of the day
10.30 A tour around Beaudesert Park Farm and talk from Mary Cope about the farm, the background and community schemes and events they get
involved with.
11.45 Business In The Community: How businesses can get involved with the Prince’s Rural Action Programme, and the benefits to your business.
12.45 Lunch from Beaudesert Farm, using Beaudesert produce; opportunity for networking and questions to the speakers.
1.30 Paul Kelly: How to get closer to your market and show off your product. Paul will talk about how he has built up his own brand and his business and how vital good consumer perception is.
3.00 The afternoon will finish with an interactive media session with Robert Kynaston, who is the regional Open Farm Sunday Co-ordinator and
experienced tutor of all things media, and Eunice Finney Manager of Amerton Farm who regularly uses radio, press releases and other forms of media to get across name awareness and promotional opportunities. Both speakers will be able to provide excellent practical handy hints and real ways of using the media that everyone can try.
3.45 Closing remarks and departure
Cost: £15 per person, including lunch or £25 for two people from the same business
Funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food Programme, Staffordshire Rural Hub is able to offer this course to all West Midlands food and drink producers
