Print

Print


This event is part of the Great Lakes and Fruit Veg and Farmers market expo I sent info in the bi weekly newsletter on Fri. If you may recall, Thur is organic day as well as many sessions on farmers marketing. Hope that some of you can join us. You can walk in register on Thur only (other days is multiple day registration) for $25 or $5 or students with ID. This registration gains you access to the trade show and the Thur sessions.
It is located in Grand Rapids at the DeVos center which is right down town. I will be there Wed and Thur and hope to see some of you.
All the best
Vicki
 
Vicki Morrone
303 Natural Resources
C. S. Mott Group at MSU
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-282-3557
[log in to unmask]


From: Birbeck, Matthew
Sent: Wed 28/11/2007 14:01
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: From MSU Product Center

 

November 16, 2007

 

TO:                  Michigan Specialty Food Producers

 

FROM:             Jeanne Lipe, Michigan Department of Agriculture

                        Matthew Birbeck, MSU Product Center

 

SUBJECT:        Select Michigan Marketplace Exhibitor Opportunity at the

Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo

 

The Michigan Department of Agriculture, Select Michigan Program, with the assistance of the Michigan State University Product Center, is pleased to announce the Select Michigan Marketplace, an opportunity for Michigan specialty food producers to promote their products at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo, December 4-6, 2007, at DeVos Hall, in Grand Rapids.

 

Many farm markets in Michigan offer specialty food products for sale along side the fresh produce they grow.  Unfortunately, many of these products are not produced in Michigan, but come from surrounding states that do wholesale marketing and private labeling for Michigan farm markets.  As business owners in Michigan’s food and agriculture industry, Michigan farm marketers understand the importance of buying locally, but often do not know how to make the connection with Michigan specialty food companies.  We hope this opportunity at the Expo will change that, and help you make a connection with Michigan farm markets as a way to expand your Michigan sales.  We also hope this experience will give you the opportunity to talk to Michigan farm market operators to learn about what they look for in products they sell at their markets.

 

Business hours for the Exhibit Hall are: Tuesday, December 4 and Wednesday, December 5, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Thursday, December 6, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.  The Expo planners have provided booth space to the Select Michigan program at the non-profit rate, and the Select Michigan program has been given permission to in turn offer the space at a greatly reduced cost to Michigan companies who wish to promote their products to farm businesses who sell processed food products at their farm markets in the Great Lakes area.  PLEASE NOTE:  In order to prevent the Expo from losing vendor business, if you have been a vendor at the Expo in the last three years, you are not eligible to participate in the Select Michigan Marketplace booth.  This includes last year’s Select Michigan booth.

 

For a vendor fee of $60.00 per day on Tuesday and Wednesday, and $50 per day on Thursday, companies can reserve a 4-foot space on a table in the Select Michigan Marketplace booth.  Space is available on a first come, first served basis, with room for 8 vendors per day, and preference given to specialty crop products.  (The regular commercial vendor space of a 10’ x 10’ booth is being offered by the Expo at $ 775.00 for the three-day show.)  Non-refundable vendor fees, payable to the State of Michigan, must be submitted with the attached vendor registration form to reserve vendor space. 

 

The registration fee entitles the vendor to two admission passes to the Expo, and a 4-foot draped table space to sample and promote your products during the days you have registered and paid for participation.  You will be allowed to distribute samples of your products and take orders for sale.  Your company will also be promoted through press releases and the MDA Web site as a participant in the show.   

 

If you are interested in this unique opportunity, please complete the attached form and return in to [log in to unmask] or by fax to 517/ 335-0628.  Payment, with checks payable to “State of Michigan” may be sent, with a copy of the vendor registration form, to:

 

Jeanne Lipe, Marketing Specialist

MI Dept. of Agriculture/Agriculture Development Division

P.O. Box 30017

Lansing, MI  48909

517/373-9790

 

We hope to see you at the Expo!

 
Matt Birbeck
Project Consultant
& Supply Chain Specialist
 
MSU Product Center
101 Farrall Hall
East Lansing
MI 48824
[log in to unmask]
517-432-8753
Cell 517-648-1776
www.productcenter.msu.edu
Fax 517-432-8756
 
If you would like to access a searchable archive of the all the previous Mich-Organic listserv postings copy this URL and paste in your browser address field http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html