by Tara Pereira, Vermont Fresh Network
Visitors are excited to explore Vermont’s agritourism experiences - whether for a stop at a sugar shack for sugar-on-snow, a visit to a summer farm festival, or a fall winery concert the options in our state are truly endless!
Events like Maple Open House Weekend (March) and Vermont Open Farm Week (August) are great ways for farms and maple producers to take their first steps into agritourism and welcome the public to their property. For places already open to the public year round, these events strengthen their relationships with their customers while also receiving the extra marketing support and promotional resources surrounding these larger, statewide events.
Maple Open House weekend is coming up this month. How can you get the word out about your maple syrup or your open house weekend events? Social media? Word of mouth? A sign at the end of your road? Consider integrating multiple communication channels. Many people first go to the internet to plan their maple adventures. Having a strong online presence can make it easier for the public to find out about farms that are open for visitors, have a store and offer on-farm events. And, by connecting with product associations, you can get the added bonus of member resources, technical assistance and support to help you learn what you need to know about welcoming the public to your location.
The Maple Sugar Maker’s Association is one of the 10 food & farm nonprofit organizations partnering on DigInVT.com to promote an authentic Vermont food experience. DigInVT is an online space that encourages everyone to explore the state, try new foods, and get beyond familiar routes. This collaborative platform has easily accessible information for consumers, further building local food awareness and participation in the local food economy. With an actively managed calendar of food and farm events across the state, a bimonthly newsletter, and curated tasting trails, this is a resource for both the public and producers. It offers consumers a way to find out about all the food and farm fun to be had, and for food producers to promote all our state has to offer. Maple Open House Weekend, Open Farm Week, and much more are actively promoted and housed on the DigInVT website.
Farms open to the public receive free profiles on DigInVT.com as part of their membership in one of the DigInVT partner organizations. Farms not regularly open to the public can also benefit from DigInVT via annual events, partnerships with listed locations, connections with farmers markets, and mentions in the blog, newsletter, and on social media.
For more information on place listings and events on DigInVT, please visit www.diginvt.com/resources or by calling 802.434.2000