On-farm events can connect you with customers, generate revenue and build goodwill toward your business. But they can also strain resources and raise stress levels. Below, representatives from three farms share some of the things they've learned along the way about hosting on-farm events.
Off to a good start
Erin McLean of McLean Berry Farm, in Buckhorn, Ont., emphasizes the importance of first impressions. "Parking is extremely important, but it's overlooked at a lot of places. Yet, it's the first thing guests experience." If visitors are frustrated trying to find a place to put their vehicle, that can colour their outlook on the entire event. McLean always devotes resources to help guide traffic for their larger on-farm events.
Sharon Judd, shown here in the Meadow Lynn Farms strawberry patch, hosts a number of events including school and community tours and an Open House. She advises leaving breathing room between events to keep things manageable.
Sharon Judd of Meadow Lynn Farms, in Simcoe, Ont., notes that smooth traffic flow is also important from a liability viewpoint, to minimize the risk of collisions. "It's important to have signage really well organized so there's nothing ambiguous about traffic flow." Over the years, Judd has learned that keeping it simple is key. "I used to put (up) a map board, but people would just drive past and not read it," she says. "Now, I just use big arrows to point the way."
Sleepy G Farm harnesses the muscle power of oxen Red and River for many farm chores. A chance to meet the oxen is a highlight of CSA member tours.
Once guests are on-site, you need to let them know what to expect — and what's expected. Sleepy G Farm, in Pass Lake, Ont., runs on-site tours for their CSA customers, as well as school and community groups. "We let guest know right away where the washrooms are, how long the tour is and not to touch the fences," says Sleepy G's Marcelle Paulin.
Empower staff
The "pumpkin cannon", a fixture at McLean Berry Farm's Pumpkin Festival, is a crowd favourite.
At their Pumpkin Festival, McLean Berry Farm can get as many as 1,500 guests in a day. To cope with the sometimes-hectic atmosphere, Erin McLean has learned that delegation is key. "We make sure everyone really understands their role," she says. Staffers need to know the expectations, including what to do in case of an emergency and how to deal with an irate customer. "You have to trust and rely on your staff," McLean says. If they know what's expected of them, it helps. "Most people will rise to the occasion. They want to do a good job."
McLean Berry Farm includes demonstrations as part of their Maplefest. Customer feedback helped them realize that many of the spectators couldn't see what was happening in the pot during the demo. As a result, a mirror was added above the demonstration table to improve visibility.
Though some tasks can be delegated, front-line staffers may run into situations they can’t handle on their own. Event organizers and management members need to keep themselves available to provide direction if needed.
"I used to be tied to one spot, doing a job," McLean notes. "If there was an emergency or an issue that needed to be dealt with, I wouldn't know what was happening. Now, instead, we split the event up by sections and have one person overseeing each section." The re-organization meant hiring extra workers, but McLean notes that it was worth it. Now, she's free to respond to concerns, keep an eye on customer flow and help out where needed.
Leverage partnerships
As their Strawberry Open House event expanded, Meadow Lynn Farms needed extra helping hands. They found them in the form of the local 4-H dairy club. "It's a nice tie-in," notes Judd, since Meadow Lynn also includes their dairy operation on the tour. The 4-H members support safety and education efforts around the dairy barn, and assist with the face painting and barbeque. In turn, proceeds from the Open House go to support the 4-H branch.
Meadow Lynn partners with the community in other events too. They've had a local yoga studio offer classes on the farm, and set aside some space for people to picnic during a county-wide Picnic Day. "We try to piggy-back on other events," Judd notes. "It doesn't take a lot of staff time, but it's still a way to make connections."
Voice of the customer
McLean Berry Farm includes demonstrations as part of their Maplefest. Customer feedback helped them realize that many of the spectators couldn't see what was happening in the pot during the demo. As a result, a mirror was added above the demonstration table to improve visibility.
Being aware of customer likes and dislikes about your event is crucial. "I try to talk to people, especially when it's not crazy busy," McLean notes. "We also do a survey at Maplefest, where people can win a draw. One of the things we ask is whether we met, exceeded or did not meet expectations."
McLean concedes that you're never going to please everybody — that's a reality of dealing with the public. But hearing certain concerns time and again can indicate an issue that needs to be addressed.
McLean cites an example from Maplefest. "We used to do a demonstration with the pot boiling, and the person doing the demo was talking. The feedback we got was that no-one could see what was happening inside the pot. Now, we put a mirror above the demonstration area so people can see what's going on."
Ensuring some of the porta-potties include changing stations, having an all-inclusive admission fee instead of charging for individual activities, and emptying garbage more frequently were other changes spurred by customer feedback.
Start small
"Start small and reasonable," is McLean's advice to anyone contemplating holding an on-farm event for the first time. "Don't try to do it all at once. Keep it manageable, and grow things each year."
Cows at Meadow Lynn Farms stretch their legs in the pasture after a long winter cooped up in the barn. In the spring of 2017, Meadow Lynn invited their CSA members to join in the fun, hosting a "Who Let the Cows Out?" event. Visitors enjoyed a dinner and got to guess which cow would go through the gate first.
Meadow Lynn Farms' "Who Let the Cows Out?" event is a case in point. For the Judd family, the first day the cows were let out onto the pasture after being cooped up for the winter has always been a much-anticipated event, signalling the arrival of spring. They decided to create an event to share this experience with customers. But they started small, holding a trial session for friends and family members to work the kinks out. Only after that did they invite CSA members to join in.
Avoid overload
Managing day-to-day operations can be demanding. Running events on top of that compounds the stress level. Recognizing this, McLean Berry Farm no longer holds a Strawberry Festival, choosing instead to focus on Maplefest and the Pumpkin Festival, events on the shoulder seasons.
Judd agrees with the importance of avoiding overload. "You need to give yourself time to breathe. Consider how you space your events, and where it makes sense." She applies this thinking on both the macro level, for the season, and on the micro level, for her daily schedule. "I try to never do three events, such as tours or other commitments, on the same day."
Take time to look around
Holding on-farm festivals, tours or visits isn't always glamorous," McLean says. "It can be overwhelming." Sometimes,” she notes, “it helps to take time to look around and see people enjoying themselves."
"It's rewarding when you hear about how people have connected to your farm, and how much fun they had at one of your events," McLean says. "It's as though people feel like it's their farm, too."
Harnessing people power
Engaged, effective staff can make or break your events. Erin McLean of McLean Berry Farm employs a number of techniques to make sure staff understand expectations, while at the same time feeling empowered to do what they can to contribute to a positive customer experience. Below, she shares some of her methods.
Use your judgement
McLean provides a fair bit of leeway to staff on making judgements about returns or refunds. "When a customer is dissatisfied, I tell staff to apologize, listen, let the customer vent — then do what they can to make it better." A case in point: a family with young children needed to leave ten minutes after arriving at an event, since one of their kids suddenly fell ill. The staffer provided a refund, and McLean was okay with that. If the staff member had waited to try to track McLean down to get her approval, the family might have left unhappy.
Above and beyond
McLean encourages her staff to try to do something each day that "makes someone's experience exceptional," emphasizing that even small gestures can make a big difference. For example, a staffer noticed that a child's newly-purchased popsicle had broken and fallen on the floor. Rather than making the family wait in line to purchase a new one, the employee got them a replacement and brought it over.
McLean keeps a "caught you doing something great" board in the back room. Here, post-it notes outline actions in which people have taken initiative to make someone's day. McLean notes that these notes, in turn, can inspire other members of the team to do similar things.
Keep the communication lines open
McLean Berry Farm has a "communication journal" where outstanding tasks, information about large incoming orders, or issues needing resolution are noted. Staffers coming in for their shift are expected to read up on what's happened since the last time they were in. "People start at different times," McLean notes. "This way, everyone stays informed on what they need to know."
What's that you say?
Customer feedback is important, but McLean keeps an ear open for staff feedback, too. She asks staff for their "dream list" of what would make things easier for them. Some items on the list are difficult or costly, but some are easy fixes that can be done right away. Making those changes boosts staff morale.
No matter how approachable she tries to be, McLean knows people don't always feel comfortable raising issues. She keeps an eye on the communication journal for issues and concerns from a staff viewpoint, using it as another method of gathering staff input.
- Lisa Timpf