Virginia/Mid-Atlantic Direct Marketing Conference

Farm Business Management Update, February 1998

By Charlie Coale of the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Virginia Tech

The Virginia/Mid-Atlantic direct marketing conference will be held at the Willow Valley Resort and Conference Center, Lancaster, Pa., February 17 to 20. The conference is scheduled for February 18 to19 with pre- and post-conference tours from 17 to 20. Wednesday, Dr. John Lord, St. Joseph University, will discuss "Food Industry: Revolution or Evolution;" and concurrent sessions include: "Consumers--What's New for the 21st Century;" and "Developing Your Market: A Fresh Look at Customer Service." Thursday, Don Rogers, management consultant, will talk about "Positioning Your Market to Be Competitive in the 21st Century: Developing a Written Business Plan;" a panel discussion on "Attracting Customers With Effective Displays;" and a panel discussion on "Employee Management: Building a Service Attitude" are on the agenda. The conference ends with feature stories from four states with the Virginia speaker being Roberta East, Loudoun County.

Lodging reservations are due by January 17 to receive the conference rate of $59.00 single or double, $69.00 triple, or $79.00 quad. Willow Valley Reservations, 2416 Willow Street Pike, Lancaster, PA 17602, FAX 717-464-4482. Conference fees $40.00 for first person, $25.00 for each additional registrant from the same unit, less a 20 percent discount if paid by February 5, 1998. Send conference registrations to Cathy Belcher, VDACS, 1100 Bank Street, Richmond, VA 23219, with checks payable to FDMA.

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