The BC Farmers Market Association conference is right around the corner and it is always one of the best chances to learn, connect, celebrate and feel inspired by the market community. If you want to get the most out of the experience, here are a few simple things you can do before you make your way to Vancouver:
Familiarize yourself with the agenda
Between the Friday full‑day workshop on crafting culinary destination experiences, Saturday’s market tour, accessibility training, safety and security sessions, cooking‑demo insights, data workshops, AI tools, fundraising strategy labs and more, this conference is full to the brim with learning opportunities. Taking a few minutes to scan the schedule helps you focus on the sessions that matter most for your market.
Show up ready to connect
Conferences are about community as much as content. Market organizers, vendors and partners all bring different perspectives. Whether you join Friday night’s reception or Saturday’s banquet and awards, the social events are where you’ll meet fellow organizers, swap stories, and find out what’s working at markets across the province. If it’s your first time at the conference and don’t know anybody there, don’t worry about being alone. Market folks are usually pretty chatty and outgoing people and working in the same industry is a great starting point to start conversations. Everybody loves to talk about their markets, a simple question like “what market are you involved in?” will get the ball rolling.
Bring your real stories
The workshops are designed to give practical solutions to real‑life issues. Whether you had a season full of growth or a season full of lessons, sharing those experiences builds trust and sparks the most meaningful chats. Others often face the same challenges or can share insights on how they overcame similar hurdles in the past. The conference is a save space where we support and celebrate each other.
Prepare a small list of intentions
Try setting three goals. Maybe you want to improve operations, find inspiration for new community programming or connect with market organizers in your region. Clear intentions make it easier to select and absorb the sessions that matter most.
Share your takeaways afterwards
Once the conference wraps up, keep the conversation going within your market community, whether that’s with vendors, fellow market managers, your Board of Directors or other stakeholders. Sharing insights helps everyone level up and strengthens the whole provincial network of markets.
I’d love to share a virtual tea with you to reflect and talk shop. Ideas, Insights, and Inspiration are what make a conference great but it’s our actions afterwards that truly matter. Let’s turn our intentions into actions as we prepare for another market season! Click here to set a time to connect. This is not a sales pitch, just market folks talking shop and sipping tea.
Whether you’re attending for one day or the full experience, this weekend is full of meaningful learning, delicious food, and the kind of market magic that fuels the season ahead. I’ll be wearing a few hats at the same time, representing my farmers market, the board of directors and MyMarketScout. If you spot me somewhere in the halls please come say hi! I can’t wait to see you there.
Lettuce talk soon,
Isabel
