Agritourism entrepreneurs, economic development staff, and local government leaders will gather on Wednesday, April 3, and Thursday, April 4, 2019, at the Hotel Roanoke for the 2019 Virginia Agritourism Conference, and you are invited!

Virginia agritourism celebrates its $2.2 billion in economic impact, and Virginia farms strive to expand this growth by continuing to offer each guest with unique adventures on Virginia farms.

The fifth annual Virginia Agritourism Conference provides agritourism entrepreneurs access to the best resources and the opportunity to gather ideas that can be adapted to their own farms.  The 2019 conference features interaction with experts on developing an agritourism operation, celebrating the successes and managing the challenges of agritourism, delivering exceptional customer service, marketing the operation through multiple sources, ensuring farm safety, hosting events, building a regional approach, and networking with other agritourism farms.  During the afternoon of Day 1, participants will visit two or three agritourism venues related to orchards, wineries, festivals, and local products.

“Participants reported that the 2018 conference exceeded their expectations and delivered the right information at the right time,” said Martha Walker, community viability specialist for Extension.  “The 2019 conference will offer an exceptional lineup of people who understand Virginia agritourism and are well-prepared to share their knowledge.  All those working with agritourism will want to be in Roanoke for this conference.” 

Tours will feature Homestead Creamery, Ikenberry Orchards, Amethyst Acres, Jeter Farm, Peaks of Otter Winery, and more.

Conference Registration

• Register now and get the Early rates.  Just visit https://tinyurl.com/2019Agritourismconference and complete the registration process before Friday, March 22.

• You may register for one day ($105) or both days ($135).
  • After the March 22 registration deadline, no refunds will be offered and all registration fees increase to $200.

Hotel Reservation 

• A block of rooms is available at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center for the nights of April 2 and April 3.
  • Individuals are responsible for their own lodging.

• Use the following link https://tinyurl.com/2019Hotel to book your hotel reservation.
  • Or call the Hotel Roanoke directly at 540-985-5900 or toll free at 866-594-4722 and reference the Virginia Agritourism Conference room block to receive a group rate of $111 for single occupancy or $131 for double occupancy.
• After the cutoff date of Friday, March 8, these rates will no longer be available to the group.

For more information, contact: Dr. Martha A. Walker, Virginia Cooperative Extension, by phone at 434-766-6761 or by e-mail at walker53@vt.edu.

Conference Sponsors

The conference is sponsored by Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia State University Small Farm Outreach Program, Virginia Tourism Corporation, Virginia Association of Counties, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Virginia FAIRS, Virginia Farm Bureau, USDA Rural Development, Virginia Tech, and Virginia Agribusiness Council.