Agri-food and Innovation Expo November 26 to 28

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Vauxhall Advance

By Heather Cameron
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

During a recent M.D. of Taber Council meeting, Council reviewed information regarding upcoming meetings and events. 

One of the pieces of information was a letter from Paloma Navarro, Industry Engagement Coordinator with Canada’s Premier Food Corridor (CPFC) for Economic Development Lethbridge informing the M.D. of Taber about the Lethbridge and District Exhibition’s upcoming Agri-food and Innovation Expo that will be at the Lethbridge Agrifood Hub from November 26 to 28.

According to Navarro’s message, the Agri-Food and Innovation Expo is a collaboration between Lethbridge and District Exhibition and Red Deer Westerner Park, alternating between venues each year. 

“This event aims to be a hub for agri-food businesses to discover new tools to help grow and diversify their businesses,” explained Navarro’s letter. “It is a gathering place for businesses to connect with like-minded experts across different agri-food sectors to foster innovation and growth within the agri-food landscape. Experts in the agri-food industry will provide the latest information on how to source funding, build your brand and develop impactful marketing strategies while focusing on sustainability and innovation.”

The letter stated that the event begins on Tuesday, November 26, with a ticketed Pre-Conference Agri-Food Tour that will last from 12 to 4 p.m. and include visits to Little Gem Winery in Nobleford, Prairie Hill Farms in Picture Butte, and Lethbridge Polytechnic’s Greenhouse/Aquaponics Centre. The letter says that the tour event will be followed by optional Pre-Expo Networking at various locations from 6 to 9 p.m.

Conference will then officially open on Wednesday, November 27 and includes a continental breakfast from 8:15 a.m. to 9 a.m. and will be followed by the Welcome Address from 9 to 9:10 a.m., a keynote address from 9:10 to 9:50 titled Putting Focus on Innovation When All They Want is Lower Prices given by Pete Chapman from SKUFood. That will be followed by a panel on the main stage titled Pioneering Sustainability in the Agri-Food Industry from 9:50 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., a networking coffee break from 10:30 a.m. to 11:25 a.m., and breakout sessions from 11:25 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. The afternoon’s events will begin at 1:05 p.m. with the afternoon keynote from 1:05 to 2 p.m. and will be followed by a panel on the main stage titled Innovative Marketing Strategies in the Agri-Food Sector from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., Networking opportunities from 2:45 to 3:30 p.m., hands-on workshops from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., mentoring workshops/networking, etc. from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., and the day will close out with an evening reception from 7 to 9 p.m.

Thursday, November 28, will be the concluding day of the Expo and that day will begin with registration and continental breakfast from 8:15 a.m. to 9 a.m. and be followed by the Welcome Address at 9 a.m. The morning keynote speaker will be Jo-Ann McArthur from Nourish Food Marketing speaking on What Does the Future Hold for Agri-Food? The keynote address will be followed by a main stage panel at 9:50 a.m. titled Creating Your Financial Recipe followed by a coffee break, networking, and exhibit browsing opportunities from 10:30 to 11:25 a.m. Breakout sessions will run from 11:25 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. and will be followed by lunch and more networking/exhibit browsing opportunities from 12:05 to 1 p.m. Hands-on workshops and mentoring workshops will be available from 1 to 2 p.m. and those will be followed by a coffee break, networking, and exhibit browsing opportunities from 2 to 2:45 p.m. and a main stage panel called Emerging Opportunities in the Agri-Food Industry from 2:45 to 3:30 p.m. The concluding event of the conference will be closing keynote speaker Christine Gould from GIGA, discussing From Innovation to Impact: Scaling Solutions to Unlock Trillions in Value for Food Systems Transformation from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

This event, the letter stated, also offers a number of ways for both organizations/service providers or agri-food businesses to become involved. Organizations/service providers are invited to become partners, the letter says, while agri-food businesses are invited to become exhibitors. 

“By becoming a partner, this conference offers a number of ways for you to get your brand in front of agri-food businesses,” said Navarro’s letter. “By becoming an exhibitor, you have the opportunity to get your product in front of experts in the industry while learning how to grow your business. We would also greatly appreciate your collaboration in sharing this event information with your community and network of businesses, helping us spread the word and maximize the impact of this event.”

The letter says that those interested in partnership opportunities can visit: https://agrifoodexpo.ca/partnerships/ while those interested in becoming an exhibitor can visit: https://agrifoodexpo.ca/exhibits/. 

“We would also greatly appreciate your collaboration in sharing this event information with your community and network of businesses, helping us spread the word and maximize the impact of this event,” said Navarro’s letter. “We hope to see you there!”

A motion was made to accept the memo and the letter, and the motion was carried.