CONTACT INFOBarb Shopland, 705.728.1968, ext. 1414 or barb.shopland@georgiancollege.ca

GeorgianCollege.ca/foodentrepreneurship

PRESENTS

FOOD ENTREPRENEURSBuilding Ontario innovation one product at a time

Thursday, March 3 and Friday, March 4, 2016Georgian College Barrie Campus, One Georgian Dr., Barrie

• Connection café• Pitch sessions• Panel discussions with successful

entrepreneurs and industry experts• Learn about innovation, human

resource management, food safetyculture, product idea viability,and more

• Plenary sessions on innovation andthe future of food

• Breakout sessions tailoredto established and new foodentrepreneurship businesses

• And much more!

REGISTRATIONNOW OPENVisit GeorgianCollege.ca/FEONor call 705.728.1968, ext. 1774Packages startingat $50

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 28, 2016

AMI and Georgian College announce partnership for food entrepreneurship conference March 3 and 4

Food entrepreneurs from across Ontario interested in moving their businesses forward won’t want to miss a unique two-day conference in Barrie March 3 and 4.

“Food Entrepreneurs: Building Ontario innovation one product at a time” will offer food business owners practical information on overseeing and executing strategy, product idea viability, collaborating for growth, food safety culture, innovation, and more.

The two-day event is offered by the Agri-Food Management Institute (AMI) in partnership with Georgian College and local municipalities and economic development partners, as well as the County of Simcoe and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The conference is being held at the Barrie Campus of Georgian College on March 4, preceded by pre-conference seminars at the Kempenfelt Conference Centre in nearby Innisfil on March 3.

The pre-conference seminars will introduce new entrants or newly established businesses to food safety regulations and food nutrition labelling considerations.

The conference includes a “Made in Ontario Showcase” where successful entrepreneurs will share the stories of how they developed their businesses, display their products and provide products for sample and sale.

Input supply companies and a “business development alley” with supporting organizations such as Community Futures, AMI and Georgian who work to help businesses increase their competitiveness

Concurrent breakout sessions will be tailored to two streams of learning: established and newly established businesses.

Plenary sessions will speak to innovation and the future of food, while pitch sessions will help entrepreneurs looking for tips on pitching a new product or business to possible investors, buyers, distributors and/or partners.

The “Connection Café” will allow participants to get the most out of their conference experience by joining in on a facilitated networking session to network and look for input from their peers on burning issues impacting their operations or business planning.

Georgian College and its Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre are leaders in sector to provide events and training for food and beverage entrepreneurs. Georgian and HBEC work with local municipalities and

NEWS RELEASE One Georgian Dr. Barrie ON L4M 3X9 T. 705.728.1968F. 705.722.5170GeorgianCollege.ca

economic development partners, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), and local leaders in the food sector.

The Agri-food Management Institute (AMI) promotes new ways of thinking about agribusiness management and aims to increase awareness, understanding and adoption of beneficial business management practices by Ontario agri-food and agri-based producers and processors.

For more information visit: www.georgiancollege.ca/food-entrepreneurship , email foodinfo@georgiancollege.ca or call 705.728.1968, ext. 1774.

To register, visit: www.georgiancollege.ca/feon . —30—

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES: Contact Mark Hall, Senior Communications Specialist, Georgian College at mark.hall@georgiancollege.ca or 705-728-1968, ext. 1008.

Georgian’s leadership in co-op, student work experience and entrepreneurship education delivers powerful ways to accelerate your learning, your career and your future. With more than 125 career-focused programs across seven locations in Central Ontario – Barrie, Midland, Muskoka (Bracebridge), Orangeville, Orillia, Owen Sound and South Georgian Bay (Collingwood) – Georgian has 11,000 full-time students and 28,000 Part-time Studies registrations annually and is home to the one-of-a-kind University Partnership Centre. Georgian has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers seven times and one of Canada’s Greenest Employers five years in a row.

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Farmers-to-ProcessorsThinking about taking your farming to the next level and processing on-farm?

Join our Transition Smart – Farmers to Processors workshop February 20 and 27, 2016 at the Georgian College Barrie Campus or March 12 and 13, 2016 in St. Jacobs.This workshop was developed through the strategic partnership between AMI and Georgian College. The focus is connecting farmers with the tools to become processors. Covering everything from operational planning, marketing, product development to pricing, distribution and sales. The workshop will focus on practical preparation tools that can be immediately implemented and identifying feasible value-added opportunities for your farming business.

Register now as space is limited! The workshop is $179 plus HST.Visit GeorgianCollege.ca/Farmers or call us at 705.728.1968 ext. 1605.

TRANSITION SMART

DAIRY

EGGSMEATS &POULTRY

BEANS &GRAINS

FRUIT &VEGETABLES