What do chocolate, salad and $1.5 million have in common? They all will be given away at WIAS 2023
By Michelle Pelletier Marshall, Women in Agribusiness Media (August 29, 2023)
In case you missed it, the WIA Summit has more than seven exciting special activities to round out the stellar content, networking, and collaborative opportunities at this year’s event in Nashville, September 26-28.
Complementing an industry-wide comprehensive agenda, which includes sessions such as “The Policy Landscape”, “The Power of Bio-based Crop Solutions”, “U.S. Farmland Values” and “Transformation in Transportation”, the special activities include tours, exclusive WIA MeetUps and skill-building workshops (note that all require additional registration and space is limited).
Adding to that lineup is The Radicle Inclusion Challenge Presented by Nutrien, which will be hosted in conjunction with the WIA Summit for the first time. The Inclusion Challenge was designed to reach food and agtech entrepreneurs who: identify as female and/or BIPOC, or are from groups historically underrepresented in agriculture, or are committed to diversity inclusion, while advancing a sustainable food value chain. Two winners, who will split the $1.5 million award, will be chosen from four panelists who will use this Pitch Day at WIA Summit to showcase their innovative agtech product or solution. Think Shark Tank!
Other special activities include:
Members-only Night Out featuring live music and networking at the Listening Room Cafe.
Skill-based workshops: “Negotiate Like A Pro”, led by WIA Summit keynote speaker Meggie Palmer, founder and CEO of PepTalkHer. Palmer will share tactics for recording wins, approaching negotiations with confidence, stating your ask, and arriving at an outcome that is beneficial to all parties.
Additionally, for those interested in leveraging their messaging to the sector, there is a “Media Training: Connecting With Your Audience” workshop where participants will learn the best practices for outreach and how to book and nail an on-air interview. They also will be introduced to the assets needed to ensure people stay engaged and gain an understanding of the best digital practices for connecting with an audience.
There's also the annual Women in Protein Dinner, which offers a unique occasion for accomplished women leaders in the protein industry to convene and network. This year's gathering will take place at The Standard at the Smith House, the last remaining grand townhouse in downtown Nashville.
Tours of Taylor Farms, a state-of-the-art packaging plant in nearby Smyrna that prepares some of America's favorite salads and healthy, fresh foods. This behind the scenes look includes firsthand views of how they chop and package 7,500 cases of salad per day, and process over 30,000 fruit bowls a day.
Tours of the Hatcher Family Dairy Farm, an operation that spans over 500 acres and has been in business since 1831 through six generations. Located in College Grove, Tennessee, operations also include a veterinary clinic, a mobile vet service and a creamery.
Attendees can also make (and enjoy!) the official candy of Nashville – Goo Goo Clusters – in a hands-on class. Participants will learn about the history about this confection of caramel, marshmallow nougat, fresh-roasted peanuts and real milk chocolate, which was developed in 1912 and is said to represent the first time a candy bar consisted of more than just one principal ingredient.
To claim your space in one (or many!) of these special activities, take a look online.
