Friday, September 14, 2007
Learning Opportunities
A couple weekends ago we hosted an open farm day as a part of the National Alpaca Farm Day celebration. The weather wasperfect and we were fortunate enough to have nearly 300 people tour the farm and see our alpacas. We were extremely pleased to be reminded that public interest in country living and raising a wonderful, eco-friendly animal like the alpaca is still extremely high.
But getting the curious to the farm is only the first step toward creating customers. Identifying and reaching the individuals and families that are truly interested and qualified to begin raising alpacas is quite another.
This is where many of us can use help. We fell in love with alpacas for the same reasons many of you did and decided to raise them for profit. With no marketing experience in our past careers, we continually seek out educational experiences to help us learn more about alpacas and how to market them more effectively. There are many educational opportunities available in the alpaca industry and we encourage all alpaca breeders and enthusiasts to take advantage of these.
One such opportunity came this past August at the Suri Network Summer Symposium in Estes Park, Colorado. The Suri Network staff and board of directors has dedicated a tremendous amount of time and resources in promoting the strategic growth of the Suri industry. The Summer Symposium was a reflection of all that work.
As first time attendees, we were really pleased with the organization and the quality of the entire symposium and especially the presentations. Since this was not a halter show that typically consumes a lot of time preparing and showing, we had plenty of time to network with other alpaca breeders and attend all the seminars which covered topics ranging from alpaca health to marketing. It was well worth the cost and time commitment of traveling to Colorado for a long weekend. All Suri Network members should consider attending next year (Aug. 14-17, 2008). We think you will be glad you did.