Agritourism Partnerships in Illinois

	Speaker:
	Bruce Wicks Assoc Professor University of Illinois
	Description: The goal of this session will be to provide a first-hand account of how an Agritourism initiative was launched and developed in Illinois. Until recently, Illinois was a state that had some Agritourism enterprises but its focus was largely on "corn and beans" as other products and their valuable markets were ignored or under-valued. That situation has changed significantly over the past two years. An Agritourism association had been launched, a sophisticated database of Agritourism destinations has been created, a promotional video has been produced, workshops and seminars have been delivered and training materials are being disseminated to producers. Although much progress has been made in our efforts to promote Agritourism in Illinois, and sharing that with other states is certainly important, the underlying reasons for the successes we wish to highlight are the partnerships that have been created throughout the process. This initiative has truly been one of collaboration with partners that heretofore maintained their respective distances. Examples of collaboration include but are not limited to the following: The Land-Grant University partnering with other state universities to produce workshops and training materials. Farm Bureau staff joining the "Agritourism team." Closer working relationships between Extension and our state Department of Agriculture. Positive new linkages with commodity groups and sustainable ag interests. And most importantly, the growing understanding between the tourism and agriculture industries that important and lucrative synergies between them should be nurtured and promoted. Objectives: Learn how partnerships both within and between the tourism and agricultural sectors can be created and maintained to support an Agritourism initiative. Gain an understanding of how the communication/education tools that were developed can be integrated into an Agritourism program. Method: Narrative discussion of this case study. Video presentation Online demonstration of website and database Handouts Target Audience: Tourism or agriculture agency personnel interested in promoting Agritourism