Northeast Indiana Local Food Forum

Rescheduled to September 14, 2020 as part of Local Food Week! Join us for Farm Tours, Special Restaurant Promotions & so much MORE!

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Date & Location

Monday, September 14, 2020
8am to 6pm

International Ballroom in Walb Union
Purdue University Fort Wayne

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Learn.

Explore ways to expand our local food system during breakout sessions and panel discussions with regional experts.

Eat.

Enjoy lunch and refreshments made from scratch using locally sourced ingredients and meet the farmer who produced them!

Mingle.

Meet producers, buyers, chefs and consumers from across our region at our Local Food Expo & network during the Social Hour!

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Registration

Early Bird registration will remain open through July 31, 2020 or until we sell out!

Individual Registration for the Local Food Forum includes full day of Forum programs, local food lunch, and admission to the Local Food Expo, Social Hour & Food Demonstrations. Attendees are welcome to come and go during the day, as needed. Student and Senior Discounts are available. 

Registration as a Local Food Expo Exhibitor includes ONE Local Food Expo Exhibitor Booth + Registration for TWO attendees to the Local Food Forum which includes full day of Forum programs, local food lunch, and admission to Local Food Expo, Social Hour & Food Demonstrations.  Registration as a Local Food Expo Exhibitor is LIMITED and will likely FILL UP QUICKLY.

Scholarships

We welcome the opportunity to provide scholarships to cover the cost of Forum registration thanks to the generosity of our Event Sponsors. Please reach out to us to request a scholarship. 

Student & Senior Discounts

We offer special discounted tickets for both Students attending K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and Seniors age 65 and above.

Group Discounts

Yes, we offer group discounts. Please ask your group leader to email Janet@NEIfood.org for details.

Join us! All are welcome!

Connect with local farmers, food producers, chefs, community leaders, dietitians, healthy food and sustainability advocates and local consumers as we come together to learn, share ideas and grow our local food community.

Our theme for the 2020 Forum is Growing Our Future through Our Food. Let’s look ahead to the next decade and plan our strategy for building a sustainable and thriving local food economy in both our urban and rural communities.

Come Learn, Eat & Mingle at this informative day-long event!

Join 200+ Forum attendees for our Keynote Conversation as we explore our theme of Growing Our Future through Our Food. Choose from 8 different Breakout Sessions for opportunities to learn and interact with local experts. Lightning Talks will share information about community programs & opportunities to collaborate in a fast, fun format.

Breakout Session topics for 2020 include Regional Farm-to-School initiatives, Lessons from Cincinnati's regional food system collaborations, Discussion on Indiana Food Charter, The Northeast Indiana Food Council, Growing and rescuing local food to reduce food insecurity, Seed saving, Defining what food words mean, and Understanding HAACP Certification. See the Event Schedule for a complete listing!

Event Schedule

• 7:30 AM:  Expo Exhibitor Registration & Set-up

• 8:00 AM:  Attendee Registration & Visit Local Food Expo

• 9:00 AM:  Welcome & Opening Remarks

• 9:30 AM:  Keynote Conversation on Growing Our Future through Our Food

• 10:30 AM:  Local Food Scholarship Awardees & Value of our Local Food Stories

• 11:00 AM:  Poster Session, Local Food Expo, & Record your Local Food Story

  • Poster Session (11am - Noon)

    NEW for 2020! Share information about your local food program, project or academic research during our informal poster session.

  • Local Food Expo (8am - 9am, 11am - Noon, 4pm - 6pm)
    Visit 40+ exhibitors from local food businesses, farms and food-focused organizations from across Northeast Indiana. Find new opportunities to grow your business, identity new partners and learn ways to get involved with our local food community. 

  • Record your Local Food Story (11am - 6pm)
    Share your own story about farming and food during this storybanking opportunity hosted by the Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition. More details to come!

• Noon:  Delicious Local Food Lunch with optional Table Topic Discussions

• 12:45 PM:  Lightning Talks

• 1:45 PM:  Breakout Session #1 (Choose from 4 topics)

  • What’s This Label? The Meaning of Local Food Words

  • Bridging the Gap Between Local Food and Local Kids - Northeast Indiana Farm to School Team

  • The Indiana Food Charter - A Discussion

  • Growing Our Future Through Seeds

• 3:00 PM:  Breakout Session #2 (Choose from 4 topics)

  1. Lessons in Cincinnati’s efforts at Regional Food System Collaboration

  2. A Seat at the Table: The Northeast Indiana Food Council

  3. Food Waste Reduction and Feeding Hungry People

  4. Understanding HAACP Certification

• 4:00 PM:  Local Food Social Hour + Food Demonstrations + Local Food Expo

• 6:00 PM:  Adjourn

Poster Session Guidelines & Information

Share information about your local food program, project or academic research during our informal poster session. Read complete Poster Session Guidelines and Apply to present a poster to share your work and interact with Local Food Forum attendees.

Give a Lightning Talk

Do you have a local food project or idea that you would like to share?  Apply to present a “Lightning Talk” during the Local Food Forum!  You’ll have 3-4 minutes in front of a supportive audience to share your great idea. We’ll share your contact info with everyone so you can connect with others who are interested in collaborating.

Sponsorship Opportunties

Show your Support for Local Food!

Our Event Sponsors receive valuable benefits including a Complimentary Local Food Expo Exhibitor Booth. We offer 3 sponsorship levels for cash or in-kind donations starting at $250. Deadline to be included in Sponsorship promotions is August 31, 2020.

Open to individuals, organizations, and businesses

We invite individuals, organizations, and businesses who are interested in growing our local food system across Northeast Indiana to become an Event Sponsor for the 2020 Local Food Forum. Your contributions of financial and/or in-kind resources are welcome, Sponsorship levels for in-kind donations are based on the retail value of the products donated.

Your generous sponsorship allows us to offer:                 

• Budget-friendly registration fees for Individuals and Expo Exhibitors                                                               

• Scholarships for complimentary event registration and discounted registration for Students and Seniors

• Delicious, healthy local food fare sourced from our local food producers.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Harvest Sponsor: $1,000 +

• Admission to 2020 Local Food Forum for eight (8) attendees

• Special Recognition during the Local Food Forum. Your logo and testimonial about local food displayed during the Forum, Expo and Social Hour

• Special recognition on Northeast Indiana Local Food Network social media and website

• Opportunity to include promo materials in Local Food Forum welcome packets

• Complimentary Local Food Expo Exhibitor booth

Field Sponsor : $500 +

• Admission to 2020 Local Food Forum for four (4) attendees

• Recognition during the Local Food Forum. Your logo displayed during the Forum, Expo and Social Hour

• Recognition on Northeast Indiana Local Food Network social media and website

• Opportunity to include promo materials in Local Food Forum welcome packets

• Complimentary Local Food Expo Exhibitor booth

Seed Sponsor: $250 +

• Admission to 2020 Local Food Forum for two (2) attendees

• Recognition with other Seed Sponsors during the Local Food Forum. Your logo displayed with other Seed Sponsors during the Forum, Expo and Social Hour

• Recognition on Northeast Indiana Local Food Network website

• Opportunity to include promo materials in Local Food Forum welcome packets

• Complimentary Local Food Expo Exhibitor booth

We welcome your question regarding event sponsorship and our in-kind donation needs. The deadline to receive sponsorship recognition prior to the Local Food Forum is August 31, 2020.

To become an Event Sponsor, reserve your complimentary Expo Exhibitor booth and register your attendees, please contact Janet Katz, the Director of the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network at Janet@NEIfood.org or (260)241-2260.

Thank you for your investment in the future of our Local Food Community!  Your generous support makes the Northeast Indiana Local Food Forum possible.

Volunteer Opportunities

We LOVE our volunteers who help this day-long Forum run smoothly. Please consider volunteering your time to help us set up, clean up and organize programs throughout the day. Review our list of Volunteer Needs and let us know when you are willing to help. Those who sign up for TWO (2) or more shifts to volunteer will be emailed a Promo Code to receive FREE Registration to the Local Food Forum, as long as volunteer slots are available. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Expo Exhibitor Opportunities

Be a part of the Local Food Forum! Register to be a Local Food Expo Exhibitor! Take advantage of this opportunity to reach out to over 200 consumers, food buyers, farmers, food producers and others local food enthusiasts. Reserve a booth NOW for your farm, business, or organization. 

Apply to receive an Expo Exhibitor Scholarship thanks to Leann White

Leann White is a strong community advocate and supporter of local food. Her generosity makes it possible for the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network to offer 5 Local Food Expo Exhibitor booths free of charge to local businesses or organizations who otherwise would not be able to afford to participate in the Local Food Forum. Four of these Scholarships have been awarded, but ONE SCHOLARSHIP is still available. Learn more about this scholarship OR Apply for a Leann White Expo Exhibitor Scholarship. Applications deadline is June 30, 2020.

More Information

Help support our Local Food Producers

We contribute $5.00 from EACH paid Forum Registration to the Northeast Indiana Local Food Scholarship Fund. These scholarships help our local food producers get the training and networking opportunities they need to produce more local food. Winners of our 2019 Local Food Scholarships will share their stories at the 2020 Forum.

Parking

FREE parking is available in the P2 Parking Garage adjacent to the Walb Union on the Purdue University Fort Wayne campus

Food & Beverages

We source all the ingredients for this event as locally as possible.  If you know a local food producer who may be interested in being an in-kind sponsor for this event, please let us know. In-kind donations will be accepted on an as-needed basis at the discretion of our Local Food Planning Committee.

The light breakfast, local food lunch and social hour refreshments will include a selection of foods for those who eat gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan diets. You will be asked to specify your food preferences as part of your event registration.

During the Social Hour, a cash bar will be available for those interested in purchasing locally produced beers, wines, cocktails and kombuchas. Free non-alcoholic beverages will also be served.