The Oklahoma Agritourism Program is a joint program between the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry and the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department. Our statewide agritourism initiative has three facets: 1. Resource Development 2. Marketing and 3. Professional Association. Click here for an overview of the Oklahoma Agritourism Program.
Goal: Provide resources and information to agricultural producers involved in or looking to develop a agritourism attraction.
If you have an agritourism business, or are looking to develop an attraction, the best resource you have available to you is an agritourism coordinator who works in your area of the state and is dedicated to bringing expertise on tourism development to your farm and committed to connecting you with resources available to help your business grow. Get to know your agritourism coordinator: Jeff Weeks, Eastern Oklahoma Agritourism Coordinator; Lori Coats, Western Oklahoma Agritourism Coordinator.
Oklahoma Agritourism Resource Manual: A "getting started" guide for those of you looking to develop an agritourism destination - a good overview of resources for those of you that are already up and running.
Agritourism Rolling Workshops: Each year we have provided educational opportunitites for you to help develop your business. In the past we have hosted a series of regional agritourism workshops, as well as a statewide conference. All those events have been well-attended, and successful in bringing resources to you. However, we have listened to you, and we have learned that you all loved the bus tours associated with the statewide conference, you enjoy educational programming with speakers on different topics, but there is no good time of year for everyone. Therefore, we have created this year's Agritourism Rolling Workshop Series. This workshop experience combines the things you all loved - the bus tours and speakers - and have attempted to schedule a tour in each season, so you can find a time of year that works for you. If you are able to attend all the workshops, that's a great advantage to you because they will all visit different farms at different times of year and cover different topics, so join us on all tours for maximum impact to your business!!
Oklahoma Governor's Conference on Tourism: Take your seat at the table as part of the state's tourism industry by attending the Oklahoma Governor's Conference on Tourism, October 18-20, 2009 at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and Cox Convention Center.
These are challenging times and our individual and collective success depends on our ability to strategically combine our resources. This year's conference theme stresses the importance of working together to move our industry forward and provides specific inspiration and insight for the actions we need to take. This is the "don't miss" event for our industry, featuring two days of workshops, keynote presentations and opportunities to connect with colleagues. You will leave the conference with several ideas you can put into action the minute you return to your office. You will also learn how to take advantage of the hottest trends in the travel and tourism industry.
Workshops and general sessions will cover topics such as using and optimizing social media, finding your personal leadership style, developing tourism initiatives with American Indian tribes in Oklahoma, attracting film projects to your community, writing itineraries that work, engaging value seekers, exceeding customer expectations and more. See a full schedule and register for the conference at www.otia.info. The schedule will include an agritourism panel and many more awesome keynotes that will help you build your business as a tourism destination!!
As always, our industry's all-stars will be honored during the annual Redbud Awards dinner on Monday night.
Producer Website: This website is dedicated to serving as your source for information that pertains to your agritourism business. Visit the Business Resources page, where we have compiled a listing of resources that may help you as you grow your business.
Tourism Industry Links: The Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department has a host of resources and programs that you can take advantage of to help promote your business. Visit their website at www.travelok.com for the latest on the programs & research available for you.
Goal: Establish and market Oklahoma as a premier Agritourism destination, capitalizing on the diversity of experiences and the rich western heritage of Oklahoma.
Agritourism TV Commercial: The Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department's Fall Television Campaign includes an agritourism commercial. Be sure to check it out!!
Oklahoma State Fair: YOUR CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE OKLAHOMA STATE FAIR AT MINIMAL COST! The Oklahoma State Fair will be held Sept. 17-27 in Oklahoma City. We have purchased an agritourism booth and we will be renting our booth out to you at a minimal cost. The Oklahoma State Fair is a great way to reach thousands of Oklahomans that have an interest in Oklahoma vacations and products, but we know that often you can't be away from your busines for 11 days. So, we have purchased the booth space and will allow you to come into the booth and promote your business for 2-3 days at a time. Additionally, one agritourism staff member will be in the booth with you to help you work the booth for your time, making the investment to you minimal, but still giving you access to a very valuable market at the Oklahoma State Fair.
SLOTS ARE LIMITED!!
Septemberfest: CALLING ALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE MARKETING TO CHILDREN!!
We will have an agritourism tent at Septemberfest, which will be held Saturday, September 12. We still have two spaces left in our tent for any of you that are interested in bringing a booth and having a table with activities for children. This is a fantastic way to promote your business for the fall and we are offering the booth to you free of charge.
Septemberfest is an event hosted by the Governor and First Lady on the grounds of the Governor's Mansion that offers activities and events for kids of all ages. Each year for the past 12 years, approximately 30,000 kids and their parents have commenced on the grounds of the Governor's mansion for a day of family fun and children's activities. If you are interested in participating in the agritourism tent at Septemberfest, contact Jeff Weeks: 405-488-7532.
Agritourism Adventure Passport Program: This fall we are rolling out an Agritourism Adventure Passport program. This program will reward travelers who visit multiple agritourism destinations and log about their experiences at your farm. The goal of the program is to get travelers to visit multiple attractions and for us to be able to collect their contact information so we can begin to direct market to these customers on your behalf.
What do you have to do to participate? Your agritourism coordinator will be contacting you with details on the program. Handouts will be provided to each of you to have on site at your destination. Please promote this program!! It is a huge advantage to you when we can get information from these people and we can send them news from your farm on your behalf. It's advertising that we can do for you!!
What does this mean for you? You send us news from your farm, special events on your farm, sales you are having, features you are doing, anything that's happening at your location and we will be using social media and direct marketing to communicate all the things you send to us directly to the people that register their passports. It's free advertising directly to the people with passports that we will do on your behalf. All you have to do is email us the information!! It's that easy!!
Agritourism Website: List your business for free on the Agritourism website, which is a part of travelok.com. Visit http://agritourism.travelok.com.
Discover Oklahoma Agritourism Segment: Visit this page to see the Oklahoma Agritourism Segments featuring OAA Accredited Agritourism Attractions.
Agritourism Maps & Brochures: Listing in the Oklahoma Agritourism Map is free of charge to you. Businesses that are a part of the Oklahoma Agritourism inventory are included on the map and the categorical brochures at no charge. The map has been reprinted and will be debuted at the Oklahoma State Fair September 17. The categorical brochures include a piece on Hunting, Western Experiences, Land Bounty, Wineries and Teachable Moments (school field trips). Click the link to order a map or brochure.
Agritourism Literature Racks:If you are interested in displaying the agritourism maps and categorical brochures at your attraction or place of business, please order an agritourism literature rack, which will come packed with literature. The rack is free. To order your rack, contact Jeff Weeks jeffery.weeks@oda.state.ok.us.
Online Ad Campaign: Each year we invest in an online display and search campaign dedicated to driving travelers to our website to find you.
Coop Print Advertising: For the last two years the Oklahoma Agritourism program has offered a cooperative ad program, which allowed agritourism attractions to join the agritourism program in a print ad and split the cost of advertising in publications like Oklahoma Today, Metro Family, True West, Regional Newspaper Inserts, and other print advertising publications.
Travel Shows: As an Agritourism Program, we attend several travel shows each year with our agritourism materials and maps. The goal of our attendance is to help travelers find you.
Public Relations: With the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department as a partner, their public relations staff has been successful in landing several dozen agritourism stories in local, regional and national media in the last two years. We have an on-going public relations effort dedicated to pitching agritourism stories and keeping in-state and agritourism-based experiences in the spotlight as this industry continues to grow and develop.
Advertising Campaign: Follow this link to download Oklahoma's Growing Adventure Screensavers and find graphics for the advertising campaign.
Goal: Facilitate a professional networking Association, which includes an Accreditation Program that allows for peer review.
The Oklahoma Agritourism Association is the state's only professional agritourism association. Activities of the OAA are funded by private membership funds. More information on the Oklahoma Agritourism Association can be found on the OAA's website: www.oaa.memberlodge.org
It is through the OAA's Accreditation program that agritourism attractions may be eliglble to obtain state highway TODS signs. Once you become an OAA Accredited Member, you may then apply for Agritourism State Highway Signage. The TODS Signage Program is a function of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT). ODOT has agreed to accept agritourism attraction applications that meet the OAA's Accreditation Standards + the ODOT standards for location. If your attraction meets both the OAA Accreditation standards & ODOT's location standards, then you may make application for TODS signage, which includes the agritourism icon that represents your business. Visit the links below for details on the process, the standards, the cost, etc. If you have questions, contact the State Agritourism Office (405) 522-5652.
Agritourism Standards for Signage
Agritourism Signage Steps & Frequently Asked Questions
Agritourism TODS Signage Application
