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Agritourism Diversification: In-Person Classes

Classes provide agritourism operations with an effective way to diversify their offerings, giving them the opportunity to make use of their existing resources and expertise.

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Updated:

September 28, 2023

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People in a gardening class; Photo credit: neslihan-gunaydin/Unsplash

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Offering classes provides you the opportunity to offer your customers or the public an ideal setting to learn from your expertise. Classes can be offered in-person or virtually and tailored to a variety of topics and activities.

To begin, think about your business objectives for providing classes. How will each class you offer add to the experience consumers have with your agritourism operation? Should classes be a natural complement to your existing offerings? Which type of classes align with your brand? For instance, a children’s crafting class may not be a fit for a business that provides trail rides.

Profitability should be another consideration when contemplating the addition of classes. Keep in mind that profit is the difference between revenue and expenses.Therefore, you'll need to carefully take stock of all expenses associated with offering each class; supplies (whether purchased or from your farm business), samples (typical for food-related classes), marketing, labor/staff/instructor, table &and chair rental, snacks and beverages, and so forth. Revenue will demand that you accurately assess demand for classes as well as determine an appropriate price point. Ideally, all classes should generate a profit, but how large of a profit is up to you in accordance with your business goals. For instance, you may decide that you want to offer a class, or classes, to generate foot traffic through your on-farm store, hopefully leading to additional sales for products that you already offer.

Planning Considerations

For each type of class that you want to offer, spend adequate time considering the following issues.

Format

Class size -How many participants/guests can you host and accommodate in a manner that leads to an enjoyable experience for everyone? Some types of classes will be ideal for small groups, while others may lend themselves to larger group sizes.
Hands-on vs. demo only – Will class participants be involved in hands-on activities, or will the class be demonstration only? For instance, some orchards host pruning classes/workshops where participants learn about proper pruning techniques but do not practice on the host farm’s trees.
Open to public or private/group reservation – Consider whether to offer your classes to the public, which may result in varying class sizes, or target specific groups to ensure the ideal number of participants. Some agritourism owners have advertised their classes as team-building activities for businesses or as events for occasions like bridal or baby showers.
Admission/Registration – If classes are open to the public, will you require advance registration? Not requiring advance registration can make it difficult to ensure that you have supplies in the correct quantities but requiring it could deter people from registering if they’re unsure of their plans or schedule.

Materials/Supplies

Develop a thorough list of all the materials and supplies that will be required when offering each type of class. Differentiate between one-time use and multi-use items. For instance, will you need to rent a tent or tables and chairs?

Instructor and Staff Needs

Who will be leading each class? You, the agritourism owner, do not have to serve as an instructor for all classes.You may decide to only lead classes that are squarely in your area of expertise while simply identifying instructors for classes that align with your business but you are not an expert at.

Third parties holding classes on your property

You should not assume that your farm business liability insurance will automatically extend coverage to third parties offering classes. It is crucial to thoroughly review your coverage and options with your insurance provider before hosting other businesses and vendors at your agritourism location. Vendors should carry their own insurance for added protection.

Support

Additionally, consider how many staff or assistants are needed to help with the class. If offering a hands-on class with a larger number of participants, a sole instructor may find it difficult to provide each person with the attention and assistance they may need. Additional support may also be required for safety purposes.You should consider the participant experience when determining how many staff to have on hand for each type of class.

Timing and Recurrence

Carefully consider the timing of classes to be offered.You may find that from a consumer demand perspective, many types of classes would be ideally offered during an already busy time for your business.For example, hosting pie-baking classes when strawberries are in season. Also, think about how many times you will offer an individual class – once a season, weekly, etc.

Discussion points

Make a list of topics that you want to discuss during classes.Participants will want to learn about more than simply how to perform tasks.They will likely be interested in hearing about the story of your farm, those who work there, anecdotes about the topic of the class, etc.

Price

The price you set for each class should be driven by expected expenses, anticipated customer demand, alignment with your brand, and profitability goals. Just as you might with any crop or livestock enterprise, developing a budget for each type of class will assist you in setting an appropriate price.

In-Person and On-Location

One benefit of offering classes is that the loyalty your customers have to your business can be strengthened. Customers also may enjoy the opportunity to interact with other individuals with similar interests. The potential for developing a community of people who are passionate about your classes can be a great asset to your agritourism business. The relationships that are built could also help to attract other customers as well. As the community grows and more people begin to participate, you may even find that new ideas start to emerge from the discussion.

In addition to the planning considerations listed previously, additional considerations for in-person on-location classes include:

Parking – Does your location offer adequate space for parking for the number of potential class participants? This may not be a concern for operations with a market, for instance, but for other types of agritourism operations parking space may need to be planned for.
Atmosphere - As with any other aspect of your agritourism operation, you should be cognizant of the atmosphere/environment that people will be exposed to wherever on your farm the class is held.
Cancellation vs. Rain Date – If a class is intended to take place outdoors and the weather is uncooperative, do you have a plan? Will the class take place rain or shine? Will the class be canceled or postponed? And will refunds or partial refunds be provided?

Some agritourism operations not based on alcohol production (i.e., wineries, breweries, distilleries) offer their classes as BYOB; that is, they allow alcohol consumption if the participants furnish their own beverages. Before offering this option, you should check with your municipality, insurance and zoning to ensure that allowing this is legal and that you will be covered from a liability standpoint.Just as important, carefully consider whether you are able and feel confident that you or another person with your business can handle any individual who may over-imbibe.

Final Words: Best Practices for Agritourism Classes

Classes can be a great addition to an agritourism business. This article covered numerous planning considerations for in-person class events.The following three best practices, however, are key for planning and providing an enjoyable class for everyone.

Create a document or checklist for each class that outlines class objectives, schedule/agenda, materials/supplies, staffing requirements, participant instructions, etc.
Do a 'dry run' of new class offerings.
Document how each class goes and make notes on areas to be changed for future offerings. In addition, you can ask your participants to fill out a short online survey, or hand out a paper survey, to ask about their experiences and what they would like to see in future classes.