EAST LANSING, MI – The Michigan Farmers Markets Association (MIFMA) is hosting its sixth annual Market Manager Certificate Program in 2016, and registration for the full program is now open. The MIFMA Market Manager Certificate Program (MMCP) is a voluntary program designed to encourage farmers market managers to pursue leadership skills and professional development in topics essential to market management. Interested individuals can register and reserve their spot for the full program at www.mifma.org/mmcp.
The full program will include three in-person sessions and seven webinars, totaling more than 35 hours of instruction. The program will begin with in-person sessions hosted in Michigan and Illinois. The Michigan sessions will be held in Jackson and Chatham and the Illinois sessions will be held in St. Charles, Mt. Vernon and Springfield. The in-person sessions will be held on Saturday, January 23 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST, Saturday, February 6 from 9:00 – 4:00 p.m. EST and Saturday, February 20 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. EST. The webinars will start on Monday, January 25 and be held Mondays and Wednesdays through Monday, February 15 from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. CST.
By participating in the program, attendees will have the opportunity to network with other managers around the state while focusing on topics such as business planning, managing market growth, market governance, policy and enforcement, internal and external communication strategies, financial management and fundraising. Individuals who complete the full program receive a certificate acknowledging that they are a professionally trained farmers market manager. Since 2011, when the program began, 145 market managers from across the mid-west have received this recognition.
Registration for the full program is $300 for MIFMA or Illinois Farmers Market Association (IFMA) members or $600 for non-members. The cost for individual webinar registration is $20 for MIFMA or IFMA members or $50 for non-members and will open at a later date. Individuals looking to participate in the program can register online at www.mifma.org/mmcp by December 31, 2015.
To see the full Market Manager Certificate Program brochure or to get more information, visit www.mifma.org/mmcp or call 517-432-3381.