Thursday, February 1, 2024

First-ever unconference planned


Three women executives have planned the first-ever unconference as an effort to address the labour shortage in Ontario’s agriculture industry.


Crystal MacKay, Mary Thornley and Brenda Trask call their Grow Our People an unconference “experience as it’s unlike any other event in agriculture.”


Dr. Rumeet Billan, Chief Learning Architect for Viewpoint Leadership, begins the event the evening of May 28th with her profound keynote on The Science of Trust and Belonging.  


The remainder of the event is comprised of interactive workshops focusing on skills such as communications, leadership, advocacy, and human resources. 


While these skills are valuable for any human, three streams of sessions will be set up for: individual leaders early in their career, people who manage people, and board members. 


The spirit of the event is to elevate people in agriculture and celebrate with good food, the organizing team said.


The meetings will be held in person at the Queen’s Landing vintage hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake from May 28-30. Registration is open at www.loft32.ca/growourpeople.


 The team said “attendees will leave the event with new skills, deeper networks, and a renewed sense of enthusiasm for our agri-food sector.”