Day 3 – Sessions and Speakers
Thursday 25th June 2026
7:30 AM - Registration opens
7:45 AM - 8:45 AM - Members of the Global Agritourism Network Committees will meet. Committee members should confirm the time and meeting room with their Global Agritourism Network Committee Chair
8:15 AM - 5:00 PM - Delegates can network and browse exhibition stands
9:00 AM - 10:20 AM - Breakout Sessions - choose one to attend
Session 7.1 Tours & Experiences
Director, Hospitality And Tourism Management Program
Dr. Brooke Hansen is Director of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program in the Muma College of Business at the University of South Florida. She is a Board of Directors member for Keep Florida Beautiful and the WellFed Community and serves as an Expert for Hospitality Net's World Panel. Her grants and publications focus on virtualization technologies for cultural heritage tourism, agritourism, sustainable businesses practices, eco-certifications in tourism, and promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She is a Fulbright Specialist in Serbia hosted by the University of Belgrade Faculty of Economics on extended reality applications for tourism.
Agritourism Manager
Clare Lee is the Agritourism Manager at Windy Station on the Liverpool Plains in northern NSW, Australia, a 24,000-hectare property owned by Romani Pastoral Company. Inspired to conserve and reimagine the 120-year-old State Heritage–listed woolshed, Clare has led the diversification of the property into agritourism. Her work blends agriculture with education, creativity, events and community connection, creating meaningful experiences that link visitors to the land. Raised on her family’s farm, Clare developed a deep appreciation for agriculture and rural community. She now enjoys building a purposeful life with her husband Dave and their three children.
Specialist In Agricultural Economics In Agriculture Extension Service
Tatiana Méndez Toro holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a Master’s in Agricultural Sciences with a concentration in Agricultural Economics, both from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. She also earned certifications in Agroecology and Digital Marketing, and completed her Ph.D. in International Business at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. As a recipient of the Gilman and Freeman Asia scholarships, she studied at the University of Oulu in Finland and Thammasat University in Thailand. She currently serves as an Agricultural Economics Specialist at the Agricultural Extension Service, College of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico and teaches in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology.
Session 7.2 Data Trends & Measurement
Agritourism Program Coordinator
Growing up in the Willamette Valley gave Audrey the opportunity to be familiar with diverse farming activities. Her efforts strive to bring education and understanding about the benefits of agritourism and farm-direct marketing as an additional revenue source to farmers, tourism groups and government entities. She is part of the OSU Extension Agritourism Working Group and currently collaborates with organizations such as Travel Oregon, nonprofits, economic development, and tourism offices. Audrey also works on efforts like agritourism research projects, individual teaching contacts, and instructs educational workshops. She currently lives on a small farm with her husband and raises Romney sheep.
Small Farms Educator
Melissa Fery is a Professor of Practice with Oregon State University Extension Service. She has been supporting Oregon agriculture and small farms in the areas of soil quality, small-scale livestock and pasture production, and land stewardship for over 20 years. Most recently she has been working with farmers and ranchers in her region to explore agricultural tourism and on-farm marketing to diversify income and aid in farm succession. Melissa and her family live on a small farm where they enjoy a rural lifestyle, growing plants and raising animals.
Partner
Caroline is a parter at Bannikin, a Canadian-based tourism consultancy at the intersection of food, culture, and adventure-based tourism. She works primarily with rural, remote, and emerging destinations and often focusses on culinary and agritourism development. In 2018, Caroline helped to facilitate the development of Scotland’s Food Tourism Action Plan.
Senior Researcher
Erika Quendler, is a senior researcher at the Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics, Rural and Mountain Research in Vienna (Austria). She holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. A central focus of her research is agritourism. She has made significant contributions to this field through scientific publications and active engagement in the Global Agritourismus Network.
Research Specialist
Claire Whitehouse, M.S. is a Research Specialist at the Center for Rural Studies, a social science research center at the University of Vermont, where she conducts quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research on local and regional food supply chains, agritourism, farm viability, and food systems networks. Claire received her B.A. in Theater and Hispanic Literatures and Cultures from Wesleyan University and her M.S. in Food Systems from the University of Vermont.
Session 7.3 Marketing & Market Research
Owner / Managing Director
Tara Lynn Hubbard is a regenerative entrepreneur and fourth-generation Floridian shaping enterprises that reconnect people with nature. Through Wonderfield Farm, Hubbard’s Ferry, and impact projects including the Egmont Key Alliance and The Sunline, she transforms tourism, transit, and community action into living models of regeneration. Rooted in Gulf Coast legacy and guided by a global vision, she builds systems that cultivate nature connectedness and create conditions for life to flourish.
Doctoral Student
Kara Rutter is a farmer, veteran, and agritourism advocate dedicated to helping rural communities thrive. A retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major, she co-operates Rutter's Ranch in Townville, South Carolina, raising heritage breed Mangalitsa pigs and producing artisan charcuterie. As President of Project Victory Gardens, she leads hands-on programs helping veteran farmers build sustainable agricultural businesses. Through a USDA-NIFA funded agritourism incubator, she works directly with farmer-veterans to develop enterprises rooted in their land and communities. Now a PhD candidate at Clemson University, Kara brings boots-on-the-ground experience to research that is practical, people-centered, and built for the real world.
Research Assistant
Dr Christelle van Zyl is a South African tourism researcher and practitioner specialising in agri-tourism development and destination marketing for rural and emerging destinations. Formerly a university lecturer in Tourism Management, she now supports research, training, and applied projects that strengthen farm-based tourism enterprises and local visitor economies. Her PhD research investigates agri-tourism development pathways in South Africa, focusing on farm-based experiences and sustainable value creation. Following her doctorate, she continues her studies in tourism marketing. She is actively involved in community skills development and local economic development initiatives that link education, small business, and place-based tourism growth.
Session 7.4 Research Focus
Master Student
I am a master’s student at the Graduate Institute of Tourism Management, National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism(NKUHT). It is the only university in Taiwan specializing exclusively in hospitality and tourism. My primary research focus is on agricultural tourism and rural tourism.
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Dr. Chih Yu Hsiao is an expert specializing in agritourism and farm management. His expertise includes agritourism experience design, farm/ on-site planning, and innovative farm operation and management. He is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Tropical Agriculture and International Cooperation at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Sarath Sennimalai is an agribusiness academic and researcher specializing in agritourism as a sustainable rural enterprise model. He serves as an Assistant Professor at Kumaraguru College of Technology, Tamil Nadu, India. His research integrates agritourism, farmer entrepreneurship, and diversified farm income strategies. He has conducted extensive demand and supply-side studies and developed policy-oriented models for sustainable implementation. His recommendations were incorporated into the Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Budget (2023-24), and he was inducted as a High-Level Committee Member by the Indian Agricultural Universities Association (2025). He also provides consultancy services to agritourism farmers across India, bridging academia, policy, and grassroots practice.
Postgraduate Researcher
Kamonpa is a lecturer in tourism industry management at Khon Kaen University, Thailand. She is currently a postgraduate researcher at Bournemouth University Business School, Poole, UK. From the perspectives of agritourism stakeholders, her doctoral research aims to develop a smart agritourism ecosystem framework that co-creates value at agritourism destinations. Agritourism and rural community development, the adoption of smart technology into tourism and agritourism, and smart tourism are among the topics she is interested in researching.
10:50 AM - 12:10 PM Breakout Sessions - choose one to attend
Session 8.1 Innovation
Advisor Sustainable Rural Development Program
Ilan Lazega is an Advisor with GIZ in Albania, working on rural development and agrifood systems. His work focuses on supporting farmers, agritourism businesses, and institutions to strengthen local value chains, improve food standards, and promote sustainable tourism. With a background in hospitality management and international cooperation, and experience across Europe, Latin America and South Asia, he brings a practical approach grounded in field work, with a focus on collaboration between public and private actors to bring concrete results and support resilient and sustainable rural economies.
Skills Manager
Ian works for Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Irelands Seafood Development Agency. As part of his role Ian manages the 'Taste the Atlantic' project, which was launched in 2017, and was designed to promote Irish seafood, coastal food culture, and seafood tourism along the Wild Atlantic Way. The initiative operates as a seafood trail and food tourism experience, encouraging visitors and local consumers to experience seafood in the regions where it is produced, learn about how it is caught or farmed, and engage directly with producers.
Véronique is a research professor at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) and co-director of the GastronomiQc Lab, a joint research unit of ITHQ and Université Laval in Quebec, Canada. She is a food scientist specializing in the physicochemical aspects of food that influence sensory qualities and culinary functionality. Her recent work focuses on sensory analysis approaches grounded in culinary practice and real-world restaurant contexts, with an emphasis on sustainable food systems and the valorization of culinary expertise and local products.
Session 8.1 Innovation
Certified Management Consultant
Pierre Cormier, CMC is a Canadian agritourism strategist, consultant, and educator working with farms, rural communities, and industry organizations across Canada and internationally. As Partner at ClearThink™ Group, he supports agricultural and food-based businesses through sector development initiatives, training programs, and coaching. Pierre serves as Treasurer and Education Committee member of the Global Agritourism Network (GAN) and contributes to international dialogue on agritourism policy, research, and capacity-building. His work in rural economic development and agritourism innovation has received national and international recognition, including professional consulting awards in Canada and honours through the Constantinus International Awards. His perspective combines immersive on-farm residencies, strategy development, and global collaboration to advance agritourism as a pathway to farm sustainability and resilient rural economies.
Representative Director
Mr. Nobuo Yofu has, as the Editor-in-Chief of “Nippon no Mura,” spent over 30 years supporting sustainable tourism and lifestyles in rural and fishing communities, as well as urban residents’ migration initiatives, while covering practitioners of agritourism across Japan.