The 2025 Washington Farmers Market Conference welcomes you to learn from farmers market peers, partners, and other professionals to build your operational toolkit, organizational skills, and technical know-how. Most of all, build your community and realize your market goals!

This conference is for farmers market organizers — staff, volunteers, board members, vendors, community partners — whether this is your first season or your fifteenth. We welcome everyone working to bring good food and local farms into communities of every size and every corner of the Pacific Northwest. This coming together of experience and energy is just what you need to launch your season with fresh vitality!

🗎  Downloadable flyer for the 2025 WSFMA Conference.

February 21-22, 2025

100 Washington Ave, Bremerton, WA 98337 (map)
(360) 377-3785
info@kitsapconferencecenter.com
kitsapconferencecenter.com

We’re excited to see you at the Kitsap Conference Center in Bremerton, WA! We’ll be in the heart of the Puget Sound, easy to get to by ferry or car. Enjoy the Harborside Fountain Park and maritime views.

Registration

🎟️ Registration is via Eventbrite. Tickets prices through Friday, January 31 are:

  • $275 for General Admittance
  • $225 for WSFMA Member Farmers Markets

Click Here to Register

  • On February 1, registration price increases to $325 for General Admittance or $275 for WSFMA Member Farmers Markets.
  • On February 10, registration for all tickets closes. Space is limited and may sell out before February 10.
  • Registration includes Friday lunch and an evening Reception & Silent Auction at Kitsap Conference Center.
  • A la carte lunch and reception tickets are available for guests via Eventbrite.

Conference Schedule

🗎  Downloadable General Schedule for the 2025 WSFMA Conference.

🥕 Thursday, February 20. Early registration.

🥕 Friday, February 21. Full day.

  • Workshops digging into critical themes and vital “how-to” topics
  • Trade Show & Exhibitors eager to talk with you
  • Evening Reception & Silent Auction from 7:00pm to 9:00pm

🥕 Saturday, February 22. Half day.

  • WSFMA Annual Meeting
  • Workshops with practical experience and tools to apply to your market this season
  • Closing Plenary

Workshops!

  • Board Management and Non-Profit Legal Compliance: Getting your board in order so you can thrive! How to stay in compliance with state authority and avoid conflicts of interest in the farmers market world.
  • Building (or Refreshing) Your Manager Binder: An action lab where we’ll not only share what should be in your market day “manager binder” but help you get started on building it, so you can open the season ready for anything that might come your way in the booth.
  • Cities & Farmers Markets: Building a strong mutual relationship with your City leadership.
  • Cottage Foods Permit: Who needs it, how it works and what to expect as a Market Manager.
  • Farmers Market Finances: All about financing your markets, from finding the money to budgeting how it’s spent, addressing common misconceptions, and how to run it all by the book.
  • Farmers Market Nutrition Program: Get the latest on Farmers Market Nutrition Program including what’s new for 2025, supporting growers with reauthorization and the vendor portal, and how peer markets are working to increase outreach for Senior/WIC FMNP.
  • Food Access Programs Explained: An always-needed overview of all food access programs at the Farmers Markets. If you’re lost or new, we’re here to guide you!
  • Lightning Round: Get to know our exhibitors and sponsors through a series of short presentations.
  • Marketing Your Market Case Study: Jefferson County Farmers Markets will share their marketing methodology, how they designed it, and how they’re implementing it.  
  • Prepared Food at the Farmers Market: Hosting prepared food vendors and food trucks at the market.
  • SNAP Market Match & Independent Incentive Funding: A quick review of SNAP Market Match and 2025 updates followed by ways to independently supplement funding to increase your market’s matching ability.
  • State Policy and Advocacy for Farms & Markets: What’s on the agenda and how to actively participate in support of our region’s farms & markets.
  • Vendor Fees: The big question on every manager’s mind: are we charging vendors appropriately? We’ll talk value for vendors, look at peer examples, and payment methods.
  • Vendor Scheduling: Best practices and industry norms, choosing your vendor roster, and dealing with absences

Conference Lodging

We have WSFMA room blocks at two hotels. Both hotels are within walking distance of the Kitsap Conference Center. The Hampton Inn is closer. The Fairfield Inn & Suites has rooms available at the “government rate.”

The WSFMA room rate for both hotels is $134.00 per night through Friday, January 31.

  • Please use booking links below. After January 31, room rate and availability are not guaranteed.
  • You can also call the hotel. Please select 0, not “Group Sales or “Registration,” so you get someone on site who will be better able to help you with the group rate.
  • For the Fairfield, enter the dates you want and then it will shows availability. If you want to come before the Conference or stay afterwards, you can get the Conference room rate by calling the Fairfield directly.
  • For state employees, the “Government Rate” lodging rate is available at the Fairfield Inn & Suites only.
  • Rooms may be canceled as long as it is 48 hours in advance.

🥕 Fairfield Inn & Suites Seattle/Bremerton

239 4th St, Bremerton WA 98337 (map)
(360) 377-2111, Press 0 (not Group Sales or Reservations)

Booking Link: Group Link for WSFMA Conference Fairfield Inn Please enter dates and then it will show availability.
Booking Link: Government Rate for WSFMA Conference Fairfield Inn

🥕 Hampton Inn & Suites

150 Washington Ave, Bremerton WA 98337 (map)
(360) 405-0200, Press 0 (not Group Sales or Reservations)

Booking Link: Group Link for WSFMA Conference Hampton Inn
Group code: CHHFMA

Getting to Bremerton

The Bremerton Ferry Terminal and Foot Ferry Dock are within walking distance of the Kitsap Conference Center. There are two ferry options:

1) Kitsap Transit’s walk-on “Fast Ferry” (or “foot ferry”) crossing takes 30 minutes from Downtown Seattle. There are frequent ferries to choose from and some schedules connect with bus routes. Vehicles are not allowed on the Fast Ferry. For the most up-to-date schedule and additional information, please click here. Full fare is $2.00.

2) The Washington State DOT ferry is a 60-minute ferry ride from Downtown Seattle and allows vehicles. For the most up-to-date ferry schedule departing Seattle to the Bremerton Ferry Terminal and additional information, please click here.

Kitsap Conference Center is 32.8 miles away from the SeaTac airport via I-5 and Hwy 16.

Link to Visit Kitsap Peninsula

 

🥕 Questions? Please email info[at]wafarmersmarkets[dot]org or call us at (206) 706-5198.