The Sixth Annual Making It In Michigan Conference Offers Food Entrepreneurs The Oppo

LANSING, Mich. - Oct. 14, 2013 - PRLog -- EAST LANSING, Mich. – The MSU Product Center is pleased to announce the sixth annual Making It In Michigan Conference and Premier Specialty Food Show to be held Tuesday, November 12^th from 7:30AM – 4:00PM at the Lansing Center.

“As this year also marks the 10^th anniversary of the MSU Product Center, the theme of this year’s conference is ‘Celebrate Your Business’ – accelerating your achievement at every stage of your company,” states Matthew Birbeck, MSU Product Center’s High Impact Venture Action Team Project Manager. “It will be exciting for attendees to learn more about growing their own brands and making their businesses more efficient and profitable,” says Birbeck.

Tim McIntyre, Vice President of Communications for Domino’s Pizza, will deliver the conference keynote address. Mr. McIntyre will present the story of how Domino’s Pizza broke all of the rules of traditional marketing to reinvent its brand including airing consumer criticisms, showing bad product and exposing the secrets behind food commercial shoots.

The one-day event features morning educational sessions that will bring together leading Michigan experts to help guide attendees in refining and growing their businesses in the following areas:

• It’s about the product in the package: moving past the starter recipe into explosion, food safety and sourcing ingredients and selecting the appropriate co-packer at the right time

• Growing your specialty food business even further: alleviating the growing painsassociated with accelerated businessgrowth and strategizing your entry into retail sales

• Marketing Your Food Product: designing your product label and retail sales tools and minimizing confusion about your product packaging by correctly assessing your product needs

• Keeping the regulatory requirements in check: obtaining legal protection for your business and your product – essential vs. suggested elements including patents, trade secrets and trademarks and getting food product licensing by the State of Michigan – existing foodservice operation expansion or new food business launch

The $79 per person conference registration fee includes breakfast, lunch, and educational sessions, digital copies of all presentations and reference materials and admission to the Marketplace trade show.

The Marketplace trade show in the afternoon will feature over 150 new and existing businesses that will be showcasing their Michigan-made food and agricultural products to the general public and Michigan-based food buyers. The trade show is free to the general public.

Conference participants will also have time to network with the winners of this year’s MSU Product Center awards and learn from their success stories. Awards will be presented for the Best Barrier Buster, Start-up to Watch and Entrepreneur of the Year. MSU Product Center innovation counselors and staff members, Product Center clients, business consultants, regulatory officials and food and farming groups will also be available to provide in-depth information and counseling.

More information and conference registration is available at www.productcenter.msu.edu/miim/registration. Those interested in attending can also call Greta McKinney at 517-353-7185 or send an email to mckin134@msu.edu.

About the MSU Product Center

Founded in 2003, the MSU Product Center helps Michigan entrepreneurs develop and commercialize high-value, consumer-responsive products and businesses in the agriculture, natural resources and bioeconomy sectors. The Center’s statewide network of innovation counselors provides business counseling support to Michigan residents interested in starting or expanding a business or product line.

The Product Center’s assistance in launching 310 known new businesses and business expansions has had the following estimated economic impacts:

• Increased annual sales: $317.24 million (cumulative first year sales only)

• Value of increased investment: $317.9 million

• Jobs created: 1,062

• Jobs retained: 496