Campaign Management Seminar

Every other year, during non-election years for the Ohio General Assembly and the U.S. Congress, the Ohio Farm Bureau works together with nine other business and agricultural organizations to co-sponsor a two-day campaign management seminar designed for candidates who are committed to a strong free enterprise system.  The seminar is offered to members of Farm Bureau and the co-sponsoring organizations' members that are interested in running for office.  The seminar is open to candidates or potential candidates and their spouses and campaign managers.  The seminar has traditionally been facilitated by a staff person from the American Farm Bureau Federation.

The seminar is open to candidates interested in running for office at all levels.  Past participants have included candidates running for township trustee, mayor, county sheriff, county commissioner, state representative, state senator, and U.S. Representative.

One activity during the seminar that is always remembered is the mock interview in which participants are filmed while a professional reporter asks several questions.  Following the interviews, the participants, the reporter, and seminar facilitator review and analyze what each participant did right and what could have been done better had the interview been a real event on the campaign trail.

A sample agenda from the 2007 conference is in the brochure to the left.  Plans are being developed for the 2009 conference now.  The dates and registration information will be posted on this page in the spring of 2008.

The 2007 campaign management seminar sponsors were the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Society of CPA's, Ohio Corn Growers, Ohio Association of Realtors, Nationwide Insurance & Financial Services, National Federation of Independent Business, Ohio Insurance Institute, Ohio Soybean Association, and Ohio Manufacturer's Association.