ILR Lamaribbean 2007 Looking
to the Future
Cruise
Conference Recap
by Dar Wassink, ILR Office
NOTE: The opinions expressed by participants of the Lamaribbean are not necessarily
the opinions or desires of the ILR Board of
Directors
“First ILR Cruise/Conference rated a resounding success by
participants.”
from Keynote
Speaker Kevin Ochsner’s ‘Charting Your Course’
presentation
An outstanding motivational speaker, stimulating conversation with seventy plus fellow llama enthusiasts about creating a brighter future for the llama industry, abundant good food, 70 degree temperatures and plenty of opportunities for relaxation and exploring, all combined to create a very enjoyable and productive ILR Lamaribbean Cruise 2007.
When polled at the end of the cruise as to whether or not the ILR should plan for a similar cruise/conference in the future, several participants wanted to schedule one again for 2008 while virtually all the remaining participants thought 2009 would be an ideal time to participate in another conference on a cruise ship. In the near future the ILR Board will be discussing the possible scheduling of another cruise/conference and will get the word out as soon as possible regarding their decision. Maybe we’ll enjoy the opportunity to work again with John and Diane McGillis of Cruises, Inc. who so competently took care of us on this trip.
After a few hours delay in departing from Galveston on
Monday night, Lamaribbean participants gathered
bright and early on Tuesday morning to participate in a process called ‘Charting Your Course’, led by Kevin Ochsner, from Agri Business Group
(ABG), to identify the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats
facing the llama industry – a SWOT analysis. Kevin, who was raised on a farm in
Initially the individuals in the group shared their perceived industry trends and the implications of those trends as listed below; the SWOT analysis – defining perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, took place next creating more lists as outlined below following the trends and implications:
Trends - as Perceived by Attendees – not necessarily the opinions or desires
of the
- aging population of llamas
- economic drivers
- competition
- broader use base
- supply / demand is out of kilter
- we don’t have breeds
- regulations
- no cohesive educational program / leadership
- lack of trust in leaders
- no end market
- from breeders’ market to users’ market
- international fear of bioterrorism
- people migrating into the country
-
no global market –
- ILR does limited amount of advertising
- members are not bitter
- no cohesive organization
- un-level playing field
- more people buying llamas as pets
Implications of the Trends - as Perceived by Attendees – not necessarily
the opinions or desires of the
- fewer number of focused people to keep it going
- baby boomers have more income
- higher costs and more efficient
- alpaca industry is spending more dollars on marketing and doing a better job of creating perceived value
- market llamas to alpaca owners
- decreased prices for llamas
- decreased demand due to hassle factor
- confusion, lack of discretion
- no one is empowered to move forward
- drag on market
- fewer registrations
- people are adverse to risk
- more opportunities to sell llamas
- drag on demand
- fewer people hear about llamas
- less negative perceptions
- no one takes accountability for actions / activities
- people are getting disheartened
- derailing llamas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SWOT – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,
Threats
Strengths - as Perceived by Attendees – not necessarily the opinions or desires
of the
- llamas are great adaptive animals
- charming is llamas natural characteristic
- llamas are intelligent / easy to train
- llamas are multi-purpose
- llama owners are a strength
- llamas are adaptive to all ages / physical
- low cost to keep llamas
- llamas provide high personal return
- the origination of the ILR
- llamas are affordable
- llama owners are very diverse
- strong registry database
- conscientious / dedicated ILR office staff
- easy to access ILR info
- llamas are easy to transport
- llamas don’t require lots of acreage
- llamas are disease resistant
- Registry’s website and internet service
- llamas have a low environmental impact
- llamas are exotic, rare and beautiful
Weaknesses - as Perceived by Attendees – not necessarily the opinions or desires
of the
- we’re not getting all llamas registered
- llamas have a bad reputation
- complacent attitudes of members
- llamas are not as well known as other pets
- no market for unwanted llamas
- llamas are intimidating to new buyers
- inattention to rescue
- no established market for by-product
- ILR has nothing to offer users
- lack of veterinary professionals
- no respect in the industry
- lack of umbrella association
- no way to tap national marketing
- no coordinated marketing effort
- ILR is not always user friendly
- too many splinter groups
- no outlet for geldings
- llamas are all lumped into a large group at shows
- time zone of ILR
- some expect a few to pay for everyone
- not breeding llamas responsibly
Opportunities - as Perceived by Attendees – not necessarily
the opinions or desires of the
- there is a larger market for llamas because of cost
- market fiber as a specialty fiber
- trend towards smaller farms
- very easy for children to handle
- novelty status with media
- promote our products through give-aways
- uniquely adapted as therapy animals
- llamas are hypoallergenic
- high nutrient by-product
- leanest domestic meat
- get public to llama shows
- more trade show exhibits, e.g. FFA Convention
- coop with key foundation charities
- explore more youth activities
- market to baby boomers
- more special needs classes
- use resources we have
- attract media coverage
- move Nationals to Vegas
- recruit new organizational leaders
- increase personal promotion (license tags, signs)
- work with local preschools
- ranch tours
- education
- increase collaboration
- explore projects like Heifer Project
Threats - as Perceived by Attendees – not necessarily the opinions or desires
of the
- negativity within membership (divisive)
- bad baggage
- currently not involved in 4-H sales
- no longer doing research
- not doing enough quality advertising from competitive organizations
- ourselves / leadership
- declining registrations
As you can see, there were many areas defined. To define which areas individuals felt were our greatest assets or shortcomings, each person present was given a number of ‘dots’ to stick on the charts to define the areas they each determined the ILR and industry should focus on. They could put one dot per item or all their dots on one item in whichever categories they chose. The areas receiving significantly higher numbers than the rest were:
Areas the Llama Industry Should Focus On
as Perceived by Attendees – not necessarily the opinions or desires
of the ILR BOD
-
THREATS
o negativity within membership (divisive)
o currently not involved in 4-H sales
o declining registrations
-
STRENGTHS
o strong
registry database
-
WEAKNESSES
o no market for unwanted llamas
-
OPPORTUNITIES
o there is a larger market for llamas because of cost
o market fiber as a specialty fiber
o very easy for children to handle
o get public to llama shows
o attract media coverage
A survey was sent out to the ILR membership in 2006 with the results to be presented at the conference. A handout of the survey results was provided for the attendees with the key conclusions from the survey as follows:
ILR Survey Key Conclusions
v
Demographics
Ø Llama owners tend to own smaller acreages and have been involved in the llama business for over ten years
v
Llama
Ownership
Ø Most participants learned about llamas through someone they knew; however, some also mentioned magazines and shows as the way they were introduced to llamas
Ø Individuals purchased llamas for many different reasons, but the dominant reason mentioned was to use them as a companion animal/pet
Ø Key attributes of llamas that resonated with respondents tended to be their calm nature, gentleness, and ease of keeping
Ø A majority of survey respondents (60%) showed llamas at an average of five shows over the past year and traveled up to 500 miles to exhibit their llamas
v
Llama
Industry / Key Issues
Ø Key industry issues identified by respondents are the imbalance of supply and demand and the profitability of the industry
Ø A majority of respondents were involved in local and regional llama organizations and subscribed to several industry publications to stay updated on the industry
Ø Networking with other llama owners was also identified as an important way to gather information
v
Membership
Ø
A vast majority of survey respondents were ILR
members and they perceived significant value in the information they have
access to through the ILR
Ø
Most respondents (95%) have access to the
internet and 84% have utilized the ILR’s website
Ø
Participants preferred ILR communicate with them
via e-mail and direct mail as opposed to the ILRe-port,
ILR website or magazines
Ø
Participants also challenged the ILR to
constantly seek ways to lower the costs of membership and registration fees
v
Value of
Services Provided
Ø
Registration capabilities and web access to
animal information ranked as highly valued services with advertising
opportunities being less valuable
Ø
Nearly all respondents perceived that
registration papers made their llamas more valuable
v
ILR
Growth
Ø
Respondents repeatedly cited increased education
and marketing as ways to grow the llama industry and the ILR
Ø
Participants found online animal sales to be the
most appealing new service for ILR to consider
Ø
Respondents recommended that something should be
done to encourage people who owned non-registered llamas to register them
Ø
Respondents also identified rural landowners who
don’t already own livestock as a prime target market for the llama industry
The complete survey results are included at: http://www.lamaregistry.com/downloads/ILR_Membership_Survey_2006.pdf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At one point in the conference, individuals in the group were asked to jot down one or two CRITICAL QUESTIONS or ISSUES they felt needed to be addressed in order to improve the ILR as well as grow the llama industry. All of the questions and issues offered fit into 4 categories: marketing, working with other organizations, registrations and service to ILR members. The complete list of questions / issues, with some of the authors own comments in parenthesis, follows:
Marketing
- Should ILR address the issue of advertising to market the llamas?
- Should the ILR and ALSA merge to create a stronger organization to better serve all llama breeders and to strengthen and expand the llama industry?
- How can you increase national advertising on the benefits of owning llamas?
- Can the ILR do more to educate members how and where to market llamas?
- How can the ILR promote and put information out to the general public on a national basis about llamas and their values to economy and lifestyles of the future?
- How can we market the versatility of the llama and the diversity of llama owners?
- How do we consolidate funds to increase the ability for national marketing?
- Can we (our industry) develop strategies to communicate information to new people (possible new owners)?
- If fees were slightly increased could we start to fund a National Marketing Campaign? (Instead of people seeing “I Love Alpacas” on commercials or online couldn’t we see “LoveALlama.com” or “LlamaLove.com” and see where it goes and if we can get the $s try more print ads, etc. to see if we can grow to commercials someday.)
- Should we explore a marketing association?
- How can the Board better educate the public on the benefits of owning llamas?
- Should ILR / llama industry creating a marketing arm? (Yes! Yes! Yes!)
- How can the ILR prepare a marketing plan that will provide a means of competing with the alpaca industry?
- How can we get on board with media coverage as the alpacas do at an affordable cost that members can benefit from?
- How can we help owners who need to move or sell animals in a hurry?
- How can we improve the desirability, usability, and knowledge of uses of all types of llamas?
- Should the ILR head up an ad program to attract buyers outside of existing groups? (Like the realtors use – a PR ad to let people know the benefits of using a realtor. Benefits of owning llamas.)
- What can the ILR do that will be most effective to assist owners to promote llamas?
Work With Other Organizations
- Should ILR collaborate with ALSA to streamline information and organize shows?
- Would ILR ever include a show association and develop a Jr. association?
- Should the ILR take the lead position in collaboration with other industry organizations and become a “one-stop” organization providing promotion and education in addition to the traditional pedigree system?
- How can the ILR database be incorporated into the sub-groups of the industry, i.e. add show records to animals; use as show registration site; continue as with AMLA?
- Should the ILR begin talks with ALSA about consolidation of offices and capitalize on our strengths?
- Should ILR and ALSA explore the possibility of forming an “umbrella” organization to strengthen both organizations and address the issues of marketing / advertising?
- Would ILR consider approaching all the other focus factions to try to collaborate and develop an umbrella organization?
- Can the ILR work in coordination with others to create an “umbrella?”
- How can we maintain service to more associations?
- Should the ILR strengthen the llama industry through unification of segments of the industry?
- What can be done to bring various llama groups together to operate under one central organization?
Registrations
- How would the ILR increase its registered animals?
- How can ILR members help the ILR staff and board members to operate more efficiently and in a diversified manner?
- How can we better identify the different types of llamas in the Registry (traditional, woolies, silkies, suris, minis)? (We should try to better the identification rather than needing 2 to 3 different registries.)
Service to ILR Members
- What do competitive industries do that we should also do? (If it is a good idea I don’t care where it came from – it’s a good idea!)
- Could the ILR increase and grow if we become more “user” friendly? (Why not encourage a registration of all animals even “non-breeders” (no showing) because those animals are just as important to their owners as ours are to us!)
- Should ILR create committees to address membership concerns/needs?
- What can the Board do to improve itself?
- Hold this conference again next year.
One of the main points coming out of the discussions at the
conference was the need for all interest groups in the llama world to COLLABORATE on getting the word out
about llamas. There was discussion about one of the successful projects
previous to the cruise, which exemplifies this spirit of collaboration, the
llama booth presentation at the Future Farmers of America (FFA) conference in
Dinner every evening of the cruise was spent around tables of eight to twelve llama enthusiasts where the conversation and enthusiasm about llamas was shared. The dining room meals consisted of scrumptious everything from prime rib, lobster, roast duck, lamb, mahi mahi, and pasta to decadent chocolate and other mouth-watering desserts. The international waiters added to the delightful experience. The Lamaribbean cruisers can also now attest to the truth of the statement, “You don’t leave a cruise hungry but you might be a few pounds heavier!” Before and after dinner each evening there were many choices to fill one’s time including delightful stage productions.
After Kevin Ochsner’s full day
interactive presentation on Tuesday, we spent a few days at the ports of
Sue Wilde did an excellent job of sharing many tricks for Utilizing Your Website when the group reassembled after lunch. Throughout the presentations there were many references made as to the importance of the genealogies of our animals. ILR Registrar Jan Wassink’s presentation on Navigating the ILR Website showed everyone how they have the ability to research genealogies very easily on their own. Jan also went on to outline some of the Coming Attractions at the ILR to include Llamas for Sale with a link to genealogies right in the ad and the in-the-trial-phase Show Module which gives owners and show managers the ability to register, manage and report show results online without duplication of data entry. ILR member Darrell Anderson graciously and competently moderated our final discussions regarding where we go from here and Kevin Ochsner wrapped it up with his final thoughts to include, “Collaboration and cooperation are not only important but critical for the llama industry in looking to the future.”
The highlight of the final day was the ILR cocktail party where 15 items were given away to the fortunate people whose names were drawn. Seven items were donated previous to the cruise including a beautiful hand woven rug by Ingrid’s Hand-woven Rugs Inc., a plush llama fiber blanket donated by Larry McCool of the Pacific NW Llama Fiber Cooperative, and a beautiful llama bust sculpture by Henry Rivera. Another eight items were generously donated on the spur-of-the-moment by those present. They ranged from t-shirts to breedings to an iron sculpture. A list of all items and photos is posted at: http://www.lamaregistry.com/Conference_2007.htm
It was a very positive and productive conference and a great vacation time. The ILR Board of Directors is appreciative of the superb presentations and the beneficial input from the attendees which will be used to determine specifics as to the direction of the ILR in a number of areas. Evaluations were sent to all of the attendees and the responses will further be used by the Board to make decisions regarding the future. All in all, the ILR Board is pleased with the results from the ILR’s first conference and they are quite certain it won’t be the last one.
Most of the presentations, including Sally Rucker’s with photos of the llamas from history, are available on the ILR website at: http://www.lamaregistry.com/Conference_2007.htm
from Keynote
Speaker Kevin Ochsner’s ‘Charting Your Course’
presentation