20th Midwest Regional Dairy ChallengeWednesday, February 7 – Friday, February 9, 2024KI Convention Center in Green Bay, WisconsinHosted by University of Wisconsin-Madison
On behalf of the Midwest Regional committee of the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, it is our privilege to invite you to join us for the 20th Annual Midwest Regional Dairy Challenge. The event will be held February 7-9, 2024 and hosted this year by University of Wisconsin-Madison at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. We thank you for your continued support of the Midwest Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge.
SPONSOR PARTICIPATION: We are building our list of volunteers to help with the event on Wednesday evening through Friday afternoon. Being involved and working directly with the students is a great recruiting opportunity, giving you a firsthand view of the students in action. Plus, a large volunteer pool helps the contest run smoothly. Volunteer opportunities range from serving as a team mentor or judge to serving as a career panelist or timekeeper in a presentation room. You can indicate your interest on this volunteer registration form.
SPONSOR VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION: Please submit information for each volunteer from your company using this online form. Forms are due Tuesday, January 23, 2024, but will continue to be accepted on an as needed basis. To register, go to https://2024MWDairyChallengeVolunteerRegistration.eventbrite.com
SCHEDULE: A listing of the scheduled events for this year’s contest will be posted on the Dairy Challenge contest page at https://www.dairychallenge.org/contests/ under the Midwest Dairy Challenge button. Contest events will be held at the KI Convention Center, 333 Main St, Green Bay, WI 54301.
HOTEL: A volunteer block has been reserved at the connected Hyatt Regency Green Bay, 333 Main Street, Green Bay, WI 54301. Book at Link: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/GRBRG/G-FIVF or call 1-920-432-1234 to make a reservation in the “NAIDC (Dairy Challenge) Vendor block.” Room rate: 1 bedroom suite, 1 King $108/night plus tax and fees, 1 bedroom suite, 2 Doubles $98/night plus tax and fees. Hotel reservation deadline: Tuesday, January 23, 2024. Reservations received after this date will be based on availability at the hotel’s prevailing rate. See the MW Regional contest page for detailed travel information.
MEAL TICKETS: Meals are a significant portion of our budget. New this year we are asking volunteers to purchase a meal ticket for the event. Tickets can be purchased in advance when registering.
SPONSOR CAREER AND INNOVATION FAIR: On Friday you are invited to set up a booth in our Career and Innovation Fair at the KI Convention Center. Booths will be open between 8:30 am and 3:00 pm. Indicate your desire to reserve a booth using the online registration form. There is no charge for the space. Electricity will be available, but you will need to supply your own electrical cords. All sponsors are encouraged to reserve a space to interact with students and University coaches and to view student presentations on Friday. Remember because of the number of teams, presentations will be going simultaneously. This is a terrific opportunity to visit with each participant at the event, particularly if your company is seeking interns or job recruits.
MENTORS: We are seeking a large number of volunteers to serve as Team Mentors. This is an important role as Mentors work side by side with the student teams to guide them through the farm analysis process. With enough volunteers, we hope to assign 1 mentor to each team and have a pool of Roaming Mentors.
Please note:
• Team Mentors must be available starting with the Mentor Meeting at 4:00 PM Wednesday until your team presents on Friday. Staying for the entire event (through presentations on Friday) allows for more interaction with your team and provides cohesiveness for the team. Mentors will review data with students Wednesday evening, tour the dairy on Thursday morning, offer guidance while assembling their presentation on Thursday afternoon, oversee team prep on Friday, direct your team to their presentation room on Friday, be present during the presentation, and be their guide to debriefing. If you are not able to commit through Friday, we suggest signing up as a Roaming Mentor or other volunteer role.
• Mentors are asked to bring a camera or camera-capable phone to take pictures for their groups and be willing/able to download the pictures.
• Mentors should be committed to the event and willing to work with students in a positive and supportive manner, encouraging participation and guiding them in their dairy assessment.
• Qualities of a Good Mentoro Relevant Expertise or Knowledge o Enthusiasm for Sharing That Expertise o A Respectful Attitudeo Eagerness to Invest in Otherso Ability to Give Honest & Direct Feedbacko Reflective Listening & Empathyo Willingness to be a Sponsor
If you are interested in serving as a Mentor, indicate as such when registering.
THURSDAY NIGHT AT LAMBEAU FIELD: Plan to join us Thursday night for the student sponsor mixer at Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. This is a great recruiting opportunity to get to know the students in a fun, relaxed, informal setting. If you would like to bring a tailgate game (bags, ring toss, etc.) to enhance your company’s interaction with students during the event, please indicate such on your registration form.
There are several other areas where assistance is needed including Manager Interviews on Thursday, February 8, and presentation room and debriefing volunteers on Friday, February 9. Please indicate your plans on the volunteer registration form. We kindly ask each volunteer from your company register separately using the online volunteer registration site.
DAIRY CHALLENGE SHIRT: Show your support of Dairy Challenge by ordering a Dairy Challenge shirt using this registration form. Orders will be shipped to the event and can be picked up during registration. Orders will close Tuesday, January 23, 2024.
If you have questions about volunteering your company’s time at the event, please communicate with a Volunteer Coordinators, Jesse Wellman 651-380-5539, jesse.wellman@selko.com or Jenny DeMunck 715-304-8557, jdemunck@genex.coop
