Contacts:
Rebecca Monro, Carlson School of Management, 621-626-7940, rmonro@umn.edu
Ryan Mathre, University News Service, 612-625-0552, mathre@umn.edu

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (8/28/09) -- Over the next 10 days, approximately 1.7 million people will gather at the Minnesota State Fair grounds. Along with being entertained and overindulged, the "Great Minnesota Get Together" offers both consumers and producers a unique experience. A University of Minnesota professor who can speak about the Minnesota State Fair is:

Akshay Rao, General Mills Chair in Marketing and Director of the Institute for Research in Marketing at the Carlson School of Management.

"The state fair is not just an opportunity for people to get together, it is also an occasion in which consumers meet producers face to face," explains Rao. "With no intermediaries such as grocery stores and distributors present, consumption and production of food occurs virtually simultaneously in a sophisticated yet primitive marketplace."

Rao's teaching, research, and consulting have focused on industries ranging from food and airlines to apparel and the Internet.

To interview Rao, contact Rebecca Monro at 612-626-7940 or rmonro@umn.edu or Ryan Mathre at 612-625-0552 or mathre@umn.edu