Last night the students were hard at work practicing for today’s presentations as part of the Student Marketing Competition. All around the Hyatt, you could see members of the 31 competing teams finalizing their presentations, practicing their Q&A’s with professional marketing volunteers and making all around tweaks.

I have spent the day taking photos of all of the student teams (if you haven’t had your photo taken yet then see me at the ZimmComm New Media booth during the trade show) and here is CalPoly having a little fun before their presentation. Their product was a tomato – a common crop in California – but I’m sure CalPloy’s tomato takes growing them to a new level.

Last night I spent a little time harassing the Iowa State students who were making some final changes while the rest of their team made changes on other elements of the presentation. I must admit I hung out with them because I graduated from Iowa State an eon ago. But I must have brought them a bit of good luck because they made it, along with 15 other teams into the semi finals this afternoon.

Yet today, despite the nervousness palpitating around the halls of the Hyatt, the teams still managed to have a bit of fun. You can see all of my photos in the 2010 National Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album.

Good luck to all of the teams! Your hard work and professionalism has not gone unnoticed!

AgWired coverage of the 2010 National Agri-Marketing Conference
is sponsored by: . They know.

The students here at NAMA are not just busy trying to win the NAMA Student Marketing Competition. They are also busy selling raffle tickets. For $10, you can get one chance to win a Vizio Flat Screen TV, retailed at more than $2,000. The proceeds from the raffle will benefit the AgriBusiness Educational Foundation (ABEF) which support the NAMA Students Careers Program.

I am proud to say that I bought a raffle ticket from fellow Iowa Stater, Joe (he asked me first) who also secured a sale to one of the Student Marketing Competition Judges.

ABEF and the students thank everyone for their support.

2010 National Agri-Marketing Conference Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2010 National Agri-Marketing Conference
is sponsored by: . They know.

You don’t need to be registered for the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference to attend the ABEF Golf Outing on Tuesday, April 20, prior to the start of the conference! So gather your foursomes together today and sign up to play!

The ABEF Golf Outing will take place at The National Golf Course. A chartered bus will leave the Hyatt Regency Crown Center hotel at 11:30 a.m. to take everyone to the golf course and a boxed lunch will be provided. Tee time begins at 1:00 p.m. An awards ceremony and reception will cap your day on the greens.

Cost is $150 per person. To register for the ABEF Golf outing, please visit, www.nama.org/amc/golfregister.htm.

Hole sponsorships are still available as well, to sponsor a hole contact Jenny Pickett at [email protected].

The ABEF Online Media Package auction is underway! The auction started on Wednesday, April 7 and will continue until 5:00 p.m. on April 14. New packages have been added, so don’t miss out on the great opportunities!

To view the online auction media packages visit, http://www.nama.org/abef/silentauction/bidco.htm.

Note: If a bid is received on an item within the last 30 minutes of the auction, the auction will remain open on that item through the next business day until 5:00 p.m. (central time). This process will continue until no bids are received within 30 minutes of the bid closing.

ABEF Silent Auction – Donations Still Needed!

Please join your agri-marketing peers in supporting this worthwhile effort by donating to the auction. Click on the Pledge Form to indicate your donation and/or interest in the project.

Any worthwhile product or service will be gratefully accepted. Some of the most popular items auctioned in past years include:

* Framed and limited edition artwork
* Media packages for broadcast, print & Internet
* Professional services
* Premiums and wearables
* Collectibles
* Sports tickets and memorabilia

Thank you for help in supporting the ABEF!

NAMA is excited to announce some new social media tools that will be implemented at the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference!

New Digital Signage will be provided courtesy of AGCanada.com Network.

Mobile Program – You will have the opportunity to get the conference program on your phone to better help direct you to sessions, the Connection Point and other conference activities so you don’t miss out on important events. Sign-up information for the mobile program will be provided in the upcoming weeks. The Mobile Program is courtesy of Farm Progress Companies, powered by iNet Solutions Group.

Text Updates – We began the text updates at the 2009 Trends In Agriculture fall meeting. Text updates will be available to those who sign up to remind you of what events are happening prior to the start of them. Sign-up for text updates will be available in the coming weeks. Thanks to Commodity Update for providing the text updates!

NAMA Blog – in keeping with tradition, the entire conference will be blogged. If you are unable to make it to the conference or if you just want a recap of the day’s events at conference, just visit www.namablog.org. The blog is sponsored by Successful Farming and maintained by AgWired.

Get the skills and strategies you need to grow professionally and lead in challenging times at the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference.

• Learn how to get ag’s message out using groundbreaking new media
• Discover how companies are forging unique partnerships to build trust
• Gain a renewed sense of pride in the promise of American agriculture

Take a trip to the Heartland for unbeatable networking and a line-up of internationally known keynote speakers.

The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to use Social Media, Blogs, News Releases, Online Video & Viral Marketing to Reach your Buyers Directly

Thursday, April 22 ~ 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.

Get ready. Hold on tight. The rules of marketing are changing.

Consumers are demanding more relevant messages. Channels are proliferating. Marketers must find a way to target more effectively and create integrated campaigns that support the brand and deliver ROI.

Are you ready to leverage new web-based communication like blogs, YouTube videos, ebooks and more?

David will show you how. He’ll share a step-by-step action plan for harnessing the power of the new rules of marketing and PR. Learn how to identify audiences, create compelling stories and ideas and use them to get willing consumers in the buying process. Told with many case studies and real-world examples, this is a practical discussion about the new reality of PR and marketing.

David is a marketing strategist and the author of the hit new book World Wide Rave. His previous book, The New Rules of Marketing & PR, is an award-winning BusinessWeek bestseller and is being published in 25 languages.

He is a recovering VP of marketing for two publicly traded technology companies and was also Asia marketing director for Knight-Ridder, at the time one of the world’s largest newspaper and electronic information companies.

David’s clients include Cisco, HP, Microsoft, The New York Islanders, NASDAQ Stock Market, the Government of Ontario, McKesson, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, SAP, Google, Digital River and many more.

How To Sail Above Rough Seas

Thursday, April 22 ~ 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

What could this one man possibly have to say that is important enough for the Commander of the Allied Air Forces to ask his help? Why did every senior leader the United States Air Force has in Europe and the Middle East recently assemble in one room—at one time—to listen?

Andy Andrews has spent his life as a “noticer.” Time and again he has keenly observed small things that have made huge differences to corporations, organizations and our country’s leaders. His most exciting find in recent years has been the proof that any organization can prosper, even while others around them are in financial meltdown.

This past year, Andy’s client Keller Williams Realty in Colorado experienced whopping 400% increase—despite 2007 having the lowest housing market averages of the last two decades. Andy uses an organization’s own background and current culture to create an immediate and lasting increase in their production.

Hailed by a New York Times writer as a “modern day Will Rogers who has quietly become one of the most influential people in America,” Andy is an internationally known speaker and novelist whose combined works have sold millions of copies worldwide. He has been received at the White House and has spoken at the request of four different United States Presidents.

His clients include AT&T, Coca-Cola, the U.S. Air Force, Microsoft, and Honda, just to name a few. Andy will help you jump start both your personal and professional development and help you adapt successfully to change and challenging times.

American Farmer: The Heart of Our Country

Friday, April 23 ~ 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 Noon

Paul’s intimate portraits convey the strength, compassion and vulnerability of the human spirit. In his first book, American Farmer: The Heart of Our Country, Paul honors the rich history and boundless future of American agriculture with over 150 portraits from farmers and ranchers all over the country.

Join your colleagues for this inspiring closing session. Reignite your passion for ag as Paul leads you through his journey to nearly 200 farms to capture the grit and spirit of rural life.

These are the men and women who nurture and sustain the land. The farmers who feed nations around the world. You owe it to yourself to take part in this stirring celebration of American agriculture.

Paul began his photography training at Detroit’s Center for Creative Studies. He continued to refine his craft in the New York studios of legends like Annie Leibovitz. Since launching his own career, Paul has worked with a wide range of corporate, advertising and editorial clients including American Express, Sony, Citigroup, Ford and many others.

He was recently awarded the 2009 Western Heritage Award for “best photography book” from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

To register, visit http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=8.

Pre-Conference Workshop

Wednesday, April 21 ~ 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Conquering the Fear of Social Media
David Meerman Scott

While millions of people use social media sites every day, many C-suite executives don’t. And that ignorance leads to fear…and to reactionary policies such as banning on-the-job use of sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Rather than enhance productivity, these command-and-control decisions may prevent an organization from reaching its customers and prospects in the social networks they use every day. And, they’ll not only fail to capitalize on the unique talents of their best younger employees, but may alienate these workers altogether.

Banning Facebook is like banning the telephone. Before you say “no” to something you don’t understand, let David offer an alternate approach. Author of the award-winning BusinessWeek bestseller The New Rules of Marketing & PR and a former vice president of marketing for two publicly traded companies, David will explain blogs, podcasting, viral marketing and other online media in language that you’ll understand.

Senior Management Workshop

Thursday, April 22 ~ 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

The Seven Decisions: Leadership Demystified. Stepping into True Leadership
Andy Andrews

What does it take to be a great leader?

Andy Andrews claims there are common qualities available to everyone. . . and attainable by anyone. In this groundbreaking presentation, he draws on real-life examples of successful people to illustrate—simply and powerfully—how you can apply these life-changing principles in your workplace and in your life.

Hailed by a New York Times writer as a “modern day Will Rogers who has quietly become one of the most influential people in America,” Andy is an internationally known speaker and novelist whose combined works have sold millions of copies worldwide. He has been received at the White House and has spoken at the request of four different United States Presidents.

You must be registered for the entire conference to attend the workshops. Seating is limited.

To register for the conference and the workshops visit http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=8.

If you have already registered for the conference, but not the workshops, please do so by registering at the links below.

Pre-Conference Workshop – http://www.nama.org/amc/reserveworkshop.htm

Senior Management Workshop – http://www.nama.org/amc/seniorworkshop.html