Breakout session information for the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 13-15, 2011, is now available. Please visit http://www.nama.org/amc for dates and times.

Workshops Include:

Pre-Conference Workshop – Becoming an 800-Pound Gorilla: How to Dominate Your Market ~ Bill Guertin

Senior Management Workshop – Crossing the Generational Divide: Making the Four Generations in Your Workforce a Competitive Advantage in Any Economy ~ Jason Dorsey

Breakout Sessions include:

Economic Predictions in an Era of Unpredictability (Note: There will be an encore presentation of this session.)

Black Swans – The Risk of Humanizing Animals in Advertising

Ag’s Place in the Sustainability Conversation

What Exactly Makes Your Company Fascinating?

Bringing Social Pillars to Life to Drive Communications

Measuring Social Media: Where’s the ROI? (Note: There will be an encore presentation of this session.)

Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Relations

Field to Fork: What’s Happening in Your Company

At Home on the Platform (Presentation Skills)

Make your hotel reservations today and register before March 18 to receive the special rate. Hotel reservations made after March 18 are subject to higher rates and potential unavailability. Register for the conference by March 18 to receive the early rate. After March 18, registration rates will increase.

To make your hotel reservations online visit:

Professionals’ Room Block – https://resweb.passkey.com/go/Professional

Students’/Advisors’ Room Block – https://resweb.passkey.com/go/student1

To register for the conference visit – http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=28

Every year at the Agri-Marketing Conference, professionals involved with selling products and services into the agricultural marketplace gather to explore the latest in techniques, trends and practices.

In 2011, the conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City. If your target audience includes agri-marketers, you can’t afford to miss the 2011 Connection Point.

Approximately 1,200 people attend the Agri-Marketing Conference each year to explore the latest ideas and insights and share what’s working for them. The Connection Point is an integral part of this event and gives you the opportunity to see—and be seen by—a high concentration of individuals who make and/or influence ag-related buying decisions.

A number of key conference activities are scheduled to take place in the Connection Point, ensuring conference attendees have ample opportunities to acquaint (or re-acquaint!) themselves with your products or services.

Receptions
On Wednesday, April 13, immediately after the Best of NAMA Ceremony, the Connection Point opens with a Celebration Reception. The Thursday evening reception offers attendees the chance to meet new people and share ideas after the first full day of conference activities.

Lunch & Refreshment Breaks
On Thursday, April 14, lunch will be served in the Connection Point as well as refreshments during the afternoon break, offering additional opportunities to network.

Drawings
Prize drawings at the end of each session (four) and a grand prize drawing at the Thursday evening reception help encourage conference attendees to leave their business cards at booths in the Connection Point. A bingo activity during Thursday’s luncheon helps generate additional booth activity.

Virtual Trade Show
As an exhibitor at the Connection Point you will also be featured as an exhibitor in the Virtual Trade Show at no additional charge. Trade show attendees can determine where you will be located and find out more about your organization before the event. Simply email a brief description, company logo and a link to your website to [email protected]. . .we take care of the rest!

Register for the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference today and reserve your booth at the same time by visiting http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=28.

If you want to reserve booth space without registering for the conference visit http://www.nama.org/amc/ts/signup.htm.

Download the Trade Show brochure at http://www.nama.org/amc/ts/brochure.pdf.

Sponsorship Opportunities

A number of special events and activities offer additional opportunities to draw attention to and enhance your company’s image among this highly select group of key prospects.

Please contact Jenny Pickett at [email protected] to find out what opportunities are available.

NAMA has gathered some of the most innovative thinkers in marketing for the 2011 conference. Delve into the science of how your customers’ behavior and choices are influenced. Learn proven strategies for attracting and keeping customers from younger increasingly powerful markets. Unlock the secrets of the “seven triggers of fascination” that add a strategic marketing approach to the art of influence.

Our 2011 keynoters will challenge your thoughts on sales and leadership…and maybe even make you laugh out loud.

The best idea right now is to get to Kansas City, April 13-15, 2011!

Registration Information

Registration for the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference is now open! Register for the conference by December 31 to be entered to win a $200 Apple Gift Certificate.

To register for the conference visit http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=28.

Hotel Information

The room blocks at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center are now open. Two room blocks are available for the 2011 Conference, one for Students and one for Professionals.

The hotel deadline for making reservations is March 18, 2011. Reservations made after this date are subject to higher rates and potential unavailability. Make sure you mention “NAMA” when making reservations. All reservation requests will require a credit card guarantee or one night’s deposit. Deposits will be refunded by the hotel for rooms cancelled more than three (3) days prior to arrival.

Room rates are $145 for single/double rooms. Please call the Hyatt at (816) 421-1234 to make your reservations or reserve a room online by clicking on one of the links below:

Student Block – https://resweb.passkey.com/go/student1

Professional Block – https://resweb.passkey.com/go/Professional

For more information on the conference, visit http://www.nama.org/amc.

The primary goal or mission of the Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF) is to provide today’s agri-business students the tools they will need to succeed tomorrow.

Century Club

The ABEF Century Club raised $3,500 at the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference. Investing in the club provides the opportunity to step forward and help advance the future of agribusiness. Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders and the Century Club support is totally dedicated for investing in scholarships for tomorrow’s leaders.

The Century Club’s goal is to have today’s agribusiness leaders contribute $100 for today’s youth.

Membership in the Century Club is on an annual basis.

Club members who renew prior to the Agri-Marketing Conference will have an “ABEF Century Club” sticker on their name badge and be recognized on the Century Club sign in the Silent Auction area and in other conference materials.  You will also receive an invitation to attend the Agribusiness Leader of the Year Recognition Luncheon hosted by the ABEF and sponsored by Adayana Agri Business Group, Inc.  The annual membership contribution is $100.

You can be a part of this select group of individuals committed to enhancing the opportunity for tomorrow’s leaders. Don’t be left out, sign yourself up now! Visit http://www.nama.org/abef/centuryclub/signup.htm.

ABEF Silent/Online Media Auctions

Find a home for that special edition wildlife print or even those sports tickets and surplus company logo jackets. Or give a media package or services, and support the Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF) at the same time. How? By contributing to the annual ABEF Silent Auction.

NAMA has gathered some of the most innovative thinkers in marketing for the 2011 conference. Delve into the science of how your customers’ behavior and choices are influenced. Learn proven strategies for attracting and keeping customers from younger increasingly powerful markets. Unlock the secrets of the “seven triggers of fascination” that add a strategic marketing approach to the art of influence.

Our 2011 keynoters will challenge your thoughts on sales and leadership…and maybe even make you laugh out loud.

The best idea right now is to get to Kansas City, April 13-15, 2011!

Sally Hogshead
Fascinate: How to Persuade & Influence

Why are you captivated by some people, but not others? How do certain leaders convince you to change your opinion, yet others go ignored? In a competitive environment, why do we decide to buy certain brands, or believe certain messages? Advertising icon Sally Hogshead has the answers.

She will lead you on a riveting journey through the decision-making process, drawing upon three years of research and an in-depth study of 1,000 Americans. Learn how you can tap into the brain’s hardwired “triggers” to influence opinions and behavior.

One by one, Sally will reveal each of the seven triggers of fascination like power, mystique, and trust.

Prepare yourself for a fast and furious journey through business, behavior, culture, and trends to learn how to create irresistibly effective social media messages. Discover how to create persuasive messages that break through distractions to create immediate action.

Sally’s work has earned hundreds of honors, as well as an invitation into the Smithsonian Museum of American History. She has been profiled by the Today Show, ABC, CBS, and the New York Times. She’s been described by the media as “a mastermind” and “advertising’s icon” who has “changed the face of North American advertising.”

As a consultant, Sally helps world-class companies persuade and influence their clients, employees, and customers.

Her new book, Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation, brings a strategic marketing approach to the art of influence. Often compared to writings by Malcolm Gladwell and Seth Godin, Sally’s storytelling weaves together unique insights from history, to biology, to cultural anthropology.

Jason Dorsey
How to Sell to Gen Y So We Love to Buy

The 80 million members of Gen Y have finally come of age. And they’re spending money. More than $200 billion this year alone! Companies in every category are competing fiercely for Gen Y’s attention, affection, and customer loyalty. The companies that successfully attract and keep Gen Y customers will see an immediate ROI and gain a powerful competitive advantage.

Best selling author Jason Ryan Dorsey, The Gen Y Guy®, shows you exactly what Gen Y seeks in a buying experience and why. He’ll outline specific actions your team can adopt to attract Gen Y’s attention, build trust, close the sale, stay in touch, and drive priceless word-of-mouth referrals.

Jason will talk about lead generation, customer experience, building an online following, mobile integration, brand loyalty, selling intangibles (such as insurance) and big-ticket items, retail, and peer-to-peer referrals.

A thought leader on Gen Y and bridging the generations, Jason is also a bestselling author, acclaimed speaker, and award-winning entrepreneur. A well-known Gen Y expert, Jason has been featured on 60 Minutes, 20/20, the Today Show, The View, and in the Wall Street Journal and Fortune magazine.

His nontraditional path began when he authored his first bestselling book, Graduate to Your Perfect Job, at age 18. This book became a national bestseller and is estimated to have helped 100,000 members of Gen Y enter the workforce.

Jason followed the success of his first book with four more including his newest book, Y-Size Your Business: How Gen Y Employees Can Save You Money and Grow Your Business.

A proud member of Gen Y (who texts his mom every day), Jason won the Austin Under 40 Entrepreneur of the Year Award at age 25—one of the youngest winners ever. He was raised on a farm in Texas.

Juliet Funt
Over-committed, Overwhelmed and Over It! Success Skills for the Blisteringly Busy

Is your to-do list a novel? Is your email inbox jam-packed every morning? Do you find yourself wishing for a fire drill just so you can step away from your desk for 10 minutes?

Don’t worry. You are not alone. Life is getting busier and more demanding for everyone these days. In fact, the #1 business lifestyle complaint in the world today is having “too much to do with too little time.” And those time-management books aren’t much help because they just give you ways to juggle all the work causing the stress. They don’t say much about how to actually reduce the stress itself.

Look no further …

Juliet Funt is going to take you on a fast-paced, story-packed, hilarious ride to where the answers lie. Enjoy stories of how real people have rediscovered the excitement of tackling the challenges of work and savoring precious moments with family and friends.

Learn simple but powerful strategies to manage your inbox, juggle a dozen projects, and go from panic to fulfillment.

As the daughter of Allen Funt, creator of the Candid Camera television show, Juliet has spent her life observing the hidden truths beneath our social selves.

Her hilarious stories and real world advice will energize and enlighten you.

Juliet’s diverse work history has taken her through a myriad of roles: from Project Manger for a live events company to Human Relations trainer for the Los Angeles Police Department, through the Museum of Tolerance, and even to Israel as a liaison in a Palestinian/Israeli peace project.

She has been featured in the L.A. Times, the Chicago Tribune, Shape, L.A. Parent and Professional Speaker magazine.

Register & Be Entered To Win!

Registration for the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference is now open! Register for the conference by December 31 to be entered to win a $200 Apple Gift Certificate.

To register for the conference visit http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=28.

The room blocks at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center will be open soon.

Sponsorships are available for the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference. Get your company noticed!

The theme of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 13-15, is “Harvesting Ideas.”

There are many different sponsorships available. Companies with marketing
budgets of all sizes can participate. The higher your support, the more benefits you’ll receive….Sustaining Partner, Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze. In addition, you can get more company visibility by claiming one or more of the sponsorship opportunities. These opportunities are available on a first come, first serve basis, with first right given to last year’s sponsor.

Please review the benefits and opportunities of sponsorship at the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference and confirm your interest to Jenny Pickett at (913) 491-6500 or e-mail to [email protected] or fill out the online sponsorship form at http://www.nama.org/amc/sponsor/form.htm. In-kind sponsorships, e.g., printing, can be considered.

Mark your calendars for the Regional Best of NAMA Awards ceremonies.

There are 4 regions which will have ceremonies in January/February 2011. First and merit winners from the regional judging, November 9-10, will be announced at these ceremonies. If your region or chapter is going to have a Best of NAMA event and it’s not listed below, please contact Kathi Conrad at the NAMA office to get your event listed on the Best of NAMA Calendar.

All winners of the regional Best of NAMA judging will be eligible for advancement to the national judging in February. Winners from the national judging will be announced at the Best of NAMA Awards Ceremony, April 13, in Kansas City.

January 13 ~ Region II Best of NAMA at the Boulevard Brewing Co. in Kansas City

January 20 ~ Region IV Best of NAMA – location to be determined in the Chicago area

January 27 ~ Region III Best of NAMA – location to be determined in the Des Moines area

February 8 ~ Western Pacific Best of NAMA event at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA

Keep watching your email and the NAMA e-News for registration details as they become available.