One of NAMA’s newest educational extravaganzas, the NAMA Fall Conference is rapidly becoming a “can’t miss” event for agri-marketers across the country. We’re in Colorado this year to help you reach new peaks! Push toward new career goals and challenge yourself to go all the way to the top.
This year we’re taking a 30,000-foot view of leadership. Come discover how to weave emotional intelligence and intuition into your technical know-how for the best results. You can’t escape pressure, but you can develop techniques to use it to your advantage—you’ll find them here. Catch our keynote speakers to take part in these next level management prep conversations.
The breakouts have been refreshed as well. Hear the very latest on digital media. Rural millennials and their pivotal role in the future of agriculture. Effective storytelling. Value innovation for customers and what your body language is really saying to your audience while you speak.
You can make some new friends on the Rocky Mountain Ag Tour and unwind with them during the many networking opportunities planned throughout the conference. And don’t forget to congratulate the winners of NAMA’s Professional Development Awards who’ll be recognized in Colorado this fall.
This year’s lineup is so diverse, there’s something for everyone. Make plans now to reach the summit—Reach New Peaks—with NAMA in Denver.
Register today and book a room at The Curtis Hotel in downtown Denver. Check out this year’s full program below!
Tuesday, September 22
7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Rocky Mountain Ag Tour (optional)
Fun, Flour and Vertical Farming
Sign up for the Ag Tour and get a unique perspective on some of the most enterprising ag operations in the Centennial State. We’ll visit three unique spots and enjoy tours led by their owners. Get ready to hear the inside scoop on agri-tainment, listen to an international spin on the milling and bakery business and see the latest in vertical farming. Check out the full schedule here!
Rock Creek Farm
Rock Creek Farm’s U-Pick-Em pumpkins and corn mazes are part of the Miller family’s business plan. The tour begins here where agri-tainment meets traditional ag just outside Denver.
Ardent Mills
After that it’s on to Ardent Mills. Supported by 40 flour mills, three bakery-mix facilities and specialty bakeries located across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, the company has deep roots in communities throughout North America. Ardent Mills is headquartered in Denver and employs more than 100 certified millers, supporting thousands of local jobs and contributing billions of dollars to local economies. Look forward to a full tour of the flour mill just outside Denver in Commerce City.
Dirtless Farms
Evan Premer grew up surrounded by fields. His family had small gardens and ranches, so farming has always been a part of his life. As an adult, Evan went to another field—the Army—where he completed tours of duty in Germany and Iraq. After he completed his service, he gained valuable agricultural training at Circle Fresh Farms, with the help of Farmer Veteran Coalition’s partner in Colorado, Veterans to Farmers. Evan now operates Dirtless Farms – a vertical farm that grows a variety of leaf greens for restaurants across the Denver-metro area.
After a tour of Dirtless Farms, get a taste of the delicious greens grown there as the tour stops for lunch at Linger, a farm to table restaurant that Evan supplies with fresh produce.
5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Welcome Reception
Sponsored by Penton Agriculture
Just back from the Ag Tour or just arrived in town? Pop in for a drink with your friends and colleagues at a relaxing welcome reception to start the Fall Conference off right.
Wednesday, September 23
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
ABEF Board Meeting
10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
NAMA Board Meeting
10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Pre-Conference Workshop
Emotional Intelligence: The Science Of Leadership Under Pressure
Bill Benjamin
Why do smart people fail? Why do technically brilliant individuals have trouble managing others and collaborating on a team? It’s not because they lack intelligence or technical skills. Far from it. What they lack is a critical level of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and the ability to manage their emotions and others when they are under pressure. Whether you’re a formal manager or want to increase your individual performance (or both), Bill will teach you the foundational principles and brain science of Emotional Intelligence. You’ll become a student of human behavior and begin to understand what your brain does under pressure and how that affects your decisions and the impact you have on others. By learning how to manage your emotions in your most difficult moments, you’ll perform and lead at your best under pressure, and connect with others in a more meaningful way.
Bill Benjamin is one of the original partners at the Institute for Health and Human Potential (IHHP) and passionately contributes to the development of the organization’s future through his speaking, his engaging leader-to-leader conferences and his advocacy to get the message out to the rest of the world. Prior to joining IHHP, Bill was Vice President of a computer software firm, leading the sales, consulting and marketing divisions. Under his leadership, the company grew from $2M in sales and a number 10 ranking in their industry, to over $75M in sales and the number one ranking. His passion and enthusiasm for Emotional Intelligence and its impact on leadership development will leave you inspired and wanting more. Bill has delivered leadership programs to diverse groups that include the US Army, NASA, Intel and Goldman Sachs.
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Welcome Luncheon
Agriculture Policy Overview—What It Means to You 
Sara Wyant, President, Agri-Pulse Communications
Sponsored by NAFB
Agriculture policy affects farmers and ranchers daily. Hear from a leading farm and rural policy journalist as she offers an insider view on current and potential legislative decision issues affecting the 2.1 million U.S. farm operations in our country today.
Sara Wyant is President of Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc., a diversified communications firm with offices in Washington, D.C., and Camdenton, Missouri. As a veteran farm policy reporter, she is well recognized on Capitol Hill, as well as within farm and commodity associations across the country.
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Keynote Session
Performing Under Pressure: The Science of Doing Your Best When it Matters Most
Bill Benjamin
This program is based on the book by the same name co-authored by noted psychologist Hendrie Wesinger and IHHP’s J.P. Pawliw-Fry. Leadership is not easy, especially under pressure. Pressure diminishes our ability to think, make decisions and connect with others in a meaningful way.
With pressure increasing in all aspects of our lives, the ability to manage it is one of the key differentiators of high performing managers and leaders. In this high-energy exchange with Bill Benjamin, you’ll learn:
• How to better manage pressure so it becomes a competitive advantage as you grow your career drive performance within your organization
• About the results from a study of 12,000 people and what the top 10% did to excel under pressure
• Three critical insights to help you avoid the sabotaging effects of pressure
• Eye-opening stories of leaders and organizations who have managed pressure effectively to succeed
• How pressure affects your brain and to develop strategies you can use to perform when the heat is on
Organizations like Goldman Sachs, Intel, Coca-Cola, NASA, and the US Navy and Army, as well as Olympic athletes and NBA teams, have benefitted from IHHP’s cutting-edge approach to performing under stress. This session will help you drive engagement, innovate, grow, increase customer service and succeed in the face of constantly increasing pressure.
2:30 – 2:45 p.m.
Break
Sponsored by the National Cotton Council
2:45 – 3:45 p.m.
Breakout Sessions
Choose between one of three sessions
The State of Social Media & What You Need to Know
Jason Cormier, Co-Founder, Room 214
Social media budgets will more than double over the next five years, and keeping up with all the changes (and opportunities) is no easy task. Get the scoop on new trends, tools and practices that are making social media a key differentiator for successful organizations everywhere.
The Other Weed in Ag
Moderator: Max Armstrong, This Week in Agribusiness
Panelists: Taylor West, Deputy Director, The National Cannabis Industry Association and Brooke Wise, Founder/CEO, The Growing Kitchen (Third panelist TBD)
Join a panel of experts as they discuss the current and future impact of Marijuana in Agriculture. Its a new and exciting topic that a lot of people are interested in, especially in CO. While legal in just a few states, that could change quickly across the country. We will have a variety of people from producers to media to distributers. A moderator will help us talk through the views on legalization, regulations, Organic vs GMO, technology and much more.
Attitudes on Sustainability: Rural Millennials
Laura Netz and Malek Draoui, Insight Strategists, Colle+McVoy
How does the millennial generation’s call to ‘heal the world’ translate to those young people pursuing careers in production agriculture? Do the pillars of modern sustainability – people, planet and prosperity – resonate with ag’s future leaders? And how do beliefs around sustainability differ amongst millennials interested in agriculture and the generation at large? We seek to answer these questions to understand their implications for everyone involved in rural communities, production farming and ag marketing.
3:45 – 4:00 p.m.
Break
Sponsored by the Agriculture Council of America
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Breakout Sessions
Choose between one of three sessions
The State of Social Media & What You Need to Know
Jason Cormier, Co-Founder, Room 214
Social media budgets will more than double over the next five years, and keeping up with all the changes (and opportunities) is no easy task. Get the scoop on new trends, tools and practices that are making social media a key differentiator for successful organizations everywhere.
The Other Weed in Ag
Moderator: Max Armstrong, This Week in Agribusiness
Panelists: Taylor West, Deputy Director, The National Cannabis Industry Association and Brooke Wise, Founder/CEO, The Growing Kitchen (Third panelist TBD)
Join a panel of experts as they discuss the current and future impact of Marijuana in Agriculture. Its a new and exciting topic that a lot of people are interested in, especially in CO. While legal in just a few states, that could change quickly across the country. We will have a variety of people from producers to media to distributers. A moderator will help us talk through the views on legalization, regulations, Organic vs GMO, technology and much more.
Storytelling and the Right to Laugh
Sam Adams
Ever find yourself playing with the cell phone—or worse, nodding off to sleep—because a presentation is boring? Of course you have. What you were listening to probably lacked humor and the element of storytelling, which tends to turn an otherwise tedious story into a memorable one … one you can easily put into your own words and share with your friends. And in this age of content, sharing and viral marketing, isn’t that the point? Don’t be boring. Tell stories instead of giving lectures. Sam will show you how to have the last laugh by injecting some humor into your marketing strategies.
5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Networking Reception on the deck of The Curtis
Join your colleagues for a networking reception and unwind after the first exhilarating day of Fall Conference.
Sponsored by Brighton
Thursday, September 24
8:00 – 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
Sponsored by Rhea + Kaiser
8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
General Session
Hocus Focus: Stay Resilient & Choose the Right Shiny Red Balls!
Kelli Vrla
Do you find yourself managing several tasks at once? Feel like your’e spinning plates? Have you started to drop a few? You’re not alone … statistics show we work 1/3 of our lives, sleep 1/3 of our lives, and spend the final 1/3 of our lives with home and hobbies.
Stress from our work lives is now creeping over into our home lives and vice versa. There’s a healthy line of balance that needs to be drawn. Harvard Business Review says we’re all in the middle of at least 15 things at once—diminishing our effectiveness and adding to our burnout. Most of us have reached a breaking point and we’ve—quite frankly—had enough.
Kelli Vrla is here to help you:
• Assess your work-life balance and why it may be draining you instead of sustaining you!
• Learn at least 52 known stress reducers
• Understand the cause of the GAP
• Learn how to reach for your OWN OXYGEN MASK first, then help others
• Quickly use dynamite and easy coping techniques to handle your most pressing challenges
• Stay laser-focused amidst the chaos
• Know what makes us tick and what ticks us off
• Control your energy – surge when you really need it!
• Generate a personalized productivity plan that works for you!
Kelli Vrla is a Rocky Mountain based corporate communications consultant who has enlightened and “entertrained” thousands in the U.S., Europe and Central America through her dynamic presentations. Kelli has over 30 years of lessons and experience under her belt. She spent 16 years as a broadcast sales executive in radio and 14 years as CEO of her own people development firm.
Her in-the-trenches scope of learning comes from firsthand experiences in handling change, effective marketing, bottom-line communications, difficult and demanding people, and motivating the tough-to-motivate people.
Since her radio days at ABC and CBS, Kelli has successfully helped people enhance their personal and professional development skills. She’ll show you how to own your job and get others to own theirs. Learn to handle change before it handles you and deal successfully with even the most challenging personalities in your organization.
Professional Development Awards of Excellence Presentation
Join us as we honor the Professional Development Awards of Excellence award winners and pass the gavel to the incoming NAMA president.
PDA Awards sponsored by Penton Agriculture
10:00 – 10:15 a.m.
Break
10:15 – 11:15 a.m.
Breakout Sessions
Choose between one of three sessions
Value Innovation
Johann Ventor, VP, Director of Technology, AMVAC Chemical Corporation
Scott Kington, EVP, Strategic Planning and Consulting, Woodruff Sweitzer
As the market becomes more and more crowded, companies are looking for new opportunities that move beyond battling the competition and establish a presence in uncontested space. How do you find these uncontested spaces? Better yet, how do you find the spaces that are most desired by your most important customers? The Value Innovation process is a 10-step tool to help companies not only identify their most important customers, but also deliver on those things that they value most. Join Johann and Scott to learn how AMVAC has put this approach to use in the ag sector to ensure they grow in the right direction … and how it can work for your company, too!
Sustainability and the Consumer
Randy Krotz, CEO, U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA)
What does sustainability mean to a consumer? We think we know, but do we really? We need to better understand how farmers and ranchers can communicate with food connectors and millennials about sustainability practices within their own operations. USFRA consists of more than 80 farmer- and rancher-led organizations and agricultural partners representing virtually all aspects of agriculture, working to engage in dialogue with consumers who have questions about how today’s food is grown and raised.
Body Talk: Why What You Don’t Say Matters
Anna Conrad
The majority of communication between people takes place through body language. Does your body language add to your credibility and make you appear confident? Or does your body language make you seem evasive and uncomfortable? How can you make sure you’re communicating the actual message you’re trying to get across? This highly interactive workshop will help you make sure that what you really want to say is being heard.
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Closing Luncheon Session
Through the Lens of a Leader
Scott Williams, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and E-Commerce Officer, Cabela’s
Sponsored by Penton Agriculture
End your Fall Conference experience with a view of business and e-commerce from Scott K. Williams. Scott has been Cabela’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and E-Commerce Officer since October 2011. He joined Cabela’s after serving as President of Fanatics, Inc., a vertically integrated online retailer of team and league licensed sports apparel and collectibles.
Scott was a Corporate Vice President of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., from 2006 to May 2010, serving as General Manager of Samsclub.com. From 1996 to 2006, Mr. Williams was an executive with OfficeMax Incorporated, where he held a series of key leadership positions, including Senior Vice President, OfficeMax Direct Business Segment and Senior Vice President, Marketing.
