NAMA Fall Conference takes place October 7-9 at the Ritz Carlton in St. Louis.  Keynote speakers and schedule are confirmed.  Details will be on the web site by August 5.

Innovation Through Culture—Stories From a Decade at Google
Steve Lerch 

Innovative thinking is changing the modern world faster than at any point in human history. But now more than ever, innovation is not resigned to only the inventors, engineers and scientists. The greatest innovators of our time are men like Steve Jobs—a man who didn’t invent the first Apple computer (Steve Wozniak) nor the iPod or iPhone (Tony Fadell). Instead, he established a culture of innovation that catalyzed and nurtured new ideas and new ways of thinking.

Steve Lerch will share stories from a decade at Google, where he worked with the world’s most innovative brands like GoPro, FitBit and Nest. Dive into the history of some of Google’s most iconic projects like self-driving cars and augmented reality glasses. More importantly, understand the simple, underlying cultural principles that allowed for these innovations.  Steve will also present a breakout session entitled Parallels Between B2B and B2C Strategies.

Knockout Customer Experience: A Service Design Approach
Sarah Weise

Gain insights for better understanding customer behaviors and drivers, real-world service blueprinting, and bottom-line success stories. Sarah Weise will teach you to deeply understand your customers and their omnichannel experiences in order to create a cohesive customer experience and spot new opportunities to break the mold, experiment and see what happens.

Sarah is the founder and CEO of award-winning market research firm Bixa, and author of the bestselling book InstaBrain: The New Rules of Marketing to Generation Z. She has been at the forefront of historical website launches, has boosted e-commerce sales no one thought possible and been put to the test at a time when tragedy struck and America needed to know. Sarah has leveraged customer research to craft incredible experiences for over 100 major brands including Capital One and PBS.

Sarah will also present a breakout session entitled InstaBrain: Marketing to a New Generation of Customers.

Bonus Breakout: 
Storytelling Secrets from an Unlikely YouTube Star
Nicole Jolly 

Nicole Jolly is recognized as a leading voice in agricultural literacy. She is the creator, host and head writer of True Food TV (TFTV), YouTube’s most watched channel dedicated to knowing where our food comes from. TFTV partners with some of the biggest brand names in food such as Campbell’s, Sabra and Ocean Spray. From wading waist-high in cranberry bogs to driving monster-sized combines, Nicole has brought millions of viewers inside the unseen origins of their favorite foods.

Nicole will share her experiences working as a journalist for The New York Times and other publications and offer insights on how to turn detailed information into engaging stories that grab people through authenticity.

Schedule-At-A-Glance

Monday, October 7
Noon to 4:00 p.m.	Gateway NAMA Ag Tour
2:00 to 4:00 p.m.	Executive Committee Meeting
4:00 to 5:00 p.m.	NAMA Board Meeting
5:00 to 6:30 p.m.	Opening Reception

Tuesday, October 8
8:00 to 9:00 a.m.	Continental Breakfast
9:00 to 10:15 a.m.	General Session
10:15 to 10:30 a.m.	Break
10:30 to 11:30 a.m.	Breakout Sessions
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.	Breakout Sessions
12:30 to 1:30 p.m.	Lunch
1:30 to 2:30 p.m.	Breakout Sessions
2:30 to 2:45 p.m.	Break
2:45 to 4:15 p.m.	General Session
4:30 to 6:30 p.m.	Reception at Brighton Agency

Wednesday, October 9
8:00 to 9:00 a.m.	Breakfast
9:00 to 10:15 a.m.	General Session & Awards
10:15 to 10:30 a.m.	Break
10:30 to 11:45 a.m.	Closing General Session

Sponsorship opportunities are available and are a great way to get your company noticed. Contact Jenny Pickett, [email protected] for more details.

Join MoKan NAMA for their annual Ag Tour on Wednesday, August 14! This is a one-day, on-farm experience where attendees will tour and learn about different nuances of agricultural operations in the surrounding area. 

The tour’s first stop will be at Raasch Family Farm, an expansive corn and soybean operation that also includes Carolyn’s Pumpkin Patch. Learn all about this interesting outfit. Next, the group will visit Green Dirt Farm in Weston, Missouri, where lunch will be served. This location includes the original barn, along with a dairy parlor and cheese kitchen, and reflects the owner’s commitment to bring the best sheep’s milk cheeses, yogurt and 100 percent grass-fed lamb to market. The last stop is Jowler Creek Winery, Missouri’s premier sustainable vineyard and winery. Attendees will learn about wine making and what goes into this family operation as well as a little wine tasting.

The cost is $100/person and includes breakfast and lunch as part of the tour. The tour will start and end at the Marriott Plaza Hotel with a 7:00 a.m. departure and return to the hotel by 4:00 p.m. Many attendees also register for the NAMA Boot Camp which kicks off right after the Ag Tour. For details visit https://www.nama.org/NAMA.OrchardWeb/NamaConferenceRegistration/RegisterBootcamp?conferenceId=80

Join the MoKan NAMA Chapter as they host a panel discussion of experts and explore the issues, insights and opportunities to maximize corporate social responsibility programs from the people who are leading the charge in the Kansas City metro area.

August Roundtable Discussion
Maximizing Corporate Social Responsibility Programs

August 20, 2019 11:30 – 1:00 pm

Panelists include:
Patrick Benson – War Horses for Veterans
Dustin Johansen – Osborn & Barr + Paramore
Stan Hays – Operation BBQ Relief

Location:
Osborn+Barr | Paramore Agency
1911 Baltimore Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64108

Cost: $20 NAMA members / $30 non-members. To register visit https://nama.formstack.com/forms/mokan_nama_august_roundtable_discussion

Join NAMA members at a reception hosted by the Chicago, Gateway, Heartland and Mid-America NAMA chapters during the Farm Progress Show.

What a great opportunity to take a break and visit with other NAMA members on Wednesday, August 28, 2019, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Exhibitor Food Tent, located near Gate 6 on the corner of East and Sixth.

Snacks and drinks will be provided (yes, adult beverages, too).

For more information on the Farm Progress Show, visit farmprogressshow.com.

MoKan NAMA visited Kansas City’s newest networking and teambuilding site, Blade & Timber, on July 25. After a few minutes of lessons and going over the rules, attendees proved very adept at hitting the center of the target. Each person discovered their favorite style ranging from one-handed to two-handed to underhanded. Pictured above is MoKan NAMA President Jody Donohue.

Nearly 40 Missouri and Illinois agribusiness professionals attended Gateway NAMA’s “Night at the Ballpark” outing in July.

The group connected with industry peers, made new friends and cheered on the St. Louis Cardinals from a Busch Stadium party suite. The Cards may have lost the game, but a fun time was had by all!

Look for more social and learning opportunities from Gateway NAMA soon.

The 16th annual Boot Camp takes place August 14-16 in Kansas City. The early bird registration cutoff and the hotel cuttoff date have been extended to July 30! Book before then to save money.

Whether you’re new to marketing or new to ag, sign up for this program today to learn more about the industry. This year the Boot Camp will take it to a new level expanding on marketing and agriculture basics.

Who should attend?

• Agency Account Executives
• Media Professionals
• Art Directors
• Copywriters
• Marketing Professionals
• Sales Professionals
• Previous Boot Camp Attendees

Plan to come early for the Ag Tour. This tour will be sponsored by the MoKan Chapter of NAMA. Whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned veteran, the Agri-Marketing Boot Camp will give you the tools you need to more professionally market to the ag industry.

Schedule-at-a-Glance

Wednesday, August 14

7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.	Ag Tour (optional)
4:00 p.m.	Boot Camp Registration
5:00–7:30 p.m.	Welcome Reception and Dinner

Thursday, August 15

8:30–9:00 a.m.	Continental Breakfast
9:00–10:30 a.m.	Producer Panel
10:30–11:00 a.m.	Break
11:00 a.m.–Noon	General Session
Noon–1:30 p.m.	Lunch
1:30–2:45 p.m.	Breakout Sessions
2:45–3:00 p.m.	Break
3:00–4:00 p.m.	Breakout Sessions
4:30 to 6:30 p.m.	Offsite Reception

Friday, August 16

8:30–9:00 a.m.	Continental Breakfast
9:00–10:00 a.m.	General Session—Growing Your Career
10:00–10:15 a.m.	Break
10:15–11:15 a.m.	Mentor Panel / Closing Session
11:30 a.m.	Boot Camp Adjourns

The Hotel

Boot Camp will take place at the Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza, located at 4445 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64111. Room rates begin at $159.  Hotel Cutoff date is July 30, 2019.
Reserve your room today!

Register now for Boot Camp 2019