Jazzed about winning a national Best of NAMA award? Kick-off this year’s conference by attending the Best of NAMA Ceremony on Wednesday, April 19 at 5:30 p.m. to see if you or someone you know won an award.

The Best of NAMA awards program honors the best work in agricultural communications. This competition truly honors the best of the best in our industry, since companies/agencies first qualified through a regional competition in order to advance to the national competition. This year 1,283 entries were judged in six regions across the country. During the national awards ceremony, three Best of NAMA Best of Show awards will be presented in the areas of Advertising, Public Relations and Specialty.

Did you win a first place or merit award at the regional level? For a list of the Regional Best of NAMA winners visit, http://www.nama.org/amc/regional.htm.

Every year about 1,300 professionals and students gather together to network, explore new products and services, gain knowledge through professional development seminars and have an all around good time with their peers. A lot of work goes in to developing the conference program and in planning the events to ensure you have the most positive and fun experience of the year. None of this could be done without the hard work of our volunteers and the financial support of our sponsors.

Please take a moment to look at who are volunteers and sponsors are, and if you know them or see them at the conference, please say “thank you!”

For a list of our volunteers visit, http://www.nama.org/amc/volunteers.htm.

For a list of our sponsors visit, http://www.nama.org/amc/sponsor/sponsors.htm.

The Connection Point will feature the best products and services supporting the agri-marketing industry. Over 60 booths will offer attendees a chance to see these products and services while networking with other agri-marketing professionals. In addition, many booths will feature giveaways and drawings. Be sure to attend the networking receptions, lunch as well as the Mardi Gras Celebration at the Connection Point.

Interested Exhibiting at the Connection Point?
Get your company’s products and services in front of the most influencial people in the industry. Here are a couple of exciting additions this year:

New Ideas Session
On Wednesday afternoon, exhibitors will be presenting new ideas and products in a classroom-type section of the Connection Point. Information about the event will be included in the booth description online as well as in the program booklet handed out during the conference. Regular announcements will be made during the Trade Show, spotlighting a company’s new product and the location of their booth.

iPod Drawing
An iPod Shuffle will be awarded at the end of each session to a trade show attendee. Plus a grand prize drawing for a deluxe model iPod will be held a the end of the trade show (4 drawings). Each booth will have a box for business cards, and they will be collected at the end of each session.

CONNECTION POINT
Trade Show Hours

Wednesday, April 19
2:30 – 4:30 p.m. – Welcome Lounge

Thursday, April 20
Noon – 2:00 p.m. – Luncheon
5:00 – 7:00 p.m. – Closing Reception

To sign up to reserve your booth space now visit, https://nama.org/amc/ts/signup.htm.

If you have questions regarding the Trade Show, contact Diane Johnson via e-mail at [email protected] or call (817) 232-1872.

Remember, that your trade show location is also partially determined by a lottery drawing of the Platinum Level, then Gold Level and then Silver Level conference sponsors who are also exhibitors. Enhance your company’s marketing impact by becoming a sponsor of the Agri-Marketing Conference & Trade Show, and at the same time enhance your exhibit’s location on the trade show floor. There are still sponsorship opportunities left, look over the available sponsorships and the company benefits and pick the sponsorship opportunity that meets your marketing objective.

For a list of sponsorship opportunities available visit, http://nama.org/amc/sponsor/opportunities.htm.

To confirm your sponsorship on-line visit, http://nama.org/amc/sponsor/form.htm.

For more information on the Connection Point visit, http://nama.org/amc/ts/connection.htm.

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. These tools include industry knowledge, leadership skills, networking abilities, public speaking experience and critical analysis skills.

The ABEF has endorsed a wide array of programs and activities geared at fostering the careers of agri-marketing students. Each program helps meet the very particular needs of today’s college students. Through NAMA, ABEF awards over $10,000 in scholarships each year.

One of the many activities provided by the ABEF to raise money for the Student NAMA Careers Program is the ABEF Golf Outing which will take place on Tuesday, April 18. Gather your foursome and enjoy a relaxing day of golf before the 2006 Agri-Marketing Conference & Trade Show begins!

A chartered bus will leave the hotel at 11:30 a.m. to take everyone to the WinterStone Golf Course and a boxed lunch will be provided. Tee time begins 1:00 p.m. A golf awards cermony and reception will follow the outing at the golf course.

The sign-up deadline for the Golf Outing is March 31, 2006. Register for the golf outing on-line now, just visit, https://nama.org/amc/golfregister.htm.

You can also show your support and sponsor a hole. Sponsorships for the golf outing are now available. For a list of Sponsorship Opportunities visit, http://www.nama.org/amc/golf.htm. To sign up for a sponsorship on-line visit, http://www.nama.org/amc/golfsponsor.htm.

ABEF Silent Auction
The ABEF will also be hosting the Silent Auction in the Trade Show. During Trade Show hours, attendees can bid on items available. Items donated range from prints suitable for framing to corporate logo items. All proceeds from the auction benefit NAMA’s Student Careers Program. If you’d like to make a donation to the Silent Auction visit, http://www.nama.org/abef/silentauction/pledgeform.htm. Donations must be made by March 24 to be included in the auction catalog.

ABEF Student Raffle
Buy a chance to win a Dell 37″ LCD HD TV courtesy of Prism Business Media. Students will be selling tickets prior to and during the Conference. The winner will be drawn during the Closing Reception at the Connection Point (Trade Show). All funds will be donated to the ABEF.

Former NAMA member, Andrea Liebelt, daughter of Arline and Bert Liebelt, died at her parents home on Thursday January 26, 2006. She is survived by her parents, two sisters Lisa Koslo and Michele Smith, two nieces Elizabeth and Amanda Koslo and two nephews, William Koslo and Andrew Smith.

Liebelt was a graduate of Fordham University and Fordham Graduate School of Business Administration. She was a cofounder of Trimark Marketing Group and previously was the director of marketing for the New York Cotton Exchange. She was also a past president of the National Agricultural Marketing Association and served as the president of the Fordham Club of Los Angeles.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Research, P.O. Box 106, New York, NY 10087.

Over 120 people attended the Region IV Best of NAMA ceremony in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The beautiful Abbey Resort was the location for the event that took place on January 19. Region IV awarded the best in communications creativity for the Mid-America, Badger, Chicago, Heartland and Michigan chapters. Awards were presented in 69 categories and 3 best of shows were awarded. The best of show winners are:

Best of Show Advertising
Indiana Soybean Board
The Jackson Group
Soy Biodiesel Chemistry Education Kit

Best of Show Public Relations
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board
Stephan & Brady
June Dairy Month Media Relations Campaign

Best of Show Specialty
Caterpillar
Rhea & Kaiser Marketing Communications
Caterpillar Chopper Premier and Tour

All first and merit winners are eligible to advance to the national competition. An e-mail with instructions will be sent out by February 1 with instructions for advancing entries.