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

Our breakout sessions at the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 21-23, in Kansas City, will be interactive panel sessions. Take a look at the topics and the breakout speakers below.

Emerging Media: The Latest Trends
Hear illuminating case studies and interact with pros paving the way in relationship and community building.

Social Media: The Case for Business Results

April 22 ~ 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
April 22 ~ 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. (Encore Presentation)
How did Monsanto go from reacting to criticism in social media to using the tools to build networks with producers, consumers and other stakeholders? How did the American Farm Bureau Federation involve and engage grassroots members in public policy advocacy? And, how do these innovative marketers measure the effectiveness of those efforts? Look at these firsthand applications of social media to consider how you might be able to gain similar results.

Mica Veihman, Social Media Team Lead, Monsanto
Mica leads efforts to engage customers, industry partners and stakeholders in online discussions regarding the company’s efforts and agriculture in general. She leads a three person team responsible for managing and monitoring Monsanto’s Facebook page, Twitter account and YouTube channels, as well as the company’s internal social media council.

Mace Thornton, Deputy Director of Public Relations, American Farm Bureau Federation
As Deputy Director of Public Relations for the AFBF in Washington, D.C., Mace is a key contributor to the organization’s overall public relations, media relations, social media strategy and issues management initiatives. He became a member of the nation’s largest agricultural organization in 1990 and currently serves as vice president of the Agricultural Relations Council.

Email Marketing: Strategies, Tactics, Results

April 23 ~ 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Joel Book, Director of eMarketing Education, ExactTarget
Engagement pathways. Dynamic content. Triggered messaging. Organizations are taking email marketing to the next level with more sophisticated techniques. Find out how leading marketers are cultivating relationships and standing out in the inbox. Joel Book, ExactTarget Director of eMarketing Education, shares some of the more innovative ways email is being used to attract new customers, help customers through a complex decision-making process and drive repeat purchases.

With more than 30 years of experience in database marketing, Joel brings a well-honed perspective on customer development and retention combined with the cutting-edge capabilities of the world’s leading provider of on-demand software for permission-based email and mobile marketing.

Don’t miss this chance to see how you can put these tools to work for you!

Leveraging Brand Power
Expand your perception of brand and discover how to make the most of every opportunity to strengthen it—for yourself, your company and your clients.

A Toast to Strategy & Brand Communication

April 22 ~ 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Keith Levy, Vice President of Marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
Anheuser-Busch (AB), InBev’s largest and most profitable subsidiary, encompasses more than 100 beer brands representing 103MM barrels of business that generate $13 billion in annual sales.

How does an organization of this size maintain a consumer-centric approach?

According to Keith Levy, it requires a consistent and well-disciplined brand positioning and portfolio management. As Vice President of Marketing, Keith leads the company’s total marketing efforts: consumer insights, creative development, innovation pipeline development, media, as well as entertainment and sports marketing.

Connecting with consumers through powerful and engaging brand communication is one of the things AB does best. Keith will share some of AB’s strategies for advertising and overall marketing success.

Whether you attend as a fellow marketer—or current or prospective customer—you’re sure to find this fast-paced perspective on strategic marketing direction both enlightening and enjoyable.

Innovations in Trade Show Marketing

April 22 ~ 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Sally Behringer, Public Relations Account Supervisor, Nicholson Kovac
Trade shows are a stellar opportunity to showcase your brand. In this candid session, you’ll learn how successful companies prepare for a winning trade show experience, tips for standing out on the trade show floor and how to close the loop after the trade show ends.

Trade show marketing has been a special focus and passion for Sally Behringer for most of her 20-plus working years. She has provided strategic trade show planning for clients, including major international companies such as Rhone-Poulenc, Aventis, Elanco Animal Health, Schneider Electric and FMC Corporation.

In this jam-packed session, Sally provides tips and tools to help you assess and prioritize the potential ROI of a show, train your staff, measure your visibility and more.

Branding the Hallmark Way

April 23 ~ 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
John Courtney, Consumer Understanding & Insight Manager, Hallmark Cards, Inc.
How does a third generation, family-owned, privately held company become one of the country’s best known and most well-regarded brands? And, how does it extend that brand from the original base of greeting cards to a diverse line of products that ranges from party supplies and gift wrap, to made-for-TV movies and a cable TV channel, to E-Cards and mobile greetings?

Over the past 100 years, Hallmark Cards has grown from two shoeboxes of postcards into a $4.3 billion company. Its products can be found in 100 countries around the world and in more than 41,500 stores in the United States alone.

It’s a fascinating marketing success story, particularly when considered from the consumer perspective. John Courtney, Consumer Understanding & Insight Manager, shares a unique insider’s perspective of this well-known brand’s history, the types of brand research the company conducts and the issues and challenges the brand faces today.

Managing Challenges for Success
Whether it’s managing time, crisis situations, staff or your own career, management is always happening. Examine management on both micro and macro levels and learn new methods you can use immediately.

Getting Down to the Business of Ideas

April 22 ~ 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

photo by Glen Stu

Glenn Karwoski, Founder/Managing Director, The Business of Ideas
Ideas are the lifeblood of every successful business. To be competitive, organizations need all employees to think creatively and productively…about new ways to improve products and services, about new offerings, about how to work as efficiently as possible.

Now, Glenn Karwoski is sharing his classroom-tested approach to teaching creativity and generating more and better ideas. By taking part in these highly focused, creative exercises, you’ll learn proven ways to tap your own creativity and help colleagues tap theirs.

Glenn is the Founder and Managing Director of The Business of Ideas, an innovation and creativity consultancy based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and part of the Omnicom network of agencies. He has worked with a variety of organizations to help generate actionable ideas and to develop employee training focusing on innovation in the workplace. Some of his clients include Pfizer Animal Health, Syngenta, Marvin Windows and Doors and Target Corporation.

Managing the Generation Gap

April 22 ~ 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Eric Spell, President, AgCareers.com
Is the generation gap growing? A recent study by the Pew Research Center indicates it may be and cites a range of issues as evidence, from managing technology to lifestyles and manners.

So, how does this play out in the workplace?

Eric Spell, President of AgCareers.com, draws on his extensive background in training, recruiting and consulting to help illustrate the challenges these differences may cause…and shares the approaches—both good and bad—your colleagues across the country are using to navigate the divide.

From his boyhood on a North Carolina row crop farm to his nearly 20 years spent building the industry’s top online career and recruiting site, Eric has always had a lifelong passion for agriculture.

H1N1 & the Pork Industry: A Case Study in Managing Crisis Communications

April 22 ~ 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Cindy Cunningham, Assistant Vice President of Communications, National Pork Board
Whether accurate or erroneous, a reported crisis can have immediate and far-reaching effects on your business.

Is your team ready to respond?

Cindy Cunningham, Assistant Vice President of Communications for the National Pork Board, shares how the Pork Industry’s H1N1 Response Team developed and implemented their emergency response plan.

With her farm background, ag journalism education and more than 20 years of professional communications experience, Cindy was well-prepared to lead this successful effort. By sharing her insights and experience, you’ll be better prepared to develop a strategic response and implement the appropriate tactics should an unexpected crisis hit you.

Put the “High Touch” Back in Your “High Tech” World

April 23 ~ 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Paul Adams, President, Paul Adams & Associates
It’s happened to all of us. You’re in an important meeting, across from a client, customer or your co-worker, but you just can’t seem to make a connection. You’re not making progress and you both feel frustrated. Now what?

Paul Adams would have you conduct a quick and simple inventory of social styles that can help you improve your understanding of others’ work and communication styles and to read those tricky nonverbal cues.

Paul began his career in his family’s general store in Southwest City, Missouri, and now, after a 20-year career at Fleming Foods, provides sales and management education and consulting to national and international companies both in and outside the food industry.

Stop hiding behind e-mail. Learn a few easy tips that can help you become a pro at face-to-face communications with anyone…

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

Early Registration Deadline – March 31, 2010

The early registration deadline for the Agri-Marketing Conference is Wednesday, March 31. Register today to avoid higher rates after March 31.

Download and fill out the registration form and mail, fax or phone it in to the NAMA Office. You may also register on-line at http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=8.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations until March 31 are entitled to a full refund. Cancellations from April 1 to April 10 will receive a 50% refund. No refunds will be given after April 10. All refunds will be subject to a $25 processing fee. No “Bill Me’s” will be accepted after April 6.

Hotel Cut-Off Date ~ March 30, 2010
The hotel cut-off date is March 30, 2010. Reservations made after March 30 are subject to higher rates and potential unavailability. Hurry and make your reservations today before the block fills up!

The Hyatt Regency Crown Center is the hotel for the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference. 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 canceled more than three (3) days prior to arrival.

Hyatt Regency Crown Center
2345 McGee Street
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 421-1234

Online Reservations
There are two blocks at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center, one for students and one for professionals. You are now able to make your reservations on-line, just follow the links below:

Student Block – http://crowncenter.hyatt.com/groupbooking/mkcrknags2010

Professional Block – http://crowncenter.hyatt.com/groupbooking/mkcrknagr2010

The Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF) will be hosting a Golf Outing, Tuesday, April 20. Gather your foursome and enjoy a relaxing day of golf before the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference begins.

The ABEF Golf Outing will take place at The National Golf Course. A chartered bus will leave the 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.

Golf Sponsorship Information
Show your support and sponsor a hole. Hole sponsorships are now available. To sign up for a sponsorship on-line visit, http://www.nama.org/amc/golfsponsor.htm or contact Jenny Pickett at 913-491-6500 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Reception Sponsor ($1,000) – Recognition as a reception sponsor. Includes greens fees for two (2) players.

Beverage Cart Sponsor ($500) – Includes greens fees for one (1) player. Two (2) beverage carts available.

Individual Hole Sponsor ($500) – Includes greens fees for one (1) player. 18 holes available.

Player Gift Item (actual cost) – Company logo and/or ABEF logo as recognition.

Registration
If you need or want to register for the golf outing and for the conference at the same time, please visit http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=8.

If you’ve already registered for conference but want to add the ABEF Golf outing, please visit, www.nama.org/amc/golfregister.htm.

Support promising agri-business students as you mingle with exhibitors in the Connection Point. The Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF) Silent Auction and Raffle benefit NAMA’s Student Careers Program and the ABEF respectively.

Bid on auction items while making your way through the exhibit area and buy your raffle ticket.

ABEF will conduct an On-Line auction of media packages, Web related donations, and other services as part of its annual Silent Auction. Donors will be recognized in the Silent Auction area of the trade show during the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference.

Donations Needed! To donate items to the auction, fill out the online form at http://www.nama.org/abef/silentauction/pledgeform.htm or contact Jenny Pickett at [email protected], 913-491-6500.

Have you wanted a new flip video camcorder?  NAMA will give one away in April to members who qualify to be in the drawing.

Recruit a business associate, peer, or friend as a new NAMA member before April 12 and both of you will be in the drawing for a new flip video camcorder!

Tell your friends, peers, and business associates how you benefit from being a member of NAMA – the learning and networking opportunities, skill development, access to agribusiness solutions, etc.  They can access our social media sites directly from our website at www.nama.org to learn more about NAMA activities.

Every NAMA member who recruits a new member between now and April 12 will be included in a drawing for a new flip video camcorder.  The more new members you recruit – the better your chances.  New members will have their names entered, too.

Simply tell your recruit to join on-line at http://www.nama.org/register.aspx.  Tell them to add your name and company in the box titled “Referred By.”  They can also call the NAMA office at 913-491-6500 to join; remind them to say they were referred by you!  Be sure to tell them they’ll be included in the drawing.

When will the drawing take place?  During the annual Agri-Marketing Conference, April 21 – 23, at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City.  We’d love to have you there, but you don’t have to be present to win!