THURSDAY, APRIL 14
2:00–3:00 P.M.

The Six-Source Method Behind Influential Marketing 
JOSEPH GRENNY

Marketing is about influence. It is a systematic process of influencing human beings to behave in ways that are advantageous to the enterprise. If marketing isn’t changing behavior, it isn’t worth what it costs. Take a deeper dive in learning how the best marketing leaders never lose sight of this simple idea—and ground their efforts in the science of human behavior.

The Story of Innovation: Why Ideas Defy Logic 
SHANE BRETHOWR, Overflow Storytelling Lab

The biggest problem with innovation today isn’t discovery … it’s adoption. Discoveries are made every day, yet very few ideas are put into use, even when it’s in our best interest to adopt. In this presentation, you’ll find out why the acceptance of an idea defies logic, and how you can use the power of story to get your ideas adopted.

Shane is the founder of Overflow Storytelling Lab. Overflow uses the power of story to accelerate the adoption of ideas. Using expertise in story structure, organizational change management and diffusion of innovation principles, Overflow specializes in launching strategy, speaker development and propelling social causes. Overflow produces stories ranging from personal story trailers to animated shorts and documentaries.

ENCORE SESSION ON FRIDAY FROM 9:00 TO 10:00 A.M.

Producer Panel: Speaking to Different Generations of Decision-Makers
Moderator: MAX ARMSTRONG

When multigenerational farming operations make purchasing decisions, what shapes their decision-making process? Are they relying on coffee shop talk or an online forum?

Learn more about how to effectively communicate with producers of different generations in this session featuring a producer panel led by farm broadcaster Max Armstrong.

ENCORE SESSION FROM 4:00 TO 5:00 P.M.

Marketing, Growing and Delivering Specialty Crops
Moderator: TOM KARST, Managing Editor, Vance Publishing 

Agriculture is about more than corn and beans—at least the corn and beans most people instantly think of when they think of agriculture in the United States. This year NAMA takes a look at specialties agriculture in the United States and how it’s helping to address the pressing issue of global population increase.

Hear from top executives involved in leading specialties operations around the country. Our discussion will include everything from planting the initial crop and getting it harvested to packing it and making sure it gets to the store so it arrives fresh on the table. What’s the best way to market to these decision makers? How do they market their product to the consumer? And mainly, how are specialties crops closing the gap on demand as populations rise?

You’ll gain a better understanding of specialties crops and hear directly from top industry insiders about the challenges they face and how you can help as an agrimarketer.

ENCORE SESSION FROM 4:00 TO 5:00 P.M.

THURSDAY, APRIL 14
4:00–5:00 P.M.

Bigger Success. Less Content. Outsized Results.
ANDREW DAVIS

Learn how brilliant marketers leverage high-quality, regularly scheduled content to deliver stunning results. Let’s face it. One of the most difficult aspects of executing a consistently successful content marketing strategy is keeping up with creating ALL that content. Guess what? You don’t have to.

In this must-attend session, Andrew Davis will show you real-life examples of successful companies of all sizes that have created less content but delivered stunning results. (Without relying on ‘viral’ videos or top five lists.) You’ll get the step-by-step instructions designed to help you grab your audience’s attention and keep it. You’ll be armed with five simple secrets that will drive a steady stream of sales right to your door.

Digital Sociology
RICHARD (RICH) NEAL

Digital sociology identifies the diverse elements of online collectivism (“sharing of the mind”) and takes the social media conversation beyond social listening, “dashboards,” and the popular buzzword of “big data.”  This session, led by the creator of digital sociology, offers new insights to help you to better understand the complex behaviors encompassing the interactions of individuals, groups, subcultures, cultures and populations.

Move beyond social listening and learn how emergent thoughts live, grow, weaken and die, and how this can impact your business. As a pioneer in both the social web and big data revolutions, Rich was the first to identify the need for a construct of multidimensional comprehension in the emergent digital domain.

His book, Expanding Sentience, focuses on online collectivism based from mathematical epidemiology and has been used in several universities’ marketing science courses. He has over 20 years in worldwide technology and business leadership with a history of success in expanding market share in a wide range of industries.

FRIDAY, APRIL 15
9:00–10:00 A.M.

Overcoming Obstacles
JIM MORRIS

After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013, Jim Morris found that his biggest challenge was not going back to play major league baseball at the age of 35, it was living everyday life with this disease.

In life we all have obstacles that come our way. It’s the way we choose to handle those obstacles that make us who we are. It comes down to a choice; dig in and plow through or turn away and give up.

Ultimately, facing challenges and remaining a person of integrity while enduring it all makes us better people, all while being an example to others.

Advertising and Editorial: Are We Speaking the Same Language?
Moderator: GREG HORSTMEIER, Editor-in-Chief, DTN/The Progressive Farmer

As more agricultural advertisers and media companies consider new formats for marketing content in an increasingly digital world, the need for consistent, ethical approaches for delivery continues to be a critical issue.

Building off successful Media/Advertising Ethics breakout sessions at last year’s NAMA Annual Meeting and Ag Media Summit, panelists from key industry segments will discuss consistent terms and guidelines for sponsored online content and special projects. They’ll reveal results of a recent survey of media leaders regarding editorial terminology and integrated advertising trends … and the implications this has for the industry.

Come with questions and concerns—this is an interactive session.

Panelists: 
TOM LINDELL, Managing Director, Exponent/Colle+McVoy
MITCH ROUDA, President, Farm Journal eMedia
JENNA OESCH, Monsanto Vegetables North America Marketing Lead

Student NAMA Presentations

Registration is now open for the February meeting. The University of Tennessee, Martin chapter will present their marketing plan for the chapter’s consideration and feedback. Due to a scheduling conflict, they will distribute Mississippi State’s presentation later this month for feedback.

Plan to spend a little of your time next week supporting these students, networking with peers and enjoying a good lunch. Midsouth NAMA looks forward to seeing you!

Free parking is available in the Parking Can Be Fun garage next door to Archer Malmo. Remember to bring your parking ticket with you to the meeting so it can be validated.

Register to Attend

When: Friday, February 19th, 11:30am – 1:00pm
Where: Archer Malmo Offices, 65 Union Ave, 5th Floor
Cost: $25

Help NAMA Combat Hunger, Register to Run Today

Last year 48,000 older Iowans received help through home-delivered meals from WesleyLife Meals on Wheels, more than 35,000 were left in need. The Iowa NAMA Chapter asks that you join them to stand against hunger by participating in the Cold Run for Warm Meals – a 2.5 mile run/walk benefiting WesleyLife Meals on Wheels.

When: SATURDAY
March 26, 2016

Start Time: 9:30 a.m.

Where: GRAY’S LAKE
SW Entrance 2100 Fleur Drive
Des Moines, IA 50321

Register Now!

Celebrate your accomplishment with family, friends and other athletes at the official post-race party hosted by Confluence Brewing. Confluence will open at 9:00 a.m. for all non-runners. Registrant’s first beer will be provided free-of-charge by Confluence. Snacks will be provided and awards will begin at 10:30. All registration proceeds benefit WesleyLife Meals on Wheels.

You are invited to a joint cocktail reception hosted by AAEA and the National Agri-Marketing Association at Commodity Classic.

When: Friday, March 4, 2016

Where: New Orleans Convention Center, Room: 342

Time: 4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

Stop by after the trade show closes but before you head out to dinner!

No cost or registration necessary.

Click for more information on Commodity Classic.

Thanks to Great Plains NAMA. 

Forget what you thought you knew about golf. ABEF is scrapping the traditional golf outing for something a little different this year. Join your peers at Topgolf for a competitive and fun
time everyone can enjoy—no golf experience required.

Here’s how it works… Take a swing at microchipped golf balls, aiming them at targets to rack up the points. Just picture a 240-yard outfield with dartboard-like targets in the ground. You can choose from different games where you aim your golf balls at different colored targets. The closer to the center or “bull’s-eye” you get and the farther out into the field you hit, the more points you receive. Plus, enjoy great drinks and food in an upscale club atmosphere. Fore!

Are you more of a visual person? Check out a video of Topgolf.

Take a look at the website: Topgolf Overland Park

When: Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Where: Topgolf Overland Park

Time: 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Bus will depart the hotel at 2:00 p.m. and be back at 6:00 p.m.

Cost: $100/person

For more information, visit the ABEF Topgolf page on the AMC Website.

Looking for opportunities to place your company’s products and services before decision-makers in the ag marketplace? There is still booth space available in NAMA’s Connection Point! Put your company front and center. With nearly 1,200 professionals in attendance, there’s no better way to get noticed. Influencers will take note when you purchase booth space on this trade show floor. Lunch and refreshment breaks are scheduled to maximize traffic and draw the clients and customers you want to meet!

Contact Lauren Chaney to book your booth or reserve your space online today!

Register for Conference!

Register now for the 2016 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 13-15, in Kansas City, MO. Visit the AMC homepage for conference, hotel and registration details.

Use #NAMA16 for all your tweets about this year’s conference!

Joseph Grenny
Marketing is Influence
Opening General Session
Thursday, April 14 • 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.

Joseph Grenny is coauthor of four immediate New York Times bestsellers and creator of four award winning training programs of the same titles—Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, Influencer and Change Anything. He cofounded VitalSmarts, an innovator in corporate training and organizational performance, for which he was awarded the 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. VitalSmarts has helped more than 300 of the Fortune 500 realize significant results using a proven method for driving rapid, sustainable and measurable change in behaviors.

Andrew Davis
INSPIRED! How Brilliant Brands Create a Sudden Urge to Act!
Second General Session
Thursday, April 14 • 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Author and former television producer, Andrew Davis will teach you the five secrets to creating content that inspires demand. Andrew Davis’ 20-year career has taken him from local television to The Today Show. He’s worked for The Muppets in New York. He’s marketed for tiny start-ups and Fortune 500 brands. His latest book, Brandscaping: Unleashing the Power of Partnerships, is one of Amazon’s Top 100 Marketing Books. For more than a decade, Drew has changed the way publishers think and how brands market their products in a digital world.

Jim Morris
Dream Makers and Dream Killers
Closing General Session
Friday, April 15 • 10:30 a.m. to Noon

The 2016 Closing Keynote Speaker is living proof that you can totally transform your life and your business if you put others first and find a mentor. Speaking about second chances and overcoming incredible strife, Jim Morris’ story is a testimony that goals can be achieved, even if the odds aren’t in your favor. In fact, Jim’s meteoric rise from 35-year-old high school teacher with Parkinson’s to flame-throwing major league pitcher in three months made cinematic history with the release of “The Rookie” starring Dennis Quaid.

Greg Guthrie
Time and Task Management for Busy People
Pre-Conference Workshop
Wednesday, April 13 • 12:30 to 3:00 p.m.

Effective time and task management isn’t about controlling time. It’s about managing how you invest your time. Managing multiple priorities and tasks that compete for your time. And finally, it’s about managing yourself out of unproductive habits that rob you of valuable time. Greg’s hands-on, professional experience spans senior management positions in global Fortune 500 companies to managing large financial projects for local enterprises. As a speaker and trainer, he’s well known for his ability to motivate others and his creative approach to leadership.

Register now for the 2016 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 13-15, in Kansas City, MO. Visit the AMC homepage for conference, hotel and registration details. #NAMA16