Checkout the Breakout Sessions for the 2012 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 18-20, in Kansas City and get registered today!

How Do Different Generations of Farmers Use Media? (Session 1 of 2)
Thursday, April 19 ~ 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Problem: While the average age of farmers is still middle 50’s, there is an influx of young farmers making their way back to the family farm. Many are college graduates and have new ideas regarding not only farming, but how they want to receive information that is necessary for their operation. Technology adoption – smartphones, iPads, social media, etc. – is on the rise  in agriculture and the younger generation is leading the way. The challenge for agri-marketers is how to effectively reach not only farmers in their 40’s and 50’s who may be the primary decision makers, but also reach the emerging decision makers  in their 20’s and 30’s as the media landscape starts to shift. The first step in finding a solution is to understand how different age groups use and experience new technology and emerging media.

This session will focus on the latest research on media usage as well as new technology adoption, and then hear directly from farmers of different genrations who are using (or not using) these tools and vehicles. 

Moderator: David Parker, Vice President, Instructional Services, Adayana
Panelists: 3 producers that will represent different generations

Consumer Influences on Ag Communications
Thursday, April 19, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Changes in consumer attitudes and our food system have altered the landscape. With foodie culture, food choice, sustainability, local food and social media taking the stage, the strategies, tactics and messages of the agricultural system have evolved. Organizations, marketers and individual farmers and ranchers are constantly looking for the best ways to communicate with credibility and trust.

During this session, you will learn about research and projects from the Center for Food Integrity and a case study from Illinois Farm Families about building and retaining agriculture’s share of voice in the conversation regarding our nation’s food supply.

Charlie Arnot, CEO, Center for Food Integrity
Lori Laughlin, Illinois Farm Families

Creating a Creative Environment: The Awesome Art, Power, and Discipline of Jamming!
Thursday, April 19, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 19, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Unfortunately, too many managers today adopt a lackluster  attitude about teaching creativity skills to their people.  They believe that if it’s not an inherent part of your mental make up, you’re just going to have to struggle along without it.  How wrong they are!

We have gone from the gentle evolution of change into a hurricane of unrelenting change and chaos.  The new millennium MANDATES an ability to reinvent oneself at the drop of a hat, embrace thinking out of the box, and to become comfortable. . . feeling uncomfortable.  To some, this can be a daunting task. But for others, it is a way of thinking and working that brings new life into tired souls. If you prefer the latter, you’re going to love this workshop.

What you will learn
·        How to conduct your own jamming sessions
·        The 7 different types of creativity
·        How to personally nurture your own creative growth
·        How to nurture creative growth in your staff
·        How to become a “Vision” painter
·        The danger of psychosclerosis
·        How to understand the linear and intuitive techniques of creativity
·        Creating a perpetually creative work environment

How To Wrangle Market Share From Your Competitors
Thursday, April 19, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

The world’s top economists are predicting a dismal 1-2% average growth through 2015. So, the only way to grow your organization is to take market share away from your lazy competitors. Ross Shafer will show you how progressive companies are getting 15-25% growth; even when their available market is stagnant or declining.

The Take A Ways:

How do you get more share? You must capitalize on your competitors’ weaknesses. Because the Internet and social media publish such vast public information and conversation, Ross will teach you how to discern what they are doing right or wrong – see what kinds of innovations and best practices they are using that you may not be – and discover what their customers are responding to.  He’ll also coach you about your own Internet Reputation Management to make sure you keep the share you’ve already earned.

You’ll also learn to deliver more urgency and empathy to retain and hold onto customers ….find our more about “crowdsourcing”… and how to adopt contarian thinking tactics to blaze new profit channels.

Ross Shafer

Ross is one of the most sought after Keynote speakers and seminar leaders on the subjects of Customer Empathy, Personal Motivation, and Business Relevance.

Understanding How Media Companies, Agencies and Clients are Evolving to Reach Today’s Farmer (Session 2 of 2)
Thursday, April 19, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

We know that the profile of today’s farmer is changing and with that their media consumption- how and when they like to receive information.  The challenge for marketers is now how to effectively reach a younger demographic while still capturing the core, older farmer audience who represent the majority of decision makers.

In this session you’ll hear from a roundtable of senior media, agency and client leadership on how they see the media landscape shifting and how they are rethinking their business models and plans to accommodate this shift.

Explore how to determine the best market contact strategy.  How will the role of traditional print and radio change going forward? What role does interactive and social media play? How can the offline and online world work together? What types of information are better suited for different media channels?  And finally, discuss what lessons ag communicators and marketers can learn from the marketing world at large.

Moderator:  Curt Blades, National Sales Manager, Successful Farming
Panelists: Pat Rosner, V.P. Director of Integrated Media, Osborn & Barr
Stephanie Liska, CEO, Beck Ag
Charlene Finck, Editor, Farm Journal Media
Jason Ward, Brand Manager, BASF

Marketing Metamorphosis: How Smart Marketers Use Digital Marketing to Accelerate Customer Acquisition & Retention
Thursday, April 19, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Friday, April 20, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

The digital revolution has totally transformed the way brands retain customers.  Inefficient one-size-fits-all marketing communication has given way to more effective one-to-one customer engagement strategies that are fueled by data and enabled by interactive marketing technology.

In this session, Joel Book of ExactTarget will show how innovative companies like Scotts Miracle-Gro and others are using digital marketing-anchored by email, social and mobile, and websites – as the backbone of a cross-channel life cycle marketing strategy to acquire, engage, grow and retain customers.

You’ll learn to fuel conversation about your brand and attract new customers… how to leverage customer data and CRM… and how to use email to drive repurchase behavior.

Joel Book

Joel Book is a Principal in the Market Research & Education Group of ExactTarget, a leading provider of software solutions for cross-channel marketing and customer service communications.

Regarded as one of the top digital marketing strategists in the country, Joel applies more than 35 years of experience in database marketing.

No stranger to agriculture, he grew up and worked on his family’s 3,000 acre farm in Illinois before leaving for the University of Illinois where he earned a B.S. in Marketing Communications in 1976. And from 1984-1990, Joel was Vice President, Marketing Services at Farm Journal where he led the launch of the company’s database management services business in 1985.

He is a member of the Direct Marketing Association, the Business Marketing Association, and has been recognized by the Sales Lead Management Association as one of the top 50 most influential people in sales lead management.

Sell it Like You Mean It
Friday, April 20, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

If you’re looking to get your sales team’s year off to a great start, create a mid-year jolt, or help your team to finish your year off with increased momentum, this energizing session can help. It’s an hour full of winning ideas to re-energize your sales staff and take their desire and  commitment to new heights.  Whether you have a team of high producers that have flat-lined or your whole team needs to crank it up, you need your sales force to out-think and outperform the competition and win big in the sales game.

Walter Bond will teach you how to overcome objections,  incorporate storytelling, establish yourself as an expert, so your reps will stop “selling” and actually influence your customers to buy.  Mr. Accountability believes some sales people are born but most of them are made.  The strategies you’ll learn in this session will inspire your sales team to produce at another level.

Walter Bond

The Political Landscape and Impact in an Election Year
Friday, April 20, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

The 2012 election season is setting up to be a pivotal year for agriculture and agricultural issues, from farm bill legislation to trade bills and biofuels. This session will feature representatives from each of the Republican and Democratic parties presenting their views regarding issues important to agriculture in an election year. The speakers will present opening statements and then answer questions from moderator Tom Steever, Brownfield Network and the current president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting.

Moderator:  Tom Steever, Farm Broadcaster, Brown Network

To register for the Agri-Marketing Conference visit  http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=38