Two days of breakout sessions at the 2008 Agri-Marketing Conference will delve into the issues that matter most to you! Take a look at what we’ve got planned for you.

Thursday, April 17 ~ 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Senior Management Workshop: We Are Smarter Than Me: A More In-Depth Look at How to Unleash the Power of Crowds in Your Business

Created specifically for senior management, this session is a detailed, drilled-down extension of the Second General Session. Presented in an interactive, fast-paced workshop format, it’s designed to give seasoned professionals an inside look at the benefits of social networking and community building. You’ll walk away with solid methods for harnessing the power of crowds in developing your business.

Barry Libert is the CEO of Shared Insights, LLC. Shared Insights owns and operates business communities that enable enterprises and their professionals to communicate and collaborate in order to make better decisions based on the experience of peers, experts and leading industry vendors.

NOTE: Participants must be registered for the full Agri-Marketing Conference. Separate registration is required, but there is no additional registration fee. Registration is limited to the first 100 attendees who sign-up. To sign up for the Senior Management Workshop, please visit http://www.nama.org/amc/seniorworkshop.html.

The New Economic Paradigm
It’s a whole new ball game for agribusiness – an economic environment like never before – strong global growth boosting food demand, biofuels competing for commodities, record commodity prices, rising incomes for many agricultural producers as well as record input and equipment sales. Is this just another periodic bubble or is it sustainable this time?

Join Dr. J.B. Penn, Chief Economist for Deere & Co., for a fascinating session of what may lie ahead. Learn what’s affecting the business environment – the global economic outlook, new economic trends, trade, energy, agriculture, climate change, renewable fuels and food supply issues. Then discover what his predictions mean for your business.

Public Perceptions of Agriculture
Find out how the public perceives agriculture and consider how those perceptions affect what you do. Ali Webb, Ph.D., Program Director, Food Systems and Rural Development, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, will present findings from a recent landmark study on public perceptions of agriculture, including a review and analysis of relevant, publicly available opinion research conducted in the United States within the past five years.

Leveraging Interactive Marketing for Business Success
While overall U.S. advertising spending slipped 0.3% in the first quarter of 2007, Internet ad spending rose 16.7%. At the same time, an ever more complicated picture of tools and technologies has developed. The typical website, email and banner ad have been supplemented with search, blogs, RSS feeds, webcasts and social media. Leveraging these new media will be critical to your success in the years to come.

In this timely session, you’ll explore new technologies (and websites, email and other more familiar topics) in business terms. Find out the emerging trends in search, content, applications and community and discover how farmers use online media. Finally, learn what challenges impact your organization’s ability to successfully leverage the power of interactive marketing.

Panel members for this session include: Scott McClure (panel moderator), Brighton Agency; Jim Brophy, Morgan&Myers; Brian Himstedt, Brighton Agency; and Scott Mortimer, Successful Farming and Agriculture Online.

What’s In It For Me? Making Sponsorships Work For Your Organization
There’s certainly no shortage of sponsorship opportunities: events, broadcasts, venues, causes, the list goes on. But how do you make sponsorships more than a “feel good” expenditure? More than simply writing a check and hoping for the best?

Fact is, sponsorships can be a very effective tool if used correctly. The key is in choosing the right opportunities and leveraging them for your organization. Kevin Lentz, Founder and President, Performance Marketing Inc., will provide real-world examples of how you can use sponsorships to achieve your business goals. (Check out the 2008 Conference sponsors at http://nama.org/amc/sponsor/sponsors.htm.)

Thursday, April 17 ~ 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

How To Network Effectively
Despite what you may think, networking is a learned skill – and one that reaps great rewards, personally and professionally. Good networkers make more contacts, learn about trends and competition, forge meaningful partnerships and become a powerful resource to others.

In this entertaining session led by networking expert Matt Anderson, you’ll learn the keys to networking for success, including the seven biggest mistakes made when working a room. Find out how to identify people to connect with, how to start and exit conversations and how to overcome your natural shyness.

BioFuels: Next Up Cellulosics
Find out what’s happening next in ethanol production so you can stay ahead of the bioenergy boom. Tom Slunecka, Vice President of Business Development for KL Process Design Group, will outline the trend toward ethanol production with cellulosics. Tom will discuss possible feedstocks and address how growers and agribusinesses are likely to take advantage.

Inside the Rural Lifestyle: Understand and Succeed
The rural lifestyle segment is considered one of the fastest growing populations in the U.S. They are a force to be reckoned with – complete with a host of unique needs and buying habits. How can you survive as a lifestyle marketer in the world of ag production?

In this revealing hour, you’ll learn the drilled down reality of the rural lifestyle – size, characters, niches and more – from Brad Schu, Director, Lifestyle Marketing, Land O’Lakes Purina Feeds. Find out the three key experiences they are seeking – and how you can deliver on them. Plus, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at rural lifestyle marketing from the Purina perspective, followed by a no-holds-barred Q&A session.

What Marketers Want from the Ag Media
Stop guessing and start selling. Interested in learning what’s on the minds of veteran agrimarketers? Join a group of seasoned professionals to learn how your organization can meet and exceed expectations. The curtain will come down as they describe the do’s and don’ts of a successful sales call, what they want to see in your presentation and how they plan and execute their media schedules.

Our panel of professionals include: Lynn Henderson (moderator), AgriMarketing magazine; Dave Patterson, John Deere Credit; Kim Dawson, Syngenta Crop Protection; Laurie Christen, Colle+McVoy; and Pat Reese, McCormick Company.

Friday, April 18 ~ 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Understanding the Income Statement: Thinking Inside the Box
Communicators and journalists are notoriously math averse. But to move ahead in your organization and to enhance client trust, you need to understand financial statements and the numbers of business. James K. Gentry, Ph.D., Professor and Former Dean, William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas, will give you five key insights that can smooth your path. And it will be relatively painless.

Going Green: How You Can Be A More Environmentally-Conscious Organization
Becoming an environmentally friendly organization is not only a hot trend, but is also a socially responsible goal for any business. While ‘going green’ and ‘reducing your environmental footprint’ may seem like lofty goals, they really can be part of a manageable process you can incorporate into your sales and marketing activities on a gradual basis. This session will explore ideas, strategies and current practices to make your organization a more efficient consumer of environmental resources.

Join Samantha Lucy, Marketing Manager, and Aissa Irvin, Program Manager, for the Center for Food and Agricultural Business at Purdue University, for a discussion of ideas – from big to small – that you can incorporate into your sales and marketing efforts today.

The Millennial Generation-Attracting, Hiring and Retaining the Talent Needed for Tomorrow’s Success!
Talent is the one critical success factor differentiating an organization from the competition. Fact is, attracting, hiring and retaining good people is the most competitive activity we do. This panel will discuss how to attract and fulfill expectations for the youngest talent in the industry – the Millennial generation. Then learn how to keep them once they’ve said “yes!”

Our panel will include: Stephanie Liska (moderator), Beck Ag Inc.; Mike Gaul, Iowa State University; Dr. John Sullivan, Dr. John Sullivan & Associates; Eric Spell, AgCareers.com; and Tom Hoogheem, Monsanto Company.

Pitching a Story: Do’s and Don’ts
If you’re looking to get your organization or product covered by the press, then this session is for you. Join three key editors of major agriculture publications for a revealing look at how to get your story noticed and featured. Find out the “right way” and the “wrong way” to pitch a story. This practical session will give you solid ideas to help you ensure better media coverage in the year to come.

Our panel for this session includes: David Mehlhaff (moderator), American Hereford Association; Greg Vincent, Top Producer; Gerry Whitty, FEED & GRAIN; and Greg Henderson, Drovers magazine.

Please join us for the 2008 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 16-18. Register now at http://nama.org/amc/register.html.