This year it will be easier to enter and judge Best of NAMA.    NAMA is setting up a special web site that will allow members to upload entries including radio, TV, broadcast news, blogs, internet web sites and banners. This same site will allow for streamlined judging at the regional and national levels.  Other categories such as print ads, collateral, etc. will still be entered via hard copy submission. Watch for complete details in the call for entries, which will come out late summer. 

The 2012 deadline for Best of NAMA entries will be October 12 with Regional judging set for November 6-7.

Thanks to Paulsen Marketing for coordinating the new Best of NAMA Entry Site.

If you were unable to attend the Agri-Marketing Conference, or would like a copy of the presentations,  you can now download the audio of the sessions from the NAMA Store at http://www.nama.org/store/index.php?p=catalog&parent=23&pg=1.  Watch the video of the Opening Session and the student marketing competition top 6 finalists on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/ExploreNAMA.

Mark your calendars!  The 9th Annual NAMA Boot Camp dates are August 21st – 23rd at the Sheraton Crown Center in Kansas City.  Whether you’ve just entered the working world or been through the NAMA Boot Camp drill before, learn more about the latest trends in the agri-marketing industry.  More details to come.  Sponsorship packages are available, if interested contact Jenny Pickett at 913-491-6500 or jennyp@nama.org.

National NAMA is excited to announce their newest employee, Janae Prewitt. She comes from a background in marketing and human resources with her most recent employers being Applebee’s and Saladino Mechanical. Her new role is the Information Services Coordinator and we are delighted to have her join the NAMA team.

A celebration of  life reception and service honoring Judy Henderson is planned for May 23rd and 24th.  The reception will be held at http://www.thewildwoodhotel.com on May 23rd from 5pm – 8pm.  A Celebration of Life Service will be held at the Crossing Community Church the next morning beginning at 10:30am – http://www.wcrossing.org, followed by a lunch buffet.   

Our thoughts and prayers are with Lynn and his family.

NAMA is thrilled to announce that Blackberry smartphone carriers can now download the NAMA  app.  Also available  on your iPhone, iPad,  Android and Android Tablet.

It’s convenient and quick. Why wait?

Download the FREE NAMA App

Your app lets you:
* Quickly access the NAMA Membership Directory
* See chapter meetings at a glance
* Get the latest NAMA news at your fingertips

Download the NAMA App for iPhone or iPad at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nama/id427873709?mt=8.

Download the NAMA App for Android or Android Tablet at https://market.android.com/details?id=com.inetsgi.nama&.

Download the NAMA APP for Blackberry at http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/103236/?lang=en.

The packed house at the Best of NAMA Celebration prior to the first full day of conference activities was a clue. The 2012 Agri-Marketing Conference was going to be big … and it was.  Click here for a list of Best of NAMA winners.

Over 1200 attendees filled the Sheraton at Crown Center exhibit hall, keynote sessions and breakouts. NAMA has challenged itself to up the ante on conference each year.

“Our executive and planning committees work so hard to deliver the most amazing conference possible and it seems like they out do themselves every time,” shares Jenny Pickett, Executive Vice President/CEO of NAMA. “We try to bring in speakers who inject new perspectives and shake things up a little. The line up this year was just stellar.”

Peter Sheahan got things started with an energizing exploration of how ideas and execution join to create innovation. Using little known examples from leading-edge companies like Apple and Progressive, he had the crowd rapt with attention the whole morning.

The comedic, laid-back style of Ross Schafer was the perfect segue into the rest of the day. His insights and quick-witted observations were also full of useful suggestions for nurturing customer relationships and gaining an edge on your competition.

Awards for Agribusiness Leader of the Year and NAMA Marketer of the Year were also presented in the morning sessions. Honors went to John Becherer, United Soybean Board, and Greg Guse, Paulsen Marketing, respectively.

Attendees then chose from a wide-ranging group of breakout sessions to round out their afternoons. Topics spanned how different generations of farmers use media, to how to foster a creative environment in the workplace.

A walk through the Connection Point Trade Show  and closing reception with the exhibitors closed a full day of networking, learning and new ideas.  Attendees were encouraged to visit each of the 62 trade show booths to enter to win great prizes.  Congrats to Tom Apple, Pam Voelkel and Michele Egan who each took home a Kindle Fire.  Michelle Weinzetl won a XBOX Kinect and Heather Rossow won a Best Buy Gift Card.

At the Closing Session, Walter Bond shared his personal experiences of challenge and triumph during his long journey to becoming a player in the NBA. He urged the audience to be confident (but not arrogant), show enthusiasm and resist dwelling on the negative.