Crisis Management: Leading Your Team with Lauren Melcher, Digital Strategist and Social Crisis Specialist, Weber Shandwick

The rise of digital media and social content platforms has revolutionized the way organizations must approach media relations, customer relations and reputation management. Lauren Melcher, digital strategist and social crisis specialist with Weber Shandwick shares key trends, best practices and tips you can implement now to prepare for unexpected situations.

Communicating with Impact: Maximizing Influence with Gail Calhoun, President, Calhoun Consulting

Gail Calhoun, President of Calhoun Consulting is a speech expert who helps speakers become more comfortable and compelling. Calhoun shares tips with agri-marketers at NAMA Trends about how to become effective presenters.

Managing Up and Sideways: How to Make Things Happen When You’re Not in Charge with Shelia Campbell, President, Wild Blue Yonder, Inc.

Skillfully managing your own relationships with supervisors, department heads, CEOs and co-workers is key to success in a work environment and career. Shelia Campbell, president of Wild Blue Yonder, Inc., gave NAMA Trends attendees specific actions they can take to inform, motivate, inspire and direct other people, even without formal authority over them.

Through The Lens of a Leader with Aidan Connolly, Vice President Corporate Accounts, Alltech Inc.

Agriculture is a global business with a world of opportunities. That’s the message Aidan Connolly, Alltech Inc.’s Vice President Corporate Accounts delivered as the final featured keynote at NAMA Trends. His work for Alltech in countries throughout the world has given him perspective on trends in agriculture and the growing global emphasis on food as a universal story that all cultures are interested in and talking about. Listen as Connolly shares his insights and advice for agri-marketers.

It’s a Jungle In There: Inspiring Lessons, Hard-Won Insights and Other Acts of Entrepreneurial Daring with Steven Schussler, Founder, Rainforest Cafe

People told Steven Schussler that building a rainforest in his home was crazy. That was before he opened his first Rainforest Cafe and now Schussler has 45 restaurant locations on three continents. As a branding expert, entrepreneur and creator of Rainforest Cafe, Schussler provides inspiration and motivation for agri-marketers at NAMA Trends to be creative innovators.

Bringing Your Clients’ Brand Forward with Ed Bennett, Design Director, Colle+McVoy

How do you successfully transform a brand? Bringing a brand forward through a re-branding effort is the insight shared by Ed Bennett, Design Director with Colle+McVoy at NAMA Trends. Bennett described the inside story and strategies surrounding Caribou Coffee’s brand relaunch. He points to the importance of understanding the soul and history of a company and brand for a successful relaunch in the following video recap of Bennett’s presentation.

“My goal is to provoke some thought, stir some ideas and discussion; I think that’s where I can add the most value,” said Jeff Simmons, President of Elanco, in his opening remarks to a joint session of the NAMA 2011 “Trends in Agriculture” conference and the NAFB 68^th Annual Convention.

“You are the leaders,” he continued, “This is the issue of the century.”

The session, “Productivity to Feed a Growing Population,” was the culmination of a series of strategic perspectives examining current trends and opportunities in agri-marketing.

“Progress through Productivity” was the theme of this year’s conference, attended by agribusiness leaders from across the country. Like Simmons, several of the presenters challenged attendees to examine their own role in advancing the industry.

“Food security is the threshold question,” said Thomas Dorr, President & CEO, U.S. Grains Council, in a session on the growing demand for exports. “When trade works, the world wins. U.S. farmers win. It’s not a zero-sum game; it grows the pie.”

Experts in alternative fuels examined advances in technology and explored possible pricing pressures that could result from reduced support incentives combined with the growing global demands for grain.

And a panel of producers shared their perspectives on how to increase productivity, whether in the field or in the feedlot … as well as the consequences of increasingly competitive grain availability.

“My focus has been on risk management,” said Terry Jones, who owns and operates Circle J Grain, a grain origination and transportation business with operations in the U.S. and Brazil.

J.D. Alexander, owner of Alexander Cattle & Farms and current President-Elect of the National Cattlemen’s Association, reinforced that approach.

“It takes twice as much capital to run a cattle operation as it used to,” he explained. “That means it increases your risk. Risk management is essential.”

Alexander also underscored the reason these business leaders had gathered to examine strategic issues.

In response to a question about the value of social media, he quipped, “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”

View photo’s from the 2011 Trends In Agriculture fall meeting on Flickr. Photo’s courtesy of Chuck Zimmerman, ZimmComm New Media LLC (www.agwired.com).

View the Trends In Ag presentation by Jeff Simmons, President, Elanco, on YouTube at http://tinyurl.com/7uy9zjc.