The deadline for submitting items to the ABEF Silent Auction is March 16 if you want to be included in the auction catalog. Please join your agri-marketing peers in supporting this worthwhile effort by donating to the auction.

Fill out the on-line Pledge Form at http://www.nama.org/abef/silentauction/pledgeform.htm to indicate your donation and/or interest in the project. Any worthwhile product or service will be gratefully accepted.

Please show your support of the ABEF and donate what you can (minimum of $50 value suggested). All proceeds from the Silent Auction support the NAMA Student Careers Program.

Please note that all media and service packages will be auctioned on-line. The on-line auction will take place at the end of March.

For more information on the ABEF and the Silent and On-Line Auctions visit, http://www.nama.org/abef/abef-index.html.

Get the recognition you’re looking for by sponsoring the ABEF Golf Outing, Tuesday, April 10 at Bear Creek Golf Course in Dallas, TX.

Sponsorship opportunities for the ABEF Golf Outing include:

Reception Sponsor – Includes green fees for two (2) players
Beverage Cart Sponsor – Includes green fees for one (1) player (only 1 cart available)
Individual Hole Sponsor – Includes green fees for one (1) player
Player Gift Item(s) – Company logo/ABEF logo as recognition

Show your support and become a sponsor today!

To sign up for a sponsorship on-line visit, http://www.nama.org/amc/golfsponsor.htm or contact Jenny Pickett at 913-491-6500 or via e-mail at jennyp@nama.org.

To register for the ABEF Golf Outing visit http://www.nama.org/amc/golfregister.htm.

How would you rate your relationship with your agency or with your client? Could it be better? Menno Ellis, partner, ABA Consulting, will cover the process of determining and communicating expectations, building the relationship from the start, and common reasons for conflict. In addition, he will discuss reviewing the relationship, consolidating agencies in the face of corporate change, and ways to save money without making it unprofitable for the agency. Whether you have a seasoned relationship, or are looking for a new one, this session will provide practical examples and insightful recommendations.

ABA Consulting is a Dallas based firm that matches companies with agencies and ensures that the relationship stays productive. Ellis has specific expertise in optimizing profitable revenue growth plans for corporate clients. He has managed agency searches and reviewed client-agency relationships for clients in a wide range of industries, including retail, consumer goods, durable goods, and consumer and professional services. Menno has also advised agencies on a number of subjects, including client management, improving agency performance, and accelerating agency growth. Prior to joining ABA Consulting, Menno spent five years with the strategic consulting practice of A.T. Kearney.

This presentation will be one of the breakout sessions during the Agri-Marketing Conference, April 11-13, in Dallas. It will take place on Thursday, April 12 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

To register for the Agri-Marketing Conference visit http://www.nama.org/amc/register.html.

This year, the Agriculture Council of America will again host the National Agriculture Day Luncheon on Thursday, March 15, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the ballroom of the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The Ag Day Luncheon will feature Representative Collin Peterson (invited) and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns. The master of ceremony for the luncheon will be Orion Samuelson, WGN Radio/RFD-TV. The luncheon is hosted by Ag Day Partners ADM and John Deere and many other Ag Day supporters.

In addition, the winner of the National Ag Day Essay Contest will read the winning essay and will be presented with a $1,000 cash award. Special thanks to the sponsors of the Ag Day Essay Contest: Case IH, The Council for Agricultural Science & Technology, High Plains Journal, National Association of Farm Broadcasting, Country Living Association, McCormick Company and the National Agri-Marketing Association.

The National FFA Organization will support National Ag Day with the FFA Rally, “The Powerful Future of American Agriculture,” on March 15, beginning at 3:00 p.m. at the USDA Whitten Federal Building. The rally will build excitement and increase awareness of agricultural issues among key industry groups and influential elected officials. The event will kick-off with comments by the National FFA President, Beau Williamson, and features remarks by Secretary Mike Johanns; U.S. Secretary of Energy, Samuel Bodman (invited); Bob Dineen, president, Renewable Fuels Association; and Greg Webb, vice president, Archer Daniels Midland.
For more information on the National Ag Day Luncheon, contact Eldon White at 913-491-1895 or via e-mail at eldonw@nama.org.

For a list of Ag Day Sponsors visit http://www.agday.org/sponsors/index.php.

For more information about National Ag Day visit http://www.agday.org.

Don’t miss out on the NAMA membership promotion! New members who join NAMA between January 1 and April 6, 2007 will be entered into a drawing for a 30 GB Video iPod. In addition, existing NAMA members who recruit these new members will also be entered into the drawing. Just make sure when you recruit a member that they put your name in the “referred by” space on the membership application.

The drawing for the iPod will take place at the Connection Point Closing Reception on Thursday, April 12, at the 2007 Agri-Marketing Conference, but you need not be present to win.

Start recruiting members today and take home your new iPod after the conference!

On February 22, twenty judges ventured to Kansas City on a balmy 60 degree day to judge the National Best of NAMA entries. The national entries consist of the first and merit winners from each region. Regional judging was held in Kansas City in November.

National judges awarded a first and a merit award in 60 categories and also awarded three Best of Show awards for advertising; public relations and specialty categories. The results of the national judging will be announced at the Best of NAMA Awards Ceremony, April 11, in Dallas.

Special thanks to all the national judges:

Carol Anderson, Anderson/Fallon
Sally Behringer, Nicholson Kovac
Linda Bumgarner, VML
Leigh Ann Cleaver, Blasdel Cleaver Schwalbe Communications
Mike Dowling, Paulsen Marketing
John Dutcher, Dutcher & Associates LLC
Mike Gustafson, John Deere
Lou Ireland, Pioneer Hi-Bred International
Burke Johnson, Martin Williams
Phil Johnson, Colle+McVoy
Lani Jordan, CHS
Les Kahl, AdFarm
Boo Larsen, Osborn & Barr Communications
Greg Leaf, Group Leaf
Wes Meador, archer>malmo
Jim Myers, Rhea & Kaiser
Colleen Parr, Fleishman Hillard
Brittany Steuer, Charleston|Orwig
Eric Walker, McCormick Company
Catherine Wang, Gibbs & Soell
Winners in the 60 categories will be featured in the April issue of AgriMarketing Magazine. Best of Show winners won’t be featured until the June issue of Agri Marketing magazine. So you’ll have to attend the April 11 ceremony to find out if you’re the “Big” winner.

To register for the 2007 Agri-Marketing Conference visit http://www.nama.org/amc/register.html.

Written by Travis Balinas and Kyle Breunig

Badger NAMA traveled to Milwaukee on Tuesday, February 6^th for a presentation on the marketing of a NBA team. The night was a great success and was capped off with a Bucks’ victory. The tour started at Bucks Courtside, a nice restaurant and exclusive club that only 1,500 season ticket holders are eligible to enter. The dining spot was created from a pre-existing office space in the Bradley Center. Before this season there were no full restaurants in the arena, and Bucks Courtside was built to create an all-inclusive aspect to the game.

The second stop was the Cambria Club. A buffet-style eating and social club that is totally open to the court on the west end. The Cambria Club is new and the fastest growing attraction. From its prime location, with a full view of the Bradley Center, to the elegance and prestige which radiates throughout the arena, The Cambria Club is the hottest destination and a must see new attraction, newly built in the Bradley Center. Tickets are $110 (including a game seat) and are only available in season packages. The main attraction is the food, which make the $110 a very good deal. Jim Grayson, director of sales, said they get rave reviews about the dinner. He also said that many people use the space before the game for networking. Another reason it is so successful is that you never lose sight of the game, as some in-stadium restaurants do.

One point that Grayson, and his assistant, Dave Trattner, made was that they were in the entertainment business. Their competitors range from tickets to a Packer game, all the way down to a night out at the movies.

The NAMA group received a copy of the 10-page game operations packet for the evening. This included the word for word script and the entertainment, contests, timeouts, advertising boards, and scoreboard wording as it played out. In professional basketball, their main goal is to “give the customer a valuable experience” and have the fan walk out of the arena and say, “I had fun.”

The NAMA professionals and students attending the event were treated to a wonderful dinner and lower level seats to the Milwaukee Bucks game, and four lucky winners were given court-side tickets, courtesy of the Bucks.