American agriculture is stronger than ever. In an economy where so many industries are struggling to stay afloat, agriculture is thriving. Demand and innovation are opening new markets and creating new opportunities.

The 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference will help you:

take advantage of emerging markets.
harness the power of new media to achieve real business results.
learn how industry leaders are using e-mail, strategic branding and trade shows to reach customers and new clients.

There’s a lot to be excited about, but agriculture still has challenges to meet. This year’s conference is packed with workshops, remarkable keynote presentations and breakout sessions to help you get ahead in turbulent times.

So please make plans now to join NAMA in the Heartland. Get energized about your career . . . Get excited about ag all over again!

Marjory Walker, Agri-Marketing Conference Committee Chair, National Cotton Council of America

Les Kahl, Best of NAMA Chair, AdFarm

Michael DeLuca, Connection Point Chair, Meister Media Worldwide

Curt Blades, Careers Committee Chair, Successful Farming

PROFESSIONAL SCHEDULE
Tuesday, April 20

12:00 Noon – 5:00 p.m. – Executive Committee Meeting
11:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. – ABEF Golf Outing
6:00-8:00 p.m. – ABEF Golf Outing Awards Reception

Wednesday, April 21

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon – Chapter Leader Workshop
1:00 – 3:00 p.m. – Board of Directors’ Meeting
1:00 – 3:00 p.m. – Pre-Conference Workshop
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. – First-Timer/Leader Reception
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. – Best of NAMA Finalists’ Reception
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. – Best of NAMA Ceremony
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. – Best of NAMA Celebration Reception in the Connection Point

Thursday, April 22

7:30 – 8:45 a.m. – Omelet Feast
9:00 – 10:30 a.m. – Opening General Session/Agribusiness Leader of the Year Award
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Second General Session/NAMA Marketer of the Year Award/NAMA Leadership Awards
12:30 – 2:00 p.m. – Connection Point Luncheon
1:30 – 5:30 p.m. – Student Marketing Competition Finals
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. – Senior Management Workshop
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. – Breakout Sessions
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Connection Point Break
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. – Breakout Sessions
5:00 – 7:00 p.m. – Connection Point Closing Reception/ABEF Silent Auction

Friday, April 23

6:00 – 7:15 a.m. – Sunrise Walk
8:00 – 8:45 a.m. – Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. – Breakout Sessions
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 Noon – Closing Session Brunch

STUDENT SCHEDULE

Tuesday, April 20

12:00 Noon – 5:00 p.m. – Student Practice
5:00 – 6:30 p.m. – Student Orientation
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. – Judges’ Reception/Orientation

Wednesday, April 21

7:30 – 11:00 a.m. – Student Marketing Competition Preliminary Heats
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Student Luncheon
12:30 – 3:00 p.m. – Student Marketing Competition Semi-Finals
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Student Critiques

Thursday, April 22

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. – Student Mentoring Lunch in the Connection Point
1:30 – 5:30 p.m. – Student Marketing Competition Finals
6:00 – 6:30 p.m. – Student Awards in the Connection Point
9:00 p.m. – 12:00 Midnight – Student Party

Friday, April 23

7:00 – 8:00 a.m. – Student Advisors’ Meeting
8:00 – 9:00 a.m. – Student Presidents’ Meeting

Every year at the Agri-Marketing Conference, professionals involved with selling products and services to the agricultural marketplace gather to explore the latest in techniques, trends and practices.

In 2010, the conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City. If your target audience includes agrimarketers, you can’t afford to miss the 2010 Connection Point.

An effective, affordable marketing investment

In today’s world of voice mails and e-mails, the Connection Point offers a unique opportunity for face-to-face contact. Something every business can use!

Research shows a single, personal sales call can cost $500 or more. In some industries—such as ag—that can go much higher, both because of technical expertise needed and because the market is so geographically dispersed. Your participation in the Connection Point will enable you to make sales calls much more economically!

And it is a sales opportunity. In a recent study, 91% of respondents ranked trade shows as an “extremely useful” source for product purchasing information and nearly half had purchased products or services at a trade show.

Approximately 1,200 people attend the Agri-Marketing Conference each year to explore the latest ideas and insights and share what’s working for them. The Connection Point is an integral part of this event and gives you the opportunity to see—and be seen by—a high concentration of individuals who make and/or influence ag-related buying decisions.

To signup for a trade show booth at the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference, please visit http://www.nama.org/amc/ts/signup.htm.

Get your company noticed by becoming a sponsor at the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference, April 21-23, in Kansas City. Companies with marketing budgets of all sizes can participate. The higher your support, the more benefits you’ll receive….Platinum Plus, Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze. In addition, you can get more company visibility by claiming one or more of the sponsorship opportunities. These opportunities are available on a first come, first serve basis, with first right given to last year’s sponsor. The high profile Best of NAMA Celebration Reception in the Connection Point is just one of the many opportunities available.

NAMA is introducing a new level of sponsorship:  Sustaining Partners

The NAMA Sustaining Partner would provide maximum exposure for a company seeking to align themselves more closely throughout the year with NAMA.  The program delivers extensive overall promotional benefits and exposure at all three key NAMA events (Conference, Boot Camp and Trends in Agriculture).  The partnership provides the ability to carry marketing objectives to new levels while assuring that NAMA has a more stable means of sponsorship income throughout the year.  The baseline commitment is $10,000 over the course of one full year.

The NAMA Sustaining Partner will receive all the sponsorship benefits of a Platinum Level Sponsor, plus the following:

• Use of Strategic Partner logo in advertising and promotion
• Web banner ad on NAMA web site that rotates with other Strategic Partners on an equal basis
• One comp registration at each of the three key NAMA meetings
• One comp NAMA membership
• Ad on digital signage at annual Conference
• Logo recognition as a partner on promotional materials for all three key NAMA events
• Verbal recognition at all three key events

Who’s already a Sustaining Partner? Take a look!

Agri Marketing magazine
Farm Progress Companies
High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal
John Deere
Successful Farming
Syngenta

Please review the benefits and opportunities of sponsorship at the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference and confirm your interest by filling out the online sponsorship form at http://nama.org/amc/sponsor/form.htm or contact Jenny Pickett at (913) 491-6500 or e-mail to jennyp@nama.org.

For a complete list of our sponsors, visit http://www.nama.org/amc/sponsor/sponsors.htm.

The Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF) will be hosting several activities at the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference to raise money for the Student NAMA Careers program.

ABEF Silent/Online Auctions
Support promising agri-business students as you mingle with exhibitors in the Connection Point. The Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF) Silent Auction and Raffle benefit NAMA’s Student Careers Program and the ABEF respectively.

Bid on auction items while making your way through the exhibit area and buy your raffle ticket.

ABEF will conduct an On-Line auction of media packages, Web related donations, and other services as part of its annual Silent Auction. Donors will be recognized in the Silent Auction area of the trade show during the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference.

Donations Needed! To donate items to the auction, fill out the online form at http://www.nama.org/abef/silentauction/pledgeform.htm or contact Jenny Pickett at jennyp@nama.org, 913-491-6500.

ABEF Golf Outing
Sign up deadline: April 9

The Agri-Business Educational Foundation (ABEF) will be hosting a Golf Outing, Tuesday, April 20. Gather your foursome and enjoy a relaxing day of golf before the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference begins.

The ABEF Golf Outing will take place at The National Golf Course. A chartered bus will leave the hotel at 11:30 a.m. to take everyone to the golf course and a boxed lunch will be provided. Tee time begins at 1:00 p.m. An awards ceremony and reception will cap your day on the greens.

Show your support and sponsor a hole! Hole sponsorships are now available. 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.

If you need or want to register for the golf outing and for the conference at the same time, please visit http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=8.

If you’ve already registered for conference but want to add the ABEF Golf outing, please visit, www.nama.org/amc/golfregister.htm.

ABEF Student Raffle

Student NAMA members will be selling raffle tickets prior to and at the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference. Cost of the raffle tickets are $10 each and $5 from each ticket sold goes back to the school.

Special thanks to our volunteers that helped in the planning of the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference!

Agri-Marketing Conference Committee

Chair
Marjory Walker, National Cotton Council of America

Vice Chair
Lori Wohletz, Colle+McVoy

Committee Members
Tom Flynn, Lessing-Flynn Advertising
Rich Tiller, Ag Speakers Network
Margaret Oldham, Beck Ag, Inc.
Sally Behringer, Nicholson Kovac
Diane Johnson, Livestock Publications Council
Matt Coniglio, Fastline Publications
Scott McClure, Brighton Agency
Michele McCawley, PBI/Gordon Corporation

Executive Committee Liaisons
Kenna Rathai, Kenna B. Rathai Communications
Marvin Kokes, Natl. Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Trade Show Committee

Chair
Mike DeLuca, Meister Media Worldwide

Vice Chair
Kasey Gannon, IRON Solutions

Committee Members
Lynn Henderson, Agri Marketing Magazine
Judy Knoll, Agri Marketing Magazine

Executive Committee Liaison
Ken Dean

Best of NAMA Committee

Chair
Les Kahl, AdFarm

Vice Chair
Greg Guse, Paulsen Marketing

Executive Committee Liaisons
Kenna B. Rathai, Kenna B. Rathai Communications

Careers Committee

Chair
Curt Blades, Successful Farming

Vice Chair
Wes Meador, Rhea + Kaiser

Advisors
Stacey Noe, Iowa State University
Dr. Laura Cheney, Michigan State University

Committee Members
Michelle Tollefson, Pfizer Animal Health
Randy Happel, Two Rivers Marketing Group
Jeff Hartz, Wyffels Hybrids
Deron Johnson, Rhea + Kaiser
Kristen Marshall, Nicholson Kovac
Matt Bornhorst, Agriculture Future of America
Claire Simmons, Monsanto

Executive Committee Liaison
Paul Redhage, FMC Agricultural Products

To register for the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference, please visit http://www.nama.org/ConferenceRegistration/Default.aspx?confid=8 or call the NAMA Office at 913-491-6500.

The Hyatt Regency Crown Center is the hotel for the 2010 Agri-Marketing Conference. The hotel deadline for making reservations is March 30, 2010. Reservations made after this date are subject to higher rates and potential unavailability. Make sure you mention “NAMA” when making reservations. All reservation requests will require a credit card guarantee or one night’s deposit. Deposits will be refunded by the hotel for rooms cancelled more than three (3) days prior to arrival.

Online Reservations
There are two blocks at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center, one for students and one for professionals. You are now able to make your reservations on-line, just follow the links below:

Student Block – http://crowncenter.hyatt.com/groupbooking/mkcrknags2010

Professional Block - http://crowncenter.hyatt.com/groupbooking/mkcrknagr2010

Several NAMA members and non-members celebrated their wins at Regional and chapter Best of NAMA events. Check out the highlights of a few events below as well as information on regional winners and how to advance entries.

REGION II
The Region 2 Best of NAMA Ceremony took place on Thursday, January 7, at Boulevard Brewing in Kansas City, Missouri.

Although attendance was a little lighter than usual due to blustery weather across the Midwest, many attendees braved snowy conditions to take part in the event. The ceremony honored the best work of the Rocky Mountain, Southwest, Missouri-Kansas, Great Plains, Gateway and Midlands chapters.

Taking home Best of Show awards were:

Best of Show Public Relations
Category: Producer or Company-Funded Public Relations Campaigns
Company: Field to Market, The Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture
Agency: Fleishman-Hillard, Inc.
Entry Title: Field to Market Communications Campaign

Best of Show Advertising
Category: All Elements
Company: John Deere
Agency: In-House
Entry Title: John Deere Photo Library Volume 7

REGION III
Region III hosted their Best of NAMA Ceremony on Thursday, January 14, at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, MN. Nearly 100 people came to  celebrate the best of the best in Region III.

The ceremony honored work from the Northern Prairie, Cornbelt, North Central and Iowa NAMA chapters. Taking home the Best of Show Awards at the event were:

Best of Show Public Relations
Category: Producer or company-funded public relations campaigns – directed to consumers
Company: Midwest Dairy Association
Agency: Demeter Communications
Entry Title: People Behind the Product Influencer Audience Outreach

Best of Show Advertising
Category: Producer or Company-funded advertising campaigns or campaign elements – directed to consumers.
Company: Midwest Dairy Association
Agency: Sullivan Higdon & Sink
Entry Title: Put Some Cheese On It! Advertising Campaign

Special thanks to the sponsors of the Region III Best of NAMA:

Gold Level
Colle + McVoy
Padilla Speer Beardsley
Lee Agri-Media including Farm & Ranch Guide, Minnesota Farm Guide, Iowa Farmer Today & Tri-State Neighbor

Silver Level
Two Rivers Marketing
Successful Farming
J.L. Farmakis
Pioneer Hi-Bred Intl., Inc.
Martin Williams
CHS, Inc.
Albarella Design
Farm Progress Companies
AdFarm
Brownfield Network
Learfield News
Penton Agriculture Group
Metro Iowa Plus

Bronze Level
High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal
The Meyocks Group
Broadhead + Co.
Paulsen Marketing
DTN/The Progressive Farmer
John Deere Credit
Strategic America

REGION IV

Over 80 members from the Badger, Chicago, Heartland and Mid-America NAMA chapters met at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Madison, WI, on Thursday, January 21, to celebrate the Best of NAMA winners in Region IV.

The Best of Show winners in Region IV were:

Public Relations
Category: Producer-funded public relations program directed to ag audiences
Company: Dairy Management, Inc.
Agency: Weber Shandwick Minneapolis
Entry Title: My Dairy: A Social Media Program for Dairy Advocates

Advertising
Category: Producer or Company-funded advertising campaigns or campaign elements – directed to consumers
Company: Wisconsin Cheese
Agency: Shine Advertising
Entry Title: Cheese Connection :30, Wheel of Cheese :30, Cheese Nation :30, Know that Cheese :30

Special thanks to the sponsors of the Region IV Best of NAMA ceremony:

Gold Level
Bader Rutter & Associates
Charleston/Orwig
World Dairy Expo

Silver Level Sponsors
Rhea + Kaiser
Rural Mutual Insurance Company
High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal
Hoard’s Dairyman
J.L. Farmakis, Inc.
DTN/The Progressive Farmer

CAROLINAS/VIRGINIA NAMA

The Carolinas/Virginia chapter hosted a Best of NAMA event for their members at the Chatham Hill Winery in Morrisville, NC, on January 26^th. The Carolinas/Virginia event included winners from 72 entries. Out of those 72 entries, 42 are eligible to advance to the National Best of NAMA competition. Special thanks to all who attended the Carolinas/Virginia Best of NAMA event.

Winners & Advancing

A complete list of the first and merit winners in all the regions, can be found at www.nama.org/amc/bon/winners.htm.

If you won a regional merit or first place award, you are eligible to advance to the national judging. The deadline for advancing your entry is February 17. Please visit http://www.nama.org/amc/advance.htm to advance your entry.

There is a $100 fee to advance each entry, it is not necessary to re-create your entry. Winners of the national judging will be announced at the Best of NAMA ceremony, Wednesday, April 21, in Kansas City.