Transform the way you communicate ideas at the Opening General Session of the 2008 Agri-Marketing Conference on Thursday, April 17. Dan Heath, will present Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. Heath is also the co-author of a book by the same name. He also writes a column for Fast Company magazine and serves as a Consultant to the Policy Programs at the Aspen Institute.

During this session, Heath will reveal the six proven principles that explain why some ideas succeed and others fail. More importantly, he’ll show you how you can use these principles to make your own messages stick.

You will also learn the anatomy of ideas that stick and how to make existing ideas “stickier”; how to use the Velcro Theory of Memory; why creating “curiosity gaps” works to beat the Curse of Knowledge; and why Systematic Creativity works better than breaking the rules. Get ready to make your marketing efforts a whole lot “stickier!”

Made to Stick has been featured in U.S. News & World Report, Time Magazine, Inc. Magazine, Manage Smarter and Harvard Business Review.

Special thanks to American Business Media Agri Council for sponsoring this session.

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

Discover how social networking can positively affect your business and how to draw on the power of community with Barry Libert on Thursday, April 17. Libert co-authored the book, We Are Smarter Than Me: How to Unleash the Power of Crowds in Your Business, that shares exactly how to use social networking and community in your business, driving better decision making and greater profitability. It’s the first book to show anyone in business how to profit from the wisdom of crowds.

Libert will show you how to build the power of community into decision making and business processes with powerful insights and new case studies from product development, manufacturing, marketing, customer service, finance, management and beyond.

Explore why community approaches work or don’t work when it comes to marketing, business development, distribution and more. Plus, you’ll learn what it takes to incorporate social networking and community successfully into your company.

Libert is the founder and CEO of one of Mzinga’s predecessor companies, Shared Insights. Libert was one of the first in the industry to recognize and promote the value of communities and Web 2.0 technologies in enabling enterprises to communicate and collaborate to make better decisions based on the experience of peers, experts, and leading industry vendors.

As the co-author of the critically acclaimed book “We Are Smarter Than Me,” Barry and his co-authors used the power of Web 2.0 technologies and the Wiki-based contributions of more than 4,000 people to illustrate how businesses could profit from the wisdom of crowds.

Special thanks to John Deere and Syngenta for sponsoring this session.

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

With so many roles to fill at once – spouse, parent, working professional, mentor – how do you create boundaries? How do you stop juggling, delegating and endlessly prioritizing? How do you go from overwhelmed to overjoyed? Mary LoVerde will answer these questions at the Closing Session of the 2008 Agri-Marketing Conference on April 18.

With a client base that ranges from the American Trucking Association to the Mayo Clinic, it’s an understatement to say that Mary’s strategies for a less stressful life can work for everyone. Her belief that life is a balancing act has led her to delight audiences around the world with her step-by-step processes for creating harmony and satisfaction in every area of their lives.

Mary LoVerde is dedicated to helping people find innovative ways to blend a successful career with a happy and healthy family life. She draws from both professional and personal experiences to connect with her audiences from around the world.

She has appeared three times on The Oprah Winfrey Show and her life-balance ideas were featured on an ABC World News Tonight special. The Wall Street Journal recommended Stop Screaming at the Microwave! as one of the top ten “must reads” in life-balance books.

Embraced by men and women alike, Mary’s strategies help bring lives back into balance, resulting in greater productivity for businesses, as well as more harmony and personal success for individuals.

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

National Best of NAMA judging is set for February 21 in Kansas City. At that time, all entries that advanced from the regional competitions will be judged. An e-mail has been sent to those who are eligible to advance their entries. Be sure to do so by February 15 at http://www.nama.org/amc/advance.htm.

This year, national Best of NAMA judges will be treated to a dinner on the evening of February 20 at Kansas City’s City Tavern. In addition, Dan Taylor, Writing Specialist for Hallmark will speak to the group on fostering a creative environment and brainstorming.

To view the first and merit winners of the regional competition visit http://nama.org/amc/regional.htm.

As you know, recognizing and celebrating agriculture is an important commitment we should all make. Far too few Americans truly understand the role of agriculture in their everyday lives and that lack of awareness creates many challenges for our industry.

That’s why the Agriculture Council of America (ACA) has developed the Ag Day Planning Guide, the annual Ag Day Poster and the Ag Fact Cards, to help concerned organizations and individuals like you make the most of your Ag Day event, and in doing so, improve the understanding about agriculture nationwide.

If you are planning to host an Ag Day Event and would like some helpful ideas, visit the Ag Day web site at www.agday.org or if you would like to order Ag Day Materials, visit, http://payment.nama.org/agdayorder.htm or call the Agriculture Council of America at 913-491-1895 to order.

Join the Agriculture Council of America and NAMA in celebrating National Ag Week, March 16-22 and National Ag Day, March 20, 2008! Good luck in your celebrations!

The NAMA Trade Show – the Connection Point – will be held in conjunction with the Agri-Marketing Conference, April 16-18, 2008, in Kansas City, MO, at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center.

Each year, this highly anticipated gathering of leading edge agri-business companies draws over 1,200 agri-marketing professionals and students who want to learn more about new products and services entering the market.

Key players and with real buying power and influence within the companies they represent will be on hand to meet and interact with the over 35 exhibiting companies on the trade show floor. Marketing executives, ad agency professionals, public relations executives, media representatives and commodity and trade association professionals representing a wide spectrum of industry interests comprise the largest groups of attendees at the Connection Point.

“Our exhibitors are always thrilled with the customers and prospects they meet at the trade show,” shared Jenny Pickett, Executive Vice President/CEO of NAMA. “Again this year we have receptions, drawings and a luncheon right on the floor that give exhibiting companies more opportunities to meet and interact with attendees – it’s going to be a great show!”

In addition to exhibiting in the trade show, high profile sponsorships are also available … and NAMA is willing to experiment in 2008.“We have sponsorship opportunities available, but we’re happy to work creatively with companies who want to come to us with their own ideas,” said Pickett. “Our goal is to make this a profitable and worthwhile experience for our exhibitors.”

To learn more about getting your company involved in the Connection Point, visit www.nama.org/amc or email Judy Knoll at JudyK@agrimarketing.com.

To sign up for a Trade Show booth now visit, http://www.nama.org/amc/ts/signup.htm.

To register for the 2008 Agri-Marketing Conference visit http://nama.org/amc/register.html.

The ABEF Century Club, which was launched at the 2004 Agri-Marketing Conference in Kansas City, raised nearly $5,000 at the 2007 Agri-Marketing Conference. Investing in the club provides the opportunity to step forward and help advance the future of agribusiness. Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders and the Century Club support is totally dedicated for investing in scholarships for tomorrow’s leaders.

The Century Club’s goal is to have today’s agribusiness leaders contribute $100 for today’s youth. You can be a part of this select group of individuals committed to enhancing the opportunity for tomorrow’s leaders. The list below contains professionals who joined the Century Club by the end of the 2007 conference. Don’t be left out, sign yourself up now! Visit http://www.payment.nama.org/centuryclub.htm.