We hope you will join us November 11-12 for the fall Trends In Agriculture meeting at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City.

This year’s Trends meeting will focus on Rural Lifestyle Marketing. Who are rural lifestylers? How do you reach them? How do you communicate to them?

NAMA works hard to keep programs and meetings relevant and not just timely, but ahead of the curve. That’s why we’ve changed the name of the Agribusiness Forum to directly reflect the mission of this innovative meeting to Trends in Agriculture. This year’s topic is the burgeoning rural lifestyle market and the decision makers who define it.

Join your colleagues in Kansas City for:

• interactive sessions on the influence rural lifestylers have on the agriculture industry and what’s driving their purchases and buying choices
• practical, proven advice for effectively marketing to the rural lifestyle population
• helpful perspectives from leaders outside agriculture who have had to shift their focus to capture a new audience in a changing marketplace
• opportunities to talk shop with colleagues facing the same communication and messaging challenges you are and discover how they’re managing them

The NAMA Trends in Agriculture takes place prior to the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) convention.

Everyone who registers by the early cut off date (October 27) will be entered in a drawing for a complimentary registration to the 2009 Agri-Marketing Conference in Atlanta, April 15-17, 2009!

To Register for Trends in Agriculture or to view rates, visit http://payment.nama.org/trends.htm.

To make a hotel reservation at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center, please call 816-421-1234. Don’t forget to mention “NAMA” when making your reservations. Rates for the hotel are $130 single/double. The Hotel cut-off date is October 20, 2008. Reservations made after October 20 are subject to higher rates and potential unavailability.

Watch Out! Watch your e-mail inbox for upcoming Rural Lifestyle quizzes!

We look forward to seeing you in November!

Testing Your Current Strategy
Tuesday, November 11
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

Kick-off Trends In Agriculture with Franck Schuurmans, Decision Strategies International, for Testing Your Current Strategy.

Most organizations already have strategies and tactics in place. But is your current strategy ‘future-proof’? In this type of engagement, Schuurmans focuses on different external future scenarios that might unfold and then test how your current strategy would fare under these different scenarios. He then helps you identify which areas of your strategy might require adjustment and monitoring as the future unfolds. Most companies pursue fragile strategies that will not easily survive a shift in how the wind is blowing. Many organizations have optimized their strategy for the present, not the future! Inadvertently, they have sacrificed long-term prosperity for short-term gain. He will assess how vulnerable your strategy is to external change, competitive forces and shifts in consumer demand.

Dr. Schuurmans is a Senior Consultant and the Director of Non-Profit Practices for Decision Strategies International. He is a highly acclaimed, dynamic speaker and author of numerous influential industry reports. Dr. Schuurmans works both with corporate clients as well as with leading non- profit organizations. His areas of expertise are retail finance, governance and the non-profit sector, with a special interest in executive training workshops, board governance and strategy development.

With Prof. Paul Schoemaker and others, he most recently co-wrote 2010 Scenarios for Credit Unions. He is also the co-author of various Industry Scenario reports including: “Scenarios for the Future of Human Resources Management,” commissioned by the Society of Human Resource Management; “2020: The Future of the Legal Industry;” “The Long and Winding Road, Histories of Aging and Aging Services in America, 2006-2016;” and “Memories of the Future, Scenarios for the Life Insurance Industry.” Schoemaker and Schuurmans jointly wrote, “Opportunity in Uncertainty: Techniques for Turning an Unpredictable Future to your Advantage,” published in Association Management.

Sponsored by Cattlemen’s Beef Board; Podcast sponsored by Truffle Media Networks.

Rural Lifestylers: Where Are They Now? Where Are They Headed?
Tuesday, November 11
4:00-5:00 p.m.

Dan Duffy, United Country Real Estate, will discuss current trends in rural lifestyle marketing. Using case studies, he’ll give concrete examples of what’s working when it comes to resonating with this growing market. Find out why people are living in/moving to the country, who are they, what drives them, what motivates them.

Dan joined United Country as part of a successful effort in February 2006 to secure growth capital to support the rapid growth of the United Country system. He serves as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors. In his role as CEO, Dan is principally responsible for the establishment and execution of a long-term strategy for United Country designed to deliver competitive advantage to United Country franchisee partners as they operate in their local markets and serve their clients.

Prior to joining United Country, Dan spent nearly 20 years focused on serving clients in a number of senior executive positions. Most recently he served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft’s “2005 Global Partner of the Year,” and the largest North American Microsoft Business Solutions partner with over 20 offices serving 12,000 clients across the United States and the U.K.

Prior to his tenure in the technology services market space, he served as the Chief Development and Financial Officer of an on-line business-to-business exchange serving the auction and brokerage market for industrial equipment and was a founding member of the Chicago practice of The Center for Strategic Transactions, a division of Ernst & Young L.L.P., providing strategic and corporate finance advisory services to Fortune 100 companies as well as high growth technology, product and services organizations across multiple industries.

Sponsored by Osborn & Barr Communications.

Connecting With The Rural Lifestyler
November 12
8:30 – 10:00 a.m.

Gain a deeper understanding of customer touchpoints including the impact of new media with Susan Spaulding, Market Directions and Courtney Yuskis, Country Living Association. Information will be based on an attitudinal survey and Rural Lifestylers’ collection and perception of communications about products, services, and interests related to the Rural Lifestyle.

Susan is CEO/President of Market Directions, a brand performance consultancy. She, first and foremost, brings an entrepreneurial mindset to her work with clients and staff that allow her to see and communicate new possibilities that lead to great outcomes. Susan and her team help clients build solutions based on understanding and ideas that renew, realign and reposition organizations. Susan has a talent for quickly framing even the toughest issues to make them newly accessible from multiple perspectives.

Susan is a recognized business leader. She was honored in 2007 by The Kansas City Business Journal as a Women Who Means Business. In 2006 Market Directions was recognized by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce as a Top Ten Small Business in Kansas City.

Courtney serves as the Executive Director of the Country Living Association and assists with the Dairy Calf & Heifer Association. Before joining Drake & Company in January 2007, she worked in development for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and for the Department of Agriculture in Samoa as a Peace Corps volunteer. Courtney is also involved in the local chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association and is a member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting and ASAE.

She holds a B.S. in Business Management & Administration from Bradley University. Her farming background lends well to her position at Drake & Company.

Sponsored by Country Living Association.

Utilizing Your Brand to Build Loyal Customers
November 12
10:30-11:30 a.m.

When your markets change from traditional ag customers to a new type of customer, it impacts your marketing decisions. Craig Elbert, Marketing Strategy Manager, Hallmark Cards, will present an approach to building long-term loyalty through three key elements: knowing your history, building from your product’s usage cycle and holistically defining your go-to-market plan.

Learn about the key tools you need, including a consumer care cycle (a model which shows a consumer’s mindset and how it relates to your product/brand) and a brand value star which includes key points such as equity, experience, energy, money, product and communications.

Craig Elbert is a Marketing Strategy Manager in the Marketing Division of Hallmark Cards, Inc. Craig is responsible for developing the strategic outputs designed to guide the development of high impact, high-ROI marketing communications across internal and external business partners, as well as provide the leadership for Hallmark’s consumer loyalty program. Craig joined Hallmark in 1990 and has held positions in product development and several areas of marketing. Craig holds a B.S.B.A. in Finance from Creighton University and an MBA from Rockhurst University.

Sponsored by Elanco Animal Health.

Making the Sale: Marketers and Retailers Share Their Experiences in the Changing New Rural Community
November 12
1:30-3:00 p.m.

This is a joint meeting with NAFB. Attendees registered for either meeting may attend.

The rural lifestyle market has been pegged at a composite value of $32 billion—yet this growing segment overlaps established markets in more than just geography. Established marketers and retailers are positioning to attract and influence the new buyers while still serving their traditional producer customers, with growing inroads by entrepreneurial merchants. This panel will offer a fast-paced “roundtable” discussion of what it is taking to cater to rural lifestyle needs and expectations.

Our panel moderator for this session is Bruce Thomas, Rural Lifestyle Communications Consultant. Panel members include:

Jon Chase, John Deere
Preston Shaw, Cabela’s
Tim Nix, Morton Buildings
Brad Mallow, Carthage Farm Supply
Maggie Mell, Thehaughtyhorse.com

The following is a schedule of networking opportunities and events that will take place at Trends in Agriculture:

November 11
3:30 – 4:00 p.m. – Enjoy a refreshment break and network with your peers at the break sponsored by the National Cotton Council.

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. – Welcome Reception/Best of NAMA Entry Viewing/ABEF Sports Night – Relax and network with friends and colleagues while viewing the Best of NAMA entries from the regional judging. This reception will also feature the first annual ABEF Sports Night. Try your hand at games such as basketball, electronic darts, pool and foosball while helping raise funds for the ABEF. This event is sponsored by John Deere, DTN/The Progressive Farmer, and Martin Williams.

November 12
8:00 – 8:30 a.m. – Get focused on the day with your peers and a hearty breakfast before the sessions for the day begin.

10:00 – 10:30 a.m. – Discuss the morning session over some coffee with your peers courtesy of CHS, Inc.

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Professional Development Awards of Excellence Program & Luncheon – Each year, NAMA honors members with hands-on responsibility in marketing communications, public relations, product/species management and sales. Awards will be given in each of these areas, and the recipients will share their thoughts on the challenges and opportunities in agri-marketing. The Luncheon is sponsored by Truffle Media Networks and the Professional Development Awards of Excellence are sponsored by Farm Progress Companies.

3:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Meet & Greet with the Speakers/Reception – This is your chance to talk to the speakers of the Trends In Agriculture Meeting after the final session. In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to network with some attendees of the NAFB Convention. Special thanks to the MoKan NAMA Chapter & Quarry Integrated Communications for sponsoring this event.