Small Marketing Department Workshop: Equipping Your Department to Survive and Thrive
If you’re flying solo or part of a small marketing team this workshop is for you. Join us to kick off your 2025 Agri-Marketing Conference experience with expert tips and training.
As an agri-marketer, you face unique challenges that require special solutions. Whether you’re trying to improve planning and budgeting, stay ahead of evolving trends or develop new strategies, NAMA understands the demands you face. Focused on ag retailers, equipment dealers, small manufacturers and other small or in-house marketing departments, a series of short presentations—Ted Talks style—will share what you need to succeed.
Because “Equipping Your Small Marketing Department to Survive and Thrive” is part of the main conference, no additional fee or registration is required. Just be sure to register yourself and your team for #NAMA25 in Kansas City to catch these big ideas.
Three expert-led 40-minute sessions are chock-full of tips and trends to help your marketing department set and reach goals.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
NEW: Management Track
This special track will feature two sessions conducted by Lorinda Lewis. Lorinda Lewis loves to facilitate learning and “to challenge thinking so that learning happens.” She has been an on-site business trainer and facilitator for 26 years, with considerable experience in business communication, management and leadership.
Lorinda honed her sales, customer service and merchandising skills as an outside salesperson. This prepared her for a career in sales, management and training with General Mills, where she also was responsible for developing, leading and implementing a districtwide reengineering and remodeling project.
By using facilitation techniques and creating a comfortable climate for participants, Lorinda encourages interactive and experiential learning. Her passion is training and seeing people “get it.” Her diverse experience and her years of hands-on training make her a much sought-after trainer.
Thursday, April 10 2-3 p.m.
Leadership Skills What does it mean to lead effectively? What critical skills are necessary and what mistakes are important to avoid? In this session you will learn the fundamentals of leadership as well as determine the kind of leader you want to be. Everyone has an opportunity to lead — leadership is not about a title but about how well you influence others for their good.
What this session will cover:
Critical leadership skills
Mistakes to avoid
How to build trust
Communicating mission and vision
Giving feedback
3:30-4:30 p.m. Managing Different Generations Today’s workplace is more diverse than ever before. As the Baby Boom generation exits the workplace, Gen Z is making a major impact on today’s working world. This session will help you understand generational trends which, in turn, will develop greater empathy for the reasons people may respond differently to the same situation. You will also learn the attributes all generations have in common so that you can connect more quickly.
By the end of this session, you’ll be better able to:
Identify characteristics and values attributed to each generation.
Recognize the nuances of managing a generationally diverse team.
Discover how to establish an environment of open communication among the various generations in your workplace.
Other Breakout Sessions
Thursday, April 10 2-3 p.m.
BREAKOUT #1: Working Backwards – Innovation Techniques John Rossman Based on research and 35 years of delivering BIG BETS to Fortune 100 companies, John Rossman gives you a playbook for Thinking in Outcomes to succeed at your BIG BETS. Based on his forthcoming book Thinking in Outcomes.
During this workshop attendees will work in small teams to write and share a future press release tackling a key issue. The audience will leave with:
A comprehensive playbook to Think in Outcomes and work backward
An understanding of the leadership challenges and skills to lead these missions
Why defining future customer experience or operational capability is a superpower we all need to leverage
BREAKOUT #2: Creative Strategy Session MORE INFO TO COME SOON!
3:30–4:30 p.m.
BREAKOUT #1: Being an Ag Marketer Without an Ag Background Janice Person, Grounded Communications
Whether you just got a new job landing you in agriculture or you have been here a while and find yourself lost in some conversations, this session is designed to build the foundational knowledge about agriculture and the farmers that provide the industry’s backbone. We’ll talk mindsets and topics as well as share some of the major watch outs that can cause customers to lose trust. Coming to the industry from an urban background, Janice Person stumbled through things for years before being Grounded in Ag and deciding this was the industry where she could make a living and a difference. She will share the framework she’s found successful, tips learned over the years and take questions.
BREAKOUT #2: Working Effectively with Freelancers, A Panel Discussion Moderator: Kenna Rathai
Freelancers are a great way to expand your team's resources and increase impact in the marketplace. Kicking these partnerships off right from the start will help work to stay on strategy and avoid disappointment. Hear from a panel consisting of a company representative, agency lead, creative freelancer and a content freelancer, and moderated by Kenna Rathai, to learn tips on how to make sure freelancer partnerships are effective and impactful for all parties involved.
Get the inside scoop straight from the target audiences you need to connect with. Listen in as farmers and ranchers discuss the current state of the agriculture industry, as well as their predictions.
Kyle Bauer of KFRM-FM will moderate this panel to answer your burning questions about what the ag industry looks like in the next three years. Come learn what today’s farmers are looking for in a partner/supplier, and how regulation is affecting their current operation. With a dedicated Q&A section at the end, this panel is the perfect place to hear first-hand information from producers.
BREAKOUT #2: Justifying Marketing Investments
Marketing teams continually provide rationales to internal teams as well as measuring performance from external audiences. It is important we tie these together with a strong strategy to justify resources, budgets and methods of measurement. Hear a panel consisting of company representatives and agency leads, to learn tips on how to justify your marketing investments to your internal team and performance of external audiences.
