Convention 101: Tips for Getting Ready for Houston
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This Association’s Marketing & Distribution Convention operates at two levels. The surface level is obvious. It includes speakers, tours, and networking events listed on our schedule. The next level is a little less obvious. It is the meetings you set up independently, the committee meetings specific to an industry group—the ones you want to attend but don’t know if it’s open to you—and the thing that your spouse wants to go to, but, can she or he? We get those questions every year—from long-time attendees and rookies alike. We want to tend to a few here, but more importantly, we want to encourage you to ask. Seriously, we’re waiting for questions. We love questions. The fall convention is unique in that it is two conventions held at the same time. There is overlap in the schedules between the Equipment Marketing & Distribution Association (EMDA) meeting and our Association gathering. That overlap is designed to offer opportunities for wholesalers and independent reps to find new product lines and for manufacturers to identify potential distribution partners. It is that single purpose upon which the meeting is founded. The joint sessions are open to everyone who registered—whether through EMDA or Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association. Naturally, when the associations host individual sessions, you attend the sessions hosted by the group through which you registered. Take a look at what we’ve planned. These sometimes merged and sometimes separate tracks can be confusing. For that, we have name badges. They identify each attendee’s association. And, they serve as admission to just about everything, including registered spouses/guests. It’s important to note that new Association members do not pay a registration fee to their first meeting. If you’re not yet a part of our marketing section, consider this your invitation to join and save! We encourage every registrant to proactively reach out to manufacturers you’d like to meet while in Houston. Start with registration lists for both this Association and EMDA. But, don’t stop there. If there’s a manufacturer you’ve wanted to meet, reach out directly to see if they’ll be there. This issue of Shortliner introduces you to convention speakers Damian Mason, Bob Wilson, and Jacob Handsaker and shares information about executive tours and activities for guests. You can learn more about sessions featuring Col. Mike Mullane and Trent Johnson in this archived issue. Finally, take note of this deadline. If you register by September 11, you save $100. And don’t forget, we are available—and eager—to answer questions. Call us at (314) 878-2304. Feel free to research (and register!) here.
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Meet the Speakers
Damian Mason If you attended the 2012 convention, you’ll remember Damian Mason, who is back by popular demand. Mason is a farm owner, entrepreneur, and entertainer. He left the corporate world to pursue a career as a Bill Clinton impersonator. As the White House welcomed new characters, Mason found new material. Today he engages audiences with commentary on farming and business. Given his professional history and the state of the agriculture industry, Mason will focus his talk on how to reinvent your business. He speaks at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday. Bob Wilson Also returning at members’ request is leadership consultant Bob Wilson. Wilson will discuss:
Wilson is chairman of ADVISA, a leadership development and consulting company in Carmel, Ind. Members met him in April 2016 at the Supply Summit & Showcase in Clearwater, Fla. He speaks at 11:15 a.m. Wednesday. Jacob Handsaker Jacob Handsaker is a fifth-generation farmer near Radcliffe, Iowa, co-founder of an excavating company, and chairman of the Iowa Farm Bureau Young Farmer Advisory Committee. Handsaker, 35, considers himself an advocate and resource for young farmers, and among his messages to them is that diversification is essential. Handsaker’s farm and excavating company have eight full-time employees. His exteded family also recently launched a trucking business. They finish pigs for a company based in Ames, and they grow commercial sweet corn and green peas for Birds Eye Foods. “Just on the young farmer committee, we’ve got (farm families) who are into specialty livestock, who build bins in the off-season or are heavy into seed sales,” he says. “And, as we are moving to $3 or lower for corn, that diversity is the key.” Through his Farm Bureau role, Handsaker has spoken to leaders in Washington D.C. about regulatory challenges such as the Waters of the U.S. Rule. Handsaker will be among panelists at the convention who will discuss what drives farmers’ decision-making on equipment purchases. |
