Gearing up for Spring — and the Spring Conference

While winter still has a solid grip on most of North America, and much of the South is coated in ice, this week’s major farm shows in Louisville and Tulare, along with the signing of the 2014 Farm Bill, have almost everyone involved in our industry focused on the spring planting season.

We also look forward to the change of seasons and remind you that registration for our Spring Conference is open, speakers are planning presentations, plant tours are lined up, and booth space in our Suppliers Showcase is selling well.

When we have asked members to suggest locations for our Spring Conference, San Antonio, Texas, has been at or near the top of the list of requested cities. We are excited to bring this year’s event to the Grand Hyatt, which is located on the city’s famed Riverwalk. This is a great location, less than a 10-minute walk from the historic Alamo. With dinning, entertainment and shopping all within walking distance of our hotel, and many more attractions along the Riverwalk, this could be one of the best locations for executives to include their spouses in their travel plans. Several members have already told us they plan to extend their stay in San Antonio and bring other family members to this lovely and exciting area.

While warm weather and local attractions are a great bonus, the focus of our Spring Conference remains on building relationships with fellow manufactures and your supply and distribution partners, and addressing issues important to our industry both in formal sessions and during scheduled social time.

Our website FarmEquip.org provides full details, but here are some of the highlights planned for San Antonio, April 6-9, 2014:

New Program –  We are offering a special Purchasing Track, designed with your company’s purchasing agent in mind. Leading our program is Robert Menard, a purchasing professional who understands that you care about cost reduction and ROI. That requires experience, credentials and specialized expertise. With more than three decades in business, and having trained thousands of professionals, and hundreds of consulting engagements, Robert is uniquely suited to help your purchasing agent bring true cost savings to your company.

Monday morning’s two-hour session will focus on “Lean Principles and Sustainability,” and on Tuesday a one-hour session will address “Supplier Relationship Management” just before our Supplier Showcase in the afternoon.

We plan for this special track to become a regular feature of our Spring Conference, and we are providing special discounts for manufacturers who include their purchasing agent this year at the conference in San Antonio. Please call Tricia Kidd in our St. Louis office to learn more about the applicable discounts.

General Sessions – Tom Franzen will lead a general session on Managing Risk In the Workplace. From workers comp to employee theft to issues with prescription drug abuse, this session will highlight real-world examples of risks to your business and look at innovative ways companies have found to manage these issues. Tom’s panel will include experts on insurance, video surveillance and healthcare, and David James, one of our HR attorneys, will discuss the legal issues that need to be addressed.

Other sessions dealing with topics as diverse as reports on legislation, dealing with contracts between dealers and manufacturers, and how the USDA interprets the new farm bill will fill the agenda. A golf tournament, trapshooting and our special welcome party sponsored by our Suppliers Section are just some of the engaging social functions also included in our Spring Conference.

We encourage members to learn more about this conference and use our online registration system at FarmEquip.org to sign up today.