Third Annual MarketPlace Conference Marketing Opportunities Wednesday, February 25, 2009 Sandhills Convention Center North Platte, NE Featuring Sponsorships Advertising Trade Show "This institution is an Equal Opportunity Provider, and Employer."
2008 MarketPlace: Opening Doors To Success Highlights 581 Registered Attendees 28 Educational Sessions Keynote Speakers 51 Exhibitors Sponsors MarketPlace Store Vendors Networking Table Discussions
On behalf of the Center for Rural Affairs and its many partners, I d like to thank you for your past sponsorship to host MarketPlace: Opening Doors to Success. The first Market- Place conference had 481 registered individuals and 74 of the 93 counties in Nebraska represented with the second conference having 580 registered individuals and 73 or the 93 counties represented. We are in the process of planning the Third Annual MarketPlace: Opening Doors to Success to be held in North Platte, Nebraska, at the Sandhills Convention Center on Wednesday, February 25, 2009. Top-notch professionals will be presenting high quality educational sessions along with exhibitor opportunities featuring abundant networking opportunities. Numerous sectors of businesses and organizations attended the past conferences from around the state as well as many other states and we look for continued success in attendee participation. I encourage you to help support this conference by assisting with one or more of the following activities: Sponsor the Conference with a direct financial contribution Reserve an exhibit booth to display your products or services (limited space available) Obtain an advertisement to be placed in the conference materials Register to attend the Conference yourself and encourage colleagues to attend! The planning team for the MarketPlace has priced sponsorship opportunities to encourage your participation at a level which best matches your marketing needs (see the attached sheet). Your organization will be promoted throughout the planning stages and presentation of the conference as well as investing in Nebraska s future. Act soon to take advantage of this tremendous opportunity. I will follow up and look forward to the opportunity to work with you again on this outstanding project. Partners for Success, Joy Marshall, Conference Planner Enclosure
2008 MarketPlace: Opening Doors To Success Attendees & Evaluation Overall Evaluation Rating 4.0 Being the Highest Overall Value of Sessions Variety of Sessions Luncheon Networking Table Topics Networking Opportunities Opening Keynote Kipp Kreutzberg Final Keynote Andrea Fredrickson 3.58 3.40 3.19 3.36 3.44 3.52 Attendee Demographics Other 10% Teacher 1% Student 19% Service Provider 23% Selfemployed 34% Wanting to start a business 13% Attendee Overview The University of Nebraska - Center for Applied Rural Innovation offered a sponsorship to assist with the registration process. A final total of 581 registrations (which includes 66 guests) was recorded at the Second MarketPlace: Opening Doors to Success Conference up from 482 registered at the First MarketPlace Conference in 2007. Did Not Answ er, 33% Gender Males, 30% 60.00% Most Useful Components of the Conference Sessions 50.00% Females, 37% Attendance was represented by seven states stretching from California, Nevada, and Colorado to Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and over to Iowa from a total of 72 counties and 129 cities. 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00% Exhibits A Few Attendee Comments: MarketPlace Store Netw orking Other: Table Topics Would You Attend Next Years Conference? 12% 15% 73% Yes No Maybe Great ideas & exhibitors - beneficial to businesses - Shana Thomas - Kearney, NE Very impressed. Really enjoyed the conference - Steven Grams, Imperial, NE The sessions were relevant to my needs in my purchasing a business. I feel more comfortable in what I'm going into - Jolene Johnson Parker, Johnstown, NE The participant manual was the most organized and detailed one I've ever received at a conference. I especially liked the session breakdown sheets re: time, topic, tracks, speakers, moderator & room. It made the process of choosing a session of interest easy Randy Lukasiewicz, Omaha, NE
2008 MarketPlace: Opening Doors To Success Educational Sessions OVERVIEW Twenty-eight teach-in s or sessions were offered with two keynote presentations. In 2007, there were thirty sessions, however, the final evaluation results completed by attendees strongly suggestion more networking opportunities. Upon evaluation of the attendees comments, it was evident this was an outstanding decision. 5 4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 Business Development Teach in Catagories Agriculture Community Financing Hispanic Marketing Technology Attendee Comment: I wasn't sure I wanted to spend the time at this conference - but am so glad I did. I learned a lot and got exited about my business. Sometimes you need reinforcements! Category Overall Evaluation Rating Session Name Marketing Branding your Product or Service 110 3.48 Marketing Marketing on a Shoestring Budget 88 3.73 Marketing Packaging Your Product or Service 52 3.41 Total in Attendance Community The Importance of Public Policy to Small Business and Rural Communities 45 3.21 Community Entrepreneurial Communities 45 3.06 Marketing Marketing on a Shoestring Budget 40 3.90 Financing Cash is KING! 40 3.33 Marketing Importance of Niche Marketing 40 2.88 Financing Your New or Existing Business Financing 39 3.36 Agriculture Agri Tourism 38 3.70 Keys to Successful Start-up (Preparing to Financing Ask for Funding) 37 3.44 Community International Economic Gardening and Community School Program 32 3.41 Reaching Customers for Direct Marketing of Local Foods Agriculture 31 3.48 Community The Next Generation Renewing Your Community 29 3.75 Agriculture Wind Energy 28 3.71 Keep Your Business Afloat - Bookkeeping and Taxes Financing 26 3.05 So You Want to Turn Your Business Bus. Dev. Over? 24 3.63 Bus. Dev. Out of the Red, Into the Black 24 3.42 Hispanic Marketing strategies (Spanish) 23 3.79 Nuts & Bolts of Business Start-up - Hispanic Spanish 23 3.77 High Value Products from Your Farm or Agriculture Ranch 17 3.69 Want a Return? Try Exceptional Customer Service Bus. Dev. 16 2.94 Marketing your products on the internet Hispanic (Spanish) 14 4.00 Technology Market Your Business Using Podcasts! - - Pre-registration was required 14 3.63 Technology Your Online Business - Kick It Up A Notch! - 2 hour session 14 3.57 Financing Cash is KING! 13 3.82 Hispanic Basics of Bookkeeping (Spanish) 7 0.00
2008 MarketPlace: Opening Doors To Success Exhibitors & Advertisements EXHIBITOR OVERVIEW The exhibitor area is designed to enhance networking opportunities for increased learning. Attendees walk away knowing what they need to do, why they need to do it, and where to find the assistance needed to grow their business or improve their business skills. Sample Advertisement In 2007, a maximum of fifty exhibitor booths were offered with the space filled to capacity one week before the conference. The following year fifty-two exhibitor spaces were filled to capacity on February 1, 2008 with four businesses on a waiting list. ADVERTISING OVERVIEW A new offering to small business owners and service providers is the opportunity to purchase color advertising to be printed and placed in each registrants binders. Advertising priced competitively for half, quarter and business card size ads. Full page advertisements are exclusively set aside as a benefit to Ambassador sponsors only, therefore, full page ads will not be sold. Each advertisement is to be sent electronically to the event planner in a camera ready format. Exhibitor Categories 3; 6% 7; 14% 11; 22% Government Service Provider Non-Profit Service Provider For Profit Service Provider (Sm. Bus.) 6; 12% 11; 22% 13; 24% Small Bus. Owner Educational Services MLM Companies
2008 MarketPlace: Opening Doors To Success The Store & Nebraska Foods MARKETPLACE STORE OVERVIEW The MarketPlace Store is a retail store for a day giving an extra boost of marketing exposure to Nebraska artisans. The Center for Rural Affairs MarketPlace contracted with GROW Nebraska to market the retail store to potential vendors, provide expertise, staff and pay sales taxes incurred from store sales with a total sales for the day being $1,180.52. The following information is required in the conference office no later than February 1, 2009: Complete and signed contract to include Tax ID # or Soc. Sec. # Inventory sheet of products with a maximum of ten products (unless pre-approved) Price products to include the 25% commission and inventory number (40% commission for late contracts) Vendors need to bring products to the store in advance for set up and all unsold products need to be picked up after the conference and no later than 6:00pm or products would be donated to a charity. This section of the project is to be looked at as a promotional and marketing opportunity first, and a selling opportunity second. Open to anyone making a quality product! NEBRASKA FOODS OVERVIEW One of the requirements for facilities selected to host the MarketPlace in Nebraska is the agreement to prepare Nebraska grown foods. Therefore, the Sandhills Convention Center has agreed to prepare foods with a preparation fee assessed. Traci Bruckner will be working with farmers/ranchers to purchase the foods through the Center for Rural Affairs to be delivered to the facility by a firm delivery date to allow ample preparation time for the facility. This past years Nebraska foods were purchased from the following businesses: Steve and Lori MacGregor, Plainview, NE Trout Lazy D Ranch, Ron and Annette Dubas, Fullerton, NE Roast Beef Shadow Brook Farm, Lincoln, NE Squash Serving food purchased from local family owned and operated farms and ranches upholds the values that drive the work of the Center for Rural Affairs. Request a copy of the Request for Proposal!
2008 MarketPlace: Opening Doors To Success More Marketing... Acquire a year-long MarketPlace Sponsorship for maximum marketing exposure and create the perfect way to meet face to face over 500 potential clients. Select a packaged sponsor plan that best fits your marketing objectives and build and maintain market awareness of your products and services while supporting and creating enhanced opportunities to strengthen Nebraska s rural businesses. CHOOSE from one of the tiered options and become a 2008-09 MarketPlace Sponsor!
MarketPlace Conference: Opening Doors to Success Joy Marshall, Event Planner 402-614-5558 joym@cfra.org http://www.cfra.org/marketplace/home
Marketing Opportunities Center for Rural Affairs MarketPlace Conference Attn: Joy Marshall 5127 S. 122nd St. Omaha, NE 68137