RFA Ethanol Podcast

Ballroom Reception

Chuck Zimmerman

BIO BallroomThis is just the ballroom area of the opening reception. I know it’s hard to see but there’s a guy in a white tux in the center tower who was conducting the 3 sets of musicians on different balcony stages.

After the main course at serving stages all around the room you could go up on the middle stage for dessert.

AgWired coverage of BIO 2006 is made possible by: Rhea & Kaiser Marketing Communications

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Blues BIO

Chuck Zimmerman

BIO BluesThe barbershop guys were good but give me some blues. Like these guys who were singing about Georgia.

They got people’s attention.

Short video: Watch WMV file Blues Dudes (1 min wmv)

AgWired coverage of BIO 2006 is made possible by: Rhea & Kaiser Marketing Communications

Video

Barbershop The BIO Way

Chuck Zimmerman

BIO BarbershopThe opening reception was all about food and good music. Take the BIO Barbershop (my name for them). These guys were good. They were only one of about six groups performing on different levels and areas of the Navy Pier.

I didn’t find anyone to interview but I’m sure that will change tomorrow. There will be relevant news on food and agriculture. In fact, food and agriculture are highly featured here with over 1,000 square feet of corn on display in the exhibit hall. I will check that out tomorrow.

AgWired coverage of BIO 2006 is made possible by: Rhea & Kaiser Marketing Communications

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BIO Newsroom Home

Chuck Zimmerman

BIO 2006 News RoomI have arrived at BIO 2006 and the first thing to do was check in and scope out the news room layout. Very nicely done. I didn’t even bother to count how many work stations are set up here. It’s first come, first serve so I’ll be here early tomorrow.

This will be home for most of the next several days. You should see the “program.” I’ve seen many telephone books that are smaller. There’s no way to read it in 3 days but it’s well organized. There’s a nice tab for the agenda which I think is most important. Everyone who attends receives a very nice little shoulder pack. And of course it has an iPod holder and hole to poke your headphone cord through.

I’ve requested an interview with a communications director to talk about what it took to put the whole media outreach and press center together for this event. The staff person I spoke with said I was the only reporter they knew who is blogging this event. Interesting.

AgWired coverage of BIO 2006 is made possible by: Rhea & Kaiser Marketing Communications

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Chicago Arrival Video

Chuck Zimmerman

BIO ArrivalWhat does a bored blogger do after 7 hours of driving? Find something to blog about. Kids, this is not something I recommend unless you’ve driven several million miles like I have.

Short video clip: Watch WMV file Arriving In Chicago (2 min wmv)

AgWired coverage of BIO 2006 is made possible by: Rhea & Kaiser Marketing Communications

Video

What’s New At BIO 2006

Chuck Zimmerman

Most of Sunday will be a travel day to get to Chicago so the next time your hear from me I’ll be in the windy city. One of the 60+ press releases I’ve received on BIO 2006 is about “what’s new at BIO.” Well for me it will all be new since I’ve never been. I’m guessing that there’s some other newbies in the 18,000 plus expected to show up. But in case you’re a BIO veteran here’s what they say is new.

· Four new topics have been added to the list of breakout sessions: Devices and Diagnostics, Emerging Markets, Marketing, and Regenerative Medicine.

· Three new specialty pavilions in the BIO2006 Exhibit Hall which offer a unique set of exhibits. The specialty areas are: Food and Agriculture, Industrial and Environment, and Supplier and Service Providers.

· “Innovative Solutions for Translational Research,” a new program sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Discussion of case studies of internal and external entities established to provide resources, assistance, and acceleration in translational research and/or the commercialization of university discoveries.

· The exhibit hall at BIO 2006 will be the largest gathering of biotechnology exhibitors in history, including more than 1,600 companies, organizations and institutions representing every aspect of the biotechnology industry. With 176,000 net square feet of exhibit space, the hall is approximately the size of three football fields.

Three football fields. I guess I had better put on my walking shoes. Sounds like I won’t need an extra workout.

AgWired coverage of BIO 2006 is made possible by: Rhea & Kaiser Marketing Communications

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Not All Wind

Chuck Zimmerman

My fellow blogger Paul Conley has a new blog project called Wind Farm News. I’ll let him explain what it’s all about:

Welcome to Wind Farm News, a community that fosters the business of wind farming.

This is a business-to-business (B2B) publication. And I’m a B2B journalist. That means that Wind Farm News is about information and commentary related to the businesses that pull energy from the sky. We’ll look for the most interesting pieces of content available on the Web, and we hope to create some ourselves.

We’ll emphasize news about engineering, marketing, distribution, technology, sales and other areas of interest to the industry. We welcome your comments and your participation.

Please visit and let him know what you think. I know some people think that if I put a turbine on my desk I could probably power my whole neighborhood!

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2008 World Ag Expo Chairman

Chuck Zimmerman

Shelley & Dan KhalTalk about getting the word out in advance. I guess this show is so big you’ve got to start working on it over a year out. Shelley Khal, chairman of the World Ag Expo Media Committee, has been named 2008 World Ag Expo show chairman.

The future chairman brings a heritage of passion for World Ag Expo to her role. She is not only the wife of past chairman, Dan Khal (2003), but a member of a large family of Orange Jacket volunteers. Brother-in-law, Andre, works for Dan on the Building Committee; sister-in-law, Carla, helps in the Media Center as does son, Brian, 13. Son Chris, 20, is on the Motor Pool Committee while son David, 15 1/2, helps in the Media Center and in ‘07 will serve on the Freight Committee. Other family members serve as interpreters for the International Business Center .

Farm Shows

Canadian Support Extreme Measures to Contain Avian Flu

Chuck Zimmerman

Harry SiemensA report from Ipsos Reid shows most Canadians will support extreme measures to contain the threat of a human pandemic resulting from avian influenza. With many experts predicting H5N1 Avian Flu could reach North America by this fall, a survey of 16 hundred Canadians conducted earlier this month, as part of a tracking study of attitudes toward the issue, found six in ten Canadians have concerns about the virus.

Vice president in charge of Ipsos Reid’s public affairs trends division Dr. Glenys Babcock says the study explored potential public policy. “”It turns out Canadians overwhelmingly support serious measures to contain avian flu should it arise in Canada as an epidemic,” said Glenys. “We asked about people spending time in quarantine due to the avian flu, should they be in contact with it, and facing criminal charges if they violate it, businesses being required to waive sick leave, mandatory court ordered quarantines and pets, including destroying pets infected with the H5N1 virus to prevent transmission of the virus to humans.”Read More

International

Grassroots In Action at D&PL

Chuck Zimmerman

Tiny Miss GeorgiaI’ve been meaning to follow up on a story from last month on how D&PL’s grassroots initiative for National Agriculture Week went. Janice Person was kind enough to send me a page from their employee newsletter that highlights individuals and how they found creative ways to distribute the “Did You Know” cards supplied by the National Cotton Council. For example, the picture is Mary Madeline, this year’s Tiny Miss Georgia Cotton who attended the state’s ag week kick-off with her mom. Her dad (D&PL employee) made sure they had cards in hand as Mary Madeline visited with commissioner of agriculture Tommy Irving (shown in photo).

The efforts of D&PL’s employees and business partners to draw positive attention to the cotton industry for National Agriculture Week went well. The photo at right from agwired.com shows the type of attention we received from media – this was shared by customers and others who found the information of interest.

We have heard some success stories on how well employees used the cards and want to say thank you to everyone who helped raise awareness.

In addition to this, employees at the National Cotton Council conducted similar efforts across the U.S., with employees in their Washington DC and Memphis offices joining their field employees. And Planters Bank in the Delta handed them out at the 14 branch locations across the region.

It sounds like this might become an annual event.

Agribusiness