The Agricultural Media Summit is shaping up to be an awesome event this year. It’s only 2 weeks away! This year’s event is record shattering because we already have the most attendees, most exhibitors and most sponsors ever. The coolest thing is that I made the highlight list.
AMS – which began in 1999 – is a partnership of the American Agricultural Editors Association (AAEA) , American Business Media AgriCouncil (ABM) and the Livestock Publications Council (LPC). It also hosts the annual meetings of the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) and Agricultural Relations Council (ARC). AMS focuses on professional education and networking for reporters, editors, designers, sales staff, publishers, public relations professionals, corporate communications practitioners and students involved in media and communications within the agricultural community.
Attendance will be at an all-time high of nearly 550, according to Diane Johnson, AMS registration coordinator. The attendees are coming from 33 states and three countries. This year’s attendees include a 17-member delegation from Mali, Africa. They are exchange students at Oklahoma State University. A record 75 exhibitors will be at the AMS Info-Expo according to Den Gardner, AMS exhibitor coordinator. This is the third successive year the trade show has sold out.
Dan Glickman, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, will keynote the conference at an 11:30 a.m. luncheon on Monday, July 30. And country singer performer Michael Peterson will entertain and motivate conference attendees at lunch on Tuesday, July 31.
Other highlights of the professional development program include:
• In addition to talking about interpersonal intelligence, Michael Bugeja, director and professor of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University, will unveil his newest book Living Ethics Across Media Platforms in a session with the same name.
• Bill Luster, Louisville Courier-Journal photographer, will talk about finding the right angle and other challenges facing news photographers.
• Brian Throckmorton, Lexington Herald-Leader, will speak on Creativity in Headlines.
• Chuck Zimmerman, co-owner of ZimmComm New Media, will present two sessions on blogging.
• Sheila Coles of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation will focus on listening for better interviews.
• Syndicated cartoonist Leigh Rubin will talk about staying inspired, motivated and creative.