Talk to One Another, Hear from Farmers in Houston
I had an interesting conversation with an Association member last week—a guy who I don’t think would mind being called an industry old-timer.
We were talking about our meetings, and he said for him the most important convention moments often happened in the hallways during his casual conversations with colleagues.
He also said the meetings were more valuable to him when business was bad, because it was important to pick up ideas and try new things. In his words, when business was off, he worried he was missing something, and he came looking for it at meetings.
We recognize that’s not always possible. You operate within the tough reality of budgets and schedules. But when it is possible, we are committed to creating moments—both in the hallways and during speaker sessions—that make these meetings worth every minute and dollar you commit.
For the Marketing & Distribution Convention in Houston, one way we will bring value to members is through a panel of farmers who will discuss what influences their decision-making on equipment purchases.
We will ask what drives them to buy new equipment, to what degree they depend on dealers’ suggestions, how they budget for asset spending, how committed they are to automation, and how they decide what to cut when the budget is tight.
We also hope to learn about their business overall: how profit margins have changed over the years, their toughest business challenges, how much help they hire, and their succession plan.
Association president Paul Jeffrey will begin the conversation, but we will open it to you and encourage you to bring questions. This promises to be a candid, casual, and constructive conversation.
Because so many of you have expressed an interest in the situation in Houston, we’ve decided to take a more active role in supporting the city’s recovery from flood. For every registration we receive in the next two weeks, we will donate $100 to a charity of the registrant’s choice that’s working to support the people of Houston.
We encourage you to watch a brief video message on this page from the president of Visit Houston that reinforces how very much the city wants us there in November. Registration and meeting information at .