Winning customers just may be the easiest thing you do in growing your business.  Retaining them and making them happy over the long run often times is more difficult.  Even though you have successfully sold your customers on the value of your solution and your company, there is no [...]]]> Strengthening Customer Relationships

Winning customers just may be the easiest thing you do in growing your business.  Retaining them and making them happy over the long run often times is more difficult.  Even though you have successfully sold your customers on the value of your solution and your company, there is no guarantee that they will stay with you.  An often overlooked approach for retaining customers and reducing churn is to develop a process to continuously reinforce your total value to your customers in a way that they will recognize and appreciate.

Join us Thursday, April 26 as the AMA welcomes Don Gray, founder and President of Sales Engineering Group.  Don will provide insights on how you can improve the way you reinforce your value to your customers and have them recognize what you have done for them.  The seminar is based on the principles from the book, The Paradox of Excellence – How great Performance Can Kill Your Business, by David Mosby and Michael Weissman.  Don will share with you insights into:

• How you become invisible to your customers until it really matters
• Examples of how companies have implemented value reinforcement processes
• Techniques for developing your own value reinforcement process

Don has 25+ years experience working with B2B organizations across a variety of industries.  He has held positions in sales and sales leadership, marketing, international management, and strategic planning.  He founded the Sales Engineering Group ten years ago to help B2B organizations improve their customer acquisition and retention. He attended Cleveland State University and the University of Texas at Dallas where he majored in Business and Marketing.  He has written and published several articles on value development, value reinforcement, and sales process.  He has also given numerous talks on the above mentioned topics.

Please join us on April 26 for this informative and interactive seminar on Strengthening Customer Relationships.
When:
Thursday, April 26, 2012

Where:
Kenwood Towers – 1st Floor Conference Room (next to Skip’s Deli)
8044 Montgomery Road, ( I-71 & Montgomery Road)

Time:
8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. – Registration & continental breakfast
8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. – Seminar

Cost:
AMA Members
$30 for Reservations made by April 23
$35 for Reservations made after April 23

AMA Student Members – $10
Non-member Students – $25

Non-Members
$45 for Reservations made by April 23
$50 for Reservations made after April 23

With thousands of choices to be made before consumers enter any store, and thousands more once in the aisle, brands must find ways to break through the clutter while keeping true to themselves and finding relevance to their consumers. Shopper marketing has challenged many long-held beliefs [...]]]> Shopper Centric Design: Enhancing Brand Performance in Stores

With thousands of choices to be made before consumers enter any store, and thousands more once in the aisle, brands must find ways to break through the clutter while keeping true to themselves and finding relevance to their consumers. Shopper marketing has challenged many long-held beliefs about brand management, and is changing the way many manufacturers approach communications. Brand managers are now putting the store at the center of communications development, driving greater alignment between traditional and in store communications. While the focus of this topic is on CPG brands; there’s much to think about in terms of how consumers in all segments make decisions at respective points-of-purchase.

By attending the April 20 executive luncheon you will learn from our presenter, Kelly Smith, Group Creative Director of LPK – what helps brands get noticed in stores, how brands are developing compelling stories and unique positions, addressing navigation, purchase barriers and more. He will discuss how Shopper Centric strategies integrate shopper behavior, retailer knowledge and brand building expertise to enhance in store brand performance, including

1. De-Selection Barriers
2. Selection Barriers
3. In-store Design and Communication Principles

As a Group Creative Director, Kelly has earned a reputation as a provocateur and creative strategist. Kelly built a career over more than twenty years in design, advertising and branding, and has served as a strategic leader across LPK for more than eight years. His passion for building brands that develop relationships with their audiences and create brand communities has carried him around the world for clients in categories as diverse as retail, consumer packaged goods and home improvement to audio, financial services and pharmaceutical. Kelly is a recognized facilitator and trainer, having led workshops on innovation, retail strategy, corporate vision and mission, brand equity and architecture, consumer segmentation and other topics for a wide variety of audiences.

When:
Friday, April 20, 2012

Where:
Cintas Center at Xavier University
1624 Herald Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45207
You can park in Lot C next to the Cintas Center.  No parking voucher is needed.

Time:
11:30 am – 12:00 – Registration & Networking
12:00 – 1:15 pm – Lunch and program

NEW LUNCHEON OPTION:
Please note we have a dessert and coffee only option (no lunch).
Cost:
AMA Members – Lunch included
$30 for Reservations made by April 17
$35 for Reservations made after April 17

AMA Members – Dessert and coffee only (no lunch)
$15 (please note you are not allowed to bring your own lunch to the Cintas Center)

Non-Members – Lunch included
$45 for Reservations made by April 17
$50 for Reservations made after April 17

Non-Members – Dessert and coffee only (no lunch)
$25 (please note you are not allowed to bring your own lunch to the Cintas Center)

Students
AMA Student Members – $20
Non-Member Students  – $25

Lunch menu – Grilled Chicken Breast Piccata (if you prefer a vegetarian meal, please indicate on bottom of reservation form.

Social media is becoming the most cost-effective and easiest way for companies to obtain information on what their users and consumers think about their product or service.  But just how easy is it to use social media for [...]]]> Social Media from a Research Perspective
Seminar Sold OUT! No more reservations being accepted.

Social media is becoming the most cost-effective and easiest way for companies to obtain information on what their users and consumers think about their product or service.  But just how easy is it to use social media for marketing research? And how can we use this information to make informed decisions about our product and services?

Join us on Tuesday, February 28 at 7:30 a.m. at Burke, Inc. as the AMA welcomes Jim Berling, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of The Burke Institute, as he answers these questions:

• what tools are available for listening, monitoring and capturing online users;
• how to begin implementing this tactic into your company; and
• how (using numerous case study examples) companies have successfully used social media as a research application.

Jim has over 15 years of experience consulting with clients in the financial services, healthcare, industrial equipment and consumer packaged goods industries on qualitative and quantitative research projects. He has traveled to more than 20 different countries around the world speaking at conferences, trade shows and leading on-site customized client programs.  Graduated from the University of Cincinnati with an MBA in Marketing and Finance and a BA in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, he currently serves on the MMR Advisory Board for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.  Jim has also written articles for Quirk’sMarketing Research Review and other industry-related publications.

When:
Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Where:
Burke, Inc.
500 W. 7th Street
Cincinnati, OH 45203

From North of downtown Cincinnati via I-75 – Traveling on I-75 South, take the Seventh Street (1E) exit. Be in the left lane as you cross the viaduct. As soon as you cross the viaduct; look for the double driveways on the left and the blue Burke signs. Turn left into the first driveway and take an immediate left into the Visitor Parking lot.

From Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky via I-471 – Traveling on I-471 North, take the US 50W/Columbia Parkway (6A) exit. Keep left at fork and follow signs for US- 50 W/Third Street/I-71/I-175 and merge onto I-71/I-75. Exit on the left onto US-50W/W6th Street toward River Road. Take the Gest Street exit on the left. Keep right at the fork to go onto Gest Street. Take a slight right onto 7th Street and immediately move to the left across several lanes to enter the driveway. Look for the double driveways on the left and the blue Burke signs. Turn left into the first driveway and take an immediate left into the Visitor Parking lot.

From North of downtown Cincinnati via I-71 – Traveling on I-71 South, exit on the left onto US-50W/W 6th Street toward River Road. Take the Gest Street exit on the left. Keep right at the fork to go onto Gest Street. Take a slight right onto 7th Street and immediately move to the left across several lanes to enter the driveway. Look for the double driveways on the left and the blue Burke signs. Turn left into the first driveway and take an immediate left into the Visitor Parking lot.

From Northern Kentucky via I-71/I-75 – Traveling on I-71/I-75 North, take the River Road (1D) exit. Take a slight left toward Gest Street ramp. Keep right at the fork to go onto Gest Street. Take a slight right onto 7th Street and immediately move to the left across several lanes to enter the driveway. Look for the double driveways on the left and the blue Burke signs. Turn left into the first driveway and take an immediate left into the Visitor Parking lot.

Time:
7:30 am – 8:00 am – Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:00 am – 10:00 am – Seminar

Cost:
AMA Members – $30
Non-Members – $45

Students
AMA Student Members – $10
Non-Member Students  – $25

David Linger, Director of Technology Partnerships and Commercialization for GE Aviation, will discuss the evolving approach to Open Innovation. He will share with us how GE Aviation is leveraging the traditional model of using a larger internal research and development lab with internal [...]]]> Topic: Innovation: A Global Hybrid Model Leveraging The “Old” With the “New”

David Linger, Director of Technology Partnerships and Commercialization for GE Aviation, will discuss the evolving approach to Open Innovation. He will share with us how GE Aviation is leveraging the traditional model of using a larger internal research and development lab with internal and external on-line communities to spur innovation and growth globally.  His presentation will include:

• Discussion points regarding the various inputs to the innovation process
• Decision science aspects shown through examples
• Scalable processes that work to reduce the burden on resources
• The importance of an innovation portfolio management tool to prioritize, track, measure, connect, and communicate the ideas across the enterprise
• Importance of leadership and culture to successful innovation processes

In his role at GE Aviation, Mr. Linger has responsibility for cultivating an open innovation culture within the company as well as driving technology transfer and collaborative programs. Mr. Linger has 20 years experience and success in bringing new technology and innovations to market.

Register for this event

When:
Friday, November 18, 2011

Where:
Cintas Center at Xavier University
1624 Herald Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45207
You can park in Lot C next to the Cintas Center.  No parking voucher is needed.

Time:
11:30 am – 12:00 – Registration & Networking
12:00 – 1:15 pm – Lunch and program

NEW LUNCHEON OPTION:
Please note we have a new dessert and coffee only option (no lunch).
Cost:
AMA Members – Lunch included
$30 for Reservations made by November 15
$35 for Reservations made after November 15

AMA Members – Dessert and coffee only (no lunch)
$15 (please note you are not allowed to bring your own lunch to the Cintas Center)

Non-Members – Lunch included
$45 for Reservations made by November 15
$50 for Reservations made after November 15

Non-Members – Dessert and coffee only (no lunch)
$25 (please note you are not allowed to bring your own lunch to the Cintas Center)

Students
AMA Student Members – $10
Non-Member Students  – $25

Lunch menu – Meat or vegetable lasagna

Register for this event

Imagine thousands of choir members from all across the globe, dressing in traditional attire and parading through the streets [...]]]> Topic: A Brand Equity Match: Cincinnati USA and the 2012 World Choir Games
Presenter: Dan Lincoln, President and CEO, Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau

Imagine thousands of choir members from all across the globe, dressing in traditional attire and parading through the streets of downtown Cincinnati USA. That is how the seventh World Choir Games will get under way on July 4, 2012, when the largest international choral competition in the world comes to North America for the first time.

The Olympics of choral music will bring 20,000 participants and tens of thousands of visitors from more than 70 countries to Cincinnati for what will be the largest and most significant international arts event in the city’s history. There will also be entertainment-packed opening and closing ceremonies, awards ceremonies and hundreds of public performances, including “Friendship concerts,” free choral performances on city streets, public squares, attraction venues and parks.

Join us at the October 21 luncheon to hear our presenter, Dan Lincoln, President and CEO for the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau, discuss how this event is a perfect fit for our city and how  it matches with one of Cincinnati USA’s core brand equities. He will describe what efforts are being taken now to “brand” Cincinnati USA and how the value of this event can extend beyond the 11 days of the summer of 2012.

Since March of 2006 Dan has led the CCVB as President and CEO. His focus has been on reinvigorating the region’s convention and meetings industry by bringing high volume, high impact groups to Downtown, Hamilton County and the Cincinnati USA region.  Dan works closely with local community leaders, and corporate and hospitality partners to establish Cincinnati as a world-class tourism and meetings destination.

Reserve your spot today to learn about the branding of the largest global event to ever be hosted in Cincinnati and how it will bring a worldwide spotlight to our city.

Thanks to our luncheon sponsor!

Register for this event

When:
Friday, October 21, 2011

Where:
Cintas Center at Xavier University
1624 Herald Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45207
You can park in Lot C next to the Cintas Center.  No parking voucher is needed.

Time:
11:30 am – 12:00 – Registration & Networking
12:00 – 1:15 pm – Lunch and program

NEW LUNCHEON OPTION:
Please note we have a new dessert and coffee only option (no lunch).
Cost:
AMA Members – Lunch included
$30 for Reservations made by October 18
$35 for Reservations made after October 18

AMA Members – Dessert and coffee only (no lunch)
$15 (please note you are not allowed to bring your own lunch to the Cintas Center)

Non-Members – Lunch included
$45 for Reservations made by October 18
$50 for Reservations made after October 18

Non-Members – Dessert and coffee only (no lunch)
$25 (please note you are not allowed to bring your own lunch to the Cintas Center)

Students
AMA Student Members – $10
Non-Member Students  – $25

Lunch menu – Open faced turkey and mashed potatoes. (if you prefer a vegetarian meal, please indicate on bottom of reservation form).

Register for this event

Marketing Power of NASCAR

NASCAR racing is one of the United States’ largest spectator sports, routinely drawing hundreds of thousands of fans to events almost every weekend of the year.

For over a decade, the Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, KY has grown continuously since it hosted the very first Camping World Truck Series race by [...]]]>

Marketing Power of NASCAR

NASCAR racing is one of the United States’ largest spectator sports, routinely drawing hundreds of thousands of fans to events almost every weekend of the year.

For over a decade, the Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, KY has grown continuously since it hosted the very first Camping World Truck Series race by cultivating a strong following. Now a part of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Kentucky Speedway remains a vital player in the local community and is here to tell their success story.

Joining us at this month’s executive luncheon is Kentucky Speedway’s David Martin, Director of Marketing and Dan Stuart, Director of Business Develop-ment. They will be joined by Matt Crews, founder of Full Circle Ventures and strategic partner to the Kentucky Speedway.  By attending you will learn:

• how to cultivate followers and customize the hospitality experience
• how to strategically expand a large corporation
• how to leverage community partnerships for continued growth
• how to extend your market reach and brand image

Presenters:
David Martin’s career spans more than 17 years of sports-related sales and marketing experience, including eight specific to motorsports most recently as the director of marketing and sales for Kentucky Speedway. David joined Kentucky Speedway as the Director of Sales & Marketing in January 2011 and played an integral role in the sellout of the Inaugural Quaker State 400 Sprint Cup event.  He earned a master’s in sports administration from Kent State Univ., in 1991 and a bachelor’s in physical education from the Univ. of Tampa in 1990.

Dan Stuart has been with Kentucky Speedway for 11 years and has worked in numerous roles within the Sales & Marketing Dept.  Dan has developed and maintained successful partnerships with many of Kentucky Speedway’s largest sponsors and corporate clients.

Matt Crews, founding and managing partner at Full Circle Ventures, is responsible for overseeing and directing his client’s business path and strategy both inside and outside the motorsports arena.  Prior to joining Full Circle Ventures, Mr. Crews was president of Baker Curb Racing from 2008-11 and vice president of marketing at Brewco Motorsports, Inc. (BMI) from 2003-07. He has a degree in marketing from Middle Tennessee State University and resides in Nashville.

Thanks to our sponsor!

“An innovative solution for accessing and engaging the growing global & mobile audience.”

Register for this event

When:
Friday, February 17, 2012

Where:
Cintas Center at Xavier University
1624 Herald Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45207
You can park in Lot C next to the Cintas Center.  No parking voucher is needed.

Time:
11:30 am – 12:00 – Registration & Networking
12:00 – 1:15 pm – Lunch and program

NEW LUNCHEON OPTION:
Please note we have a dessert and coffee only option (no lunch).
Cost:
AMA Members – Lunch included
$30 for Reservations made by February 14
$35 for Reservations made after February 14

AMA Members – Dessert and coffee only (no lunch)
$15 (please note you are not allowed to bring your own lunch to the Cintas Center)

Non-Members – Lunch included
$45 for Reservations made by February 14
$50 for Reservations made after February 14

Non-Members – Dessert and coffee only (no lunch)
$25 (please note you are not allowed to bring your own lunch to the Cintas Center)

Students
AMA Student Members – $20
Non-Member Students  – $25

Lunch menu – Chicken Parmesan or Vegetarian Option

Register for this event

Plan to attend the September 23 luncheon to kick-off our 2011-12 program series. Our presenter, Janet Ausdenmoore, Director of Corporate [...]]]> Topic: Kroger: Giving Hope a Hand® 2011
A real-life case study to unfold in front of your eyes
Presenter: Janet Ausdenmoore, Director of Corporate Affairs for The Kroger Company

Plan to attend the September 23 luncheon to kick-off our 2011-12 program series. Our presenter, Janet Ausdenmoore, Director of Corporate Affairs for The Kroger Company, will give us a look at the World Premiere of Kroger Sharing Courage: Giving Hope a Hand ® 2011.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and Kroger, in conjunction with its partner vendors, continues its commitment to fighting breast cancer. At the luncheon, you’ll get a behind the scenes look into the program as pink packaging and messaging begins to show up in the stores, and the promotions and media ramps up.

Making this a smooth event takes months of planning. From turning the downtown building pink, recruiting Kroger associates to tell their story, creating unique package designs, media buys and advertising creation, printing in store and newspaper promotions, photo shoots with NFL stars, bringing the campaign to life digitally and focusing the effort on a local level, this is a massive effort that takes tremendous coordination.

By attending you will learn how Kroger:

• Uses cause marketing to drive sales

• Provides insight into coordinating suppliers, package designers, merchandising, printers, media and other parties into a unified effort

• Takes a national initiative to the local level through in store events and local personal survivor stories

With the help of key vendor partners who share in the Kroger commitment to eradicating this cancer – and providing support to those who face it – the Kroger family of stores once again will be Giving Hope a Hand® by investing $3 million for breast cancer awareness, treatment and research in the communities we share.

Thanks to our luncheon sponsor!

Register for this event

When:
Friday, September 23, 2011

Where:
Cintas Center at Xavier University
1624 Herald Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45207
You can park in Lot C next to the Cintas Center.  No parking voucher is needed.

Time:
11:30 am – 12:00 – Registration & Networking
12:00 – 1:15 pm – Lunch and program

NEW LUNCHEON OPTION:
Please note we have a new dessert and coffee only option (no lunch).
Cost:
AMA Members – Lunch included
$30 for Reservations made by September 20
$35 for Reservations made after September 20

AMA Members – Dessert and coffee only (no lunch)
$15 (please note you are not allowed to bring your own lunch to the Cintas Center)

Non-Members – Lunch included
$45 for Reservations made by September 20
$50 for Reservations made after September 20

Non-Members – Dessert and coffee only (no lunch)
$25 (please note you are not allowed to bring your own lunch to the Cintas Center)

Students
AMA Student Members – $10
Non-Member Students  – $25

Lunch menu – Grilled Chicken Breast Piccata (if you prefer a vegetarian meal, please indicate on bottom of reservation form.

Register for this event

Al Lautenslager is an award winning marketing/PR consultant, direct mail promotion specialist, speaker and entrepreneur. His businesses have helped hundreds succeed in their own business. He is the principal of a Market for Profits, a Chicago based marketing consulting [...]]]> Topic: “Tactics for Business Survival, Growth and Success”
Marketing Star Shares Growth Tactics

Al Lautenslager is an award winning marketing/PR consultant, direct mail promotion specialist, speaker and entrepreneur. His businesses have helped hundreds succeed in their own business. He is the principal of a Market for Profits, a Chicago based marketing consulting firm and also the president and owner of a small business, The Ink Well, a commercial printing and mailing company in Wheaton, IL.

Distilled from the best-selling “marketing” book series in history (with more than 14 million copies sold worldwide in 39 languages), Guerilla Marketing in 30 Days encourages busy business professionals and CEO’s to hurdle the excuses of time, money, or motivation, and take dynamic strides toward new client acquisition and increased sales by following a marketing blueprint.

“Effective marketing is the key to business survival, growth and success, “ Al states, “and right here is the journey.” Starting at ground zero, this presentation cuts swath through the jungle of marketing madness, and outlines an effective plan of attack focused on the day-by-day implementation of key marketing fundamentals.

Al will cover:

What to Do If Your Answers To These Questions are No:

• Do you have more customers than you can handle?
• Can’t decide where to begin marketing?
• Aren’t sure how to put the pieces together or can’t stay motivated and focused?

Al will also discuss what to do if your advertising budget is virtually non-existent and how to get massive PR without an agency.

Al’s most popular book, Guerilla Marketing in 30 Days is co-authored with Jay Conrad Levinson, the father of Guerilla Marketing.

When:
Friday, May 18, 2012

Where:
Cintas Center at Xavier University
1624 Herald Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45207
You can park in Lot C next to the Cintas Center.  No parking voucher is needed.

Time:
11:30 am – 12:00 – Registration & Networking
12:00 – 1:15 pm – Lunch and program

NEW LUNCHEON OPTION:
Please note we have a dessert and coffee only option (no lunch).
Cost:
AMA Members – Lunch included
$30 for Reservations made by May 15
$35 for Reservations made after May 15

AMA Members – Dessert and coffee only (no lunch)
$15 (please note you are not allowed to bring your own lunch to the Cintas Center)

Non-Members – Lunch included
$45 for Reservations made by May 15
$50 for Reservations made after May 15

Non-Members – Dessert and coffee only (no lunch)
$25 (please note you are not allowed to bring your own lunch to the Cintas Center)

Students
AMA Student Members – $20
Non-Member Students  – $25

Lunch menu – Beef Burgundy with Spaetzle or Vegetarian Option

Our keynote speaker will be J.B. Kropp, Strategic Partnerships for Twitter. J.B. is  recognized as a leader in interactive marketing and consumer generated media. Prior to [...]]]> Enjoy an evening of networking, dinner, complimentary beer and wine and our awards ceremony where we will recognize area marketers who have demonstrated marketing excellence over the past year.

Our keynote speaker will be J.B. Kropp, Strategic Partnerships for Twitter. J.B. is  recognized as a leader in interactive marketing and consumer generated media. Prior to joining Twitter, J.B. was an executive with Vitrue, a social media management company used by some of today’s top brands. In addition, J.B. was with ShareThis, a company known for its social-sharing tool that now reaches more than 400 million users across 500,000 sites on the Web.

Frank Marzullo of Fox19 will again be the emcee for the event.

Congratulations to our finalists:

Large Business Category:
Batesville Casket
Paycor
Vantiv

Small Business Category:
Multi-Craft
Rendigs, Fry, Kiely & Dennis, LLP
Western & Southern Open

Non-Profit Category:
HealthPoint Family Care
Lighthouse Youth Services
Mercy Health

Collegiate Category:
Scott Harvey, NKU
Jessica Moore, NKU
Brandon Schwer, NKU

Thanks to our generous sponsors!

When:

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Where:

700 Madison Avenue
Covington, KY 41011

Time:
5:30 – 7:30 pm

Cost:
AMA Members – $45
Non-Members – $60
AMA Student Members – $30
Non-Member Students  – $45