Sherpa account manager, Andrew Baulin, and the TrendSET team made their way northwest of Saskatoon, SK, for Ag in Motion 2019 on July 16-18. We spoke with Andrew on his experience being on the tradeshow grounds for the first time and what he took away from his visit.
This year was the 5th anniversary of Ag in
Motion (AIM) and your first time, what was the general feeling of the event?
Andrew: Both exhibitors and attendees seemed excited for the
tradeshow—but with it being the biggest outdoor ag show in Western Canada—I
wouldn’t expect anything less.
It’s a great opportunity for companies to showcase their
products/services and have meaningful interactions with potential and current
customers; while attendees get to see demos, test plots, machinery, and everything
farming all in one place.
You were at AIM to support in the launch of NexusBioAg, a
sole distribution agreement between BioAg and Novozymes. Can you tell us more
about the new relationship?
A: Formerly known as NexusAg, NexusBioAg, is the crop
nutrition business from Univar Solutions—NexusBioAg is now the exclusive
distributor of Novozymes’ inoculants in Canada. It’s a crop nutrition portfolio
that included micronutrients, nitrogen stabilizers, and foliars just got
stronger by adding Novozymes’ inoculants.
The launch at AIM went really well. It was fun to be
involved with the launch and ensuring the website, social media, digital ads,
radio, etc. were all properly timed with a cohesive message going to the
market.
AIM was the perfect time to launch NexusBioAg and for the
company to discuss with growers how this new agreement will positively impact
them.
Having a ‘plot’ close to the entrance is always great. There
was lots of foot traffic going through the booth; learning about the new
agreement and NexusBioAg. People were drawn to the NexusBioAg orange banner
flags too: they really stood out.
You were stationed mostly at the NexusBioAg booth for two days of the three-day event
but what were the main topics you heard on the tradeshow grounds?
A: Obviously, lots of talk about the new agreement and the
rebrand to NexusBioAg. Growers coming in and seeing how this new agreement
could have a positive impact for them and obviously lots of conversations
regarding the crop nutrition portfolio that NexusBioAg offers growers.
My colleagues were commenting they noticed more companies
engaged in content capturing and digital marketing teams on the tradeshow
grounds then in previous years. With AIM being the largest outdoor tradeshow in
Western Canada, companies have test plots, machinery, demos, and their best
employees out for the tradeshow.
For many organizations, it was a great opportunity to
capture content for the rest of the year; we saw shoots including reps demoing pieces
of equipment, ‘how-to’ style videos—explaining how a product works and
showing how their test plots performed—and even customer feedback videos.
Any agriculture industry concerns you overheard while walking from booth to
booth?
A: We heard there is over 1000 fields in Alberta with
clubroot, it was a large topic of conversation. There was even a clubroot wash station for vehicles entering
the tradeshow grounds.
Any cool giveaways/swag that you saw or walked away with?
A: I got myself a NexusBioAg mini football, but nothing else
made it into the gift bag. Giveaways/swag is always an interesting topic at
tradeshows, people love to get free stuff and will enter no-strings attached
draws and for exhibitors having attendees walking around with your branded swag
or talking to others about your giveaways is powerful advertising.
There’s great potential for reach there: Having attendees use
your branded swag months or years after the tradeshow in other parts of the
country can only help spread awareness. I like the food/drink giveaways at
these big tradeshows; some booths were giving away ice
cream, another popcorn and even one with milk!
From a marketing perspective, it’s interesting to observe
how giveaway incentives can reach potential customer. There’s value in, for
example, a draw that brings someone in who might not otherwise come to your
booth/plot. It allows for a meaningful conversation with a representative or member
of the team; creating that connection all businesses crave.
We saw social posts of an eco car and a virtual welder in a
training lab. Any highlights regarding livestock, exhibitions, crop
demonstration plots, displays, machinery, etc.?
A: I wish I had time to see more demos, and I see why it’s a
3-day event. It would probably take that long if you stepped into every booth
for a conversation and attended every demo session. Toyota setup a test course for attendees to test drive new
models - just scanning the parking lot there would be a good number of
attendees that I’m sure had interest in that!
You met the new faces of Western agriculture, young
growers and seed partners, amongst others. Did you notice anything in particular about how they are
approaching growing or ag in general compared to veteran growers?
A: I can’t exactly say this is different between the
generations, but sustainability in agriculture is a big topic. Growers always
want to maximize their yield, but it has to be done in a way that doesn’t
jeopardize their field in future years or the land around them.
They are more aware of the inputs they are applying to their
field (insecticides, fungicides, etc.) and the affects these inputs have on
their crops and the land around it.
At Sherpa, we are a digitally focused marketing agency.
Any takeaways from the social media usage at AIM 2019 that would help our clients?
A: You must be active on social media during tradeshows and
events. Most tradeshows have their own Twitter account and a hashtag to follow
the conversation. Attendees are on social media to see what is happening, what
they might be missing out on and are tweeting their own experiences.
It’s a great opportunity for companies to post content
knowing their target audience will be active on social media platforms. It’s
also a great time to post promoted content and geo-target the tradeshow
location.
A big takeaway is growers ARE on social media; Twitter is a
platform that has to be utilized by companies to not only get their
services/products in front of consumers but also to start conversations with
growers.
A week after AIM the 2nd annual Ag Twitter Meetup
occurred. People are getting more
comfortable sharing their experiences on social media, and growers are no
exception. They share their experiences throughout the growing season and
interact with other growers to share advise.
Check out more on Ag in Motion HERE.