Charlene ‘Ignites’ DeCesare and Dave Meyers, Google Trainer, Headline 2020 MarkeTech Conference
Charlene ‘Ignites’ DeCesare and Dave Meyers, Google Trainer, Headline 2020 MarkeTech Conference

Attendees of the 2020 MarkeTech conference will leave feeling ignited and energized after hearing from nationally-known business sales expert Charlene “Ignites” DeCesare and Google trainer, Dave Meyers.
DeCesare will talk about the relationship between marketing and sales in her presentation, “Why Leads Go into a Black Hole and What to do About It,” at the April 15th Conference in Kearney.
Back by popular demand will be presentations from Google. Dave Meyer of Minnesota, a speaker with the Grow with Google program, will be presenting on YouTube and the importance of implementing Google tools in your business to be found higher on search results.

Meyer has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and communications and has presented digital marketing topics to thousands of people across the United States and Canada. His company, BizzyWeb, helps hundreds of clients Generate Buzz Without Getting Stung!
MarketTech, the premier marketing and technology conference in Nebraska, draws attendees from around the Midwest. Participants have included business owners, marketing directors, resource providers, media and anyone who wanted to learn about the latest in social media and marketing trends.
The conference is organized by GROW Nebraska®, a nonprofit membership organization serving more than 400 Nebraska businesses. GROW Nebraska® provides marketing opportunities, education and training to launch and connect Nebraska businesses to the global marketplace.
Keynote Speaker Charlene DeCesare hails from the East Coast, where she has been energizing clients and business owners as a speaker and consultant for seven years. She has three decades of experience launching successful businesses, and she has helped Fortune 500 companies with their biggest growth challenges. She engages audiences with a sense of humor, an ability to connect and useful takeaways.
DeCesare specializes in helping business owners and employees solve sales issues that prevent growth. She is the creator of the Firewalk Sales System: The Mindset, Message & Method needed to grow sales quickly.
DeCesare said her keynote speech will resonate most with people who didn’t get into their business to be a salesperson but to help others.
“The idea of sharing, solving, and serving feels more authentic to them than ‘selling,’” she said. “They may struggle with what to say and how to say it in a way that feels natural as well as effective. They are passionate about their business, and they enjoy talking about their own mission and actually delivering their solutions to their customers.”
This year’s conference features an amazing line-up of nationally-known speakers as well as successful local entrepreneurs sharing their tips for growing and marketing businesses.
Jessie Harris, Marketing and Business Development Director at GROW Nebraska® says “having access to this level of training and networking is an amazing opportunity for ALL businesses. Not only do we bring in nationally recognized speakers, but we are using some of our own experts right here in the state of Nebraska.”

This year’s break-out sessions feature timely topics on video, podcasts and social media. Many of the speakers are GROW Nebraska members.
Breakout sessions include:
- Kimberly Beer – Video Power Marketing: How to incorporate video into your marketing program and why it is becoming a must for all types of businesses. Kimberly is an award-winning writer, graphic designer and photographer and was named an international influencer by the International Association of Women in 2018 for her work empowering female entrepreneurs.
- Dan Osborn – Marketing for People Who Hate Marketing: The four steps to building or updating your marketing department using both the latest digital tools and traditional methods. Dan is the creator and owner of DBO Digital marketing and has expertise in web development and digital marketing.
- Lauren Bonk – Stand Out and Be Heard On Your Terms: Learn how to create useful written marketing materials for your business and collect practical writing tips that can be used on social media, in emails and more. Lauren has a background in theater and has worked as a copywriter since 2010 doing work ranging from blogging to playwriting and website copy. She is founder of a small entrepreneurship support group and has a unique perspective on how to present a business’ narrative.
- Michaela Kenkel – Satisfy An Appetite For Your Brand, How to Win Customers and Influence Brand Appeal in the Age of Social Media. Michaela is a successful food blogger and social media influencer from the Elkhorn, NE area. With hundreds of thousands of online followers and millions of hits per moths, she harnesses the power of connecting with her audience and will share her techniques with MarkeTech attendees.
- Taylor Rennick – How Creating a Podcast Led to a World of Opportunity (and Revenue!): Taylor is an Inbound Marketing Strategist for Builder Funnel, an award-winning digital marketing agency for builders and remodelers. She will show how Builder Funnel has created new brand partnerships, expanded its brand and increased revenue with one podcast. She is an experienced marketing professional specializing in digital content creation and strategy, email marketing and website development. She helps clients increase online conversation rates, leading to double-digit revenue growth.
Gold sponsors for this year’s event are Nebraska Lottery and Nebraska Finance Investment Authority. Silver sponsors are Eagle Communications and Husker Radio. Connector sponsors are BH Media Group and Northwestern Energy. Swag sponsor is Nebraskaland National Bank, and the 2020 Honorary Sponsor is Russ’s Market, who each year presents the Nebraska Best Local Product of the Year Award.
“We are proud to be a part of the GROW Nebraska® MarkeTech event with the award,” said Marty Jarvis, director of marketing for Russ’s Market. “We think supporting Nebraska products is important, and we want to continue to do that.”
Exhibitor booths and sponsorship opportunities are still available. To learn more please contact Janell Anderson-Ehrke at janell@grownebraska.org or 308-962-6767.
Early bird registration for the conference ends on March 20. The price is $99 for a half day and $199 for the entire day for non-GROW members and $59 for GROW Nebraska® members. The registration fee includes breakfast and lunch and full conference registration including three breakout sessions, the keynote speakers, conference swag and the VIP After Party at McCue’s Nebraska Taproom in Kearney.
To register, visit marketechconference.com/registration.
GROW Nebraska® Foundation is a statewide non-profit training and marketing organization. Serving over 400 Nebraska small businesses, the organization provides marketing opportunities, education, and training to launch and connect Nebraska businesses to the global marketplace. GROW Nebraska’s educational programs receive federal and state funding, along with generous support from foundations and individual donors.