MarkeTech 2022 Request for Presentations

MarkeTech 2022 Request for Presentations

Request for Presentations are OPEN for the 2022 MarkeTech Conference

Baker's Candies Nebraska box

Request for Presentations are OPEN for the 2022 MarkeTech Conference

 

Kearney, Neb. – GROW Nebraska builds a compelling annual event called MarkeTech featuring speakers with a wide range of marketing and technology expertise to give attendees access to the best education, increasing their bottom line. MarkeTech doesn’t stop there! It’s more than a conference; its cutting-edge training, valuable networking, and a technology showcase.

 

The review team seeks educational presentations that focus on real-life submissions with the primary focus on marketing, and technology, thus the name MarkeTech. The event starts with a pre-conference training on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, then a fun-filled extravaganza to various Nebraska breweries in Kearney, NE.  Wednesday, June 22, 2022, will be packed with educational sessions and a lively new addition where pre-selected business owners present their products to Whole Foods and Russ’s Market.

 

Submit your presentation proposal no later than Friday, January 21, 2022.

Click the link to apply.

https://grownebraska.wufoo.com/forms/m2lfs5m0o6unw3/

The selection team will announce the chosen topics on Friday, February 4.

 

Need more information, call Joy Marshall at 402-614-5558 or email her at joym@performanceplanners.com with any questions you may have.

 

 

About GROW Nebraska

The GROW Nebraska Foundation helps entrepreneurs get the resources they need to live in Anywhere, NE and make a sustainable living. Since the inception of GROW Nebraska in 1998, its vision and mission has never wavered: to create viable economic development through business training, technical assistance, promotion and access to markets. The Foundation creates impactful opportunities for small business owners and entrepreneurs to live in “Anywhere”, Nebraska and make a sustainable living.

GROW Nebraska works with its clients to meet them where they are and move them towards their personal goals. Its services include training and technical assistance through many avenues: workshops (in-person and virtual), streamed and archived educational training opportunities, one-on-one technical assistance and an annual marketing conference, MarkeTech.

Learn more at GROWNebraska.org.

Gary’s QuickSteak named 2021 Best Local Product by Russ’s Market

Gary’s QuickSteak named 2021 Best Local Product by Russ’s Market

Gary’s QuickSteak named 2021 Best Local Product by Russ’s Market 

Baker's Candies Nebraska box

Kearney, Neb. — GROW Nebraska is thrilled to congratulate Glenn Valley Foods for receiving Russ’s Market’s Best Local Product Award for 2021! The award was presented on July 15 at GROW’s annual MarkeTech Conference in Kearney, Nebraska.

The Best Local Product Award was established in 2018 by 501(c)3 nonprofit, GROW Nebraska and Russ’s Market — an employee-owned grocery fixture in the state of Nebraska — in order to highlight what they consider to be an exemplary local business in the state. These award winners display dynamic marketing strategies and diligent promotion of their products, which can also be found on the shelves of Russ’ Market.

This year’s winner, Glenn Valley Foods of Omaha, Neb., might be better-recognized by its top-selling product: Gary’s QuickSteak.

“Gary’s QuickSteak — they do a great job of promoting their products in our stores,” said Director of Marketing for Russ’s Market, Marty Jarvis. “They work with us on advertising support, and give us bunkers with videos that talk about the product. On Facebook and other social media, they spread the word that their product is in our stores. They’ve also been at the Russ’s Wine and Food experience with their samples. They don’t let their product just sit on the shelves.”

Gary Rohwer, a restaurant industry veteran, has been active in Nebraska’s restaurant landscape since the early 1980s when he created what he deemed a “quicker cooking and higher quality steak” for his cheesesteak restaurant chain in Lincoln. Eventually creating the popular PepperJax Grill and forming Glenn Valley Foods, Gary’s extensive contributions have culminated in Gary’s QuickSteak, a top-quality beef, chicken, and corned beef offering that cooks from frozen to ready-to-eat in minutes.

When asked about Glenn Valley Foods’ approach to promotion, VP of Marketing Jeff Bell said, “Really it makes my job easy — the product stands on its own. It’s high quality, cooks from frozen in minutes, and provides incredibly versatile meal choices.”

Because the company is relatively new, however, Jeff explained that, “Our goal is to get it out there to the marketplace. We’d like our product to become a household name, and so we don’t just get on the shelf and think our work is done. We’re going to the grocery partners and introducing our product, sending samples, telling them our story; we’re a family-owned business right here in the Midwest.”

GROW Nebraska and Russ’s Market are proud to partner on this award, and continue in their dedication to support and promote the local businesses and business owners who enrich life and the economy of our state.  

Russ’s Market has been a member of GROW Nebraska since 2009. B&R Stores, Inc., was founded in 1964 by Russ Raybould. During the past 55 years, the company has grown to include 20 stores under several banners including Russ’s Market, Super Saver, and Apple Market located in Nebraska and Iowa. 

GROW Nebraska is a nonprofit membership organization, serving over 400 Nebraska small businesses. The organization provides market access, education, and training to launch and connect Nebraska businesses to the global marketplace. GROW Nebraska’s educational programs and scholarship opportunities are funded in part by federal and state funding, along with generous support from foundations and individual donors.

Story by Lauren Bonk, owner of the Curtain and Pen Copywriting Services, a GROW Nebraska member. Lauren hails from Kearney, NE, where she works as a freelance copywriter for small businesses, startups, and even larger corporate entities in need of professionally-written marketing content for their businesses and organizations. 

Learn all about Making the Digital Pivot at MarkeTech 2021

Learn all about Making the Digital Pivot at MarkeTech 2021

Learn all about Making the Digital Pivot at MarkeTech 2021

MarkeTech

KEARNEY – GROW Nebraska’s 2021 MarkeTech Conference is set to be more timely than ever, with a theme aimed at tackling the digital adjustments all businesses were forced to make in 2020. 

MarkTech 2021, held July 15 at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney, NE, will be all about Making the Digital Pivot. 

Anchored by two keynote addresses from internet marketing expert David McBee, this year’s conference is aimed at helping businesses and organizations adjust their plans to the new digital world, no matter where they are in the process. 

“For better or worse, the pandemic changed the way we all live. It changed the way all businesses do business. Customers shifted more time, and more of their dollars, online,” said GROW’s Director of Marketing and Business Development Tiffany Stoiber. “Experts are guessing many of the habits formed during the pandemic are here to stay, and GROW Nebraska is here to help businesses adapt to those new habits.”

From experts like McBee to Nebraska entrepreneurs who have made the pivot themselves, MarkeTech 2021 will feature a variety of analysis, advice and new ideas attendees will be able to take with them into the rest of the year and beyond. 

McBee’s keynotes are intended for all audiences, whether listeners are entrepreneurs just starting to make the digital pivot or businesses ahead of the curve who want to make sure their marketing efforts are as effective as they can be. McBee’s morning session will be on Making the Digital Pivot and in the afternoon he will tackle Internet Marketing ROI.

The speaker lineup will also include two panel sessions: one featuring digital marketers and one featuring Nebraska businesses who will share their success stories from 2020. 

Interspliced between these sessions will be numerous networking breaks, a past attendee favorite. Businesses will set up booths to create a “Networking Plaza” where they can share their stories and attendees can hear those stories, see businesses’ products and even grab some samples. 

McBee will also have a booth set up where attendees can meet the keynote speaker and complete a free “Internet Presence Audit” with him. 

Registration for the in-person July 15 conference is now live. GROW Nebraska members can currently attend for $59 per person. The rate for non-members is $159. Early bird rates are currently in effect, and the cost for registration will increase after June 15. 

Members and non-members alike can also register for an exhibitor booth to be set up in the Networking Plaza. Rates are $109 for members and $399 for non-members. Those prices include the booth space plus two conference passes.

Register online and learn more about the conference at MarketechConference.com. Questions may be directed to info@grownebraska.org.

About GROW Nebraska

The GROW Nebraska Foundation helps entrepreneurs get the resources they need to live in Anywhere, NE and make a sustainable living. Since the inception of GROW Nebraska in 1998, its vision and mission has never wavered: to create viable economic development through business training, technical assistance, promotion and access to markets. The Foundation creates impactful opportunities for small business owners and entrepreneurs to live in “Anywhere”, Nebraska and make a sustainable living.

GROW Nebraska works with its clients to meet them where they are and move them towards their personal goals. Its services include training and technical assistance through many avenues: workshops (in-person and virtual), streamed and archived educational training opportunities, one-on-one technical assistance and an annual marketing conference, MarkeTech.

David McBee to headline MarkeTech 2021 as keynote speaker

David McBee to headline MarkeTech 2021 as keynote speaker

David McBee to headline MarkeTech 2021 as keynote speaker

 

Baker's Candies Nebraska box

An internet marketing expert will be the keynote speaker for GROW Nebraska’s 2021 MarkeTech Conference focused this year on helping entrepreneurs digitally pivot their businesses.

David McBee is an author, trainer, and professional speaker who will deliver two keynote addresses during the conference July 15 at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney, NE. 

McBee works with sales representatives and business owners around the world teaching and creating a curriculum about the intricacies of internet marketing as well as relationships and personal development. Considered an expert in his field, he is known for his passion, sense of humor, and talent for making the complicated simple while also helping people to become better versions of themselves.

Born and raised in the suburbs of Kansas City, this Eagle Scout earned a BFA in Theater from Avila University and spent his twenties as a salesperson and entrepreneur. Today he writes, trains, and speaks on everything from online marketing to personal development and relationships.

McBee is married to his best friend and they have a son and a daughter. His passions include family, travel, barbecue, jeeps, the outdoors, and reading.

In addition to McBee’s keynote addresses on topics related to digitally pivoting, MarkeTech 2021 will also feature speaker panels with directly applicable advice for navigating the evolving online marketplace. 

One panel will showcase Nebraska businesses who successfully re-framed their marketing strategies to reach audiences online after the COVID-19 pandemic shook up marketing norms. This time will be filled with real-life examples and tangible strategies other business owners can apply.

Another panel will feature experts in digital marketing. From this panel, attendees will get tips and tricks on everything from selling on Amazon to creating videos that engage your customers. 

As always, MarkeTech 2021 will also include loads of networking time, including the networking plaza, where businesses and organizations can set up booths that feature their products and their mission. 

Registration is now OPEN for MarkeTech 2021. Register now to secure your spot and the early bird rate!

If you have questions about this year’s conference, please contact GROW Nebraska CEO Janell Anderson Ehrke at janell@grownebraska.org or Director of Marketing and Business Development Tiffany Stoiber at tiffany@grownebraska.org.

 

MarkeTech 2020 Virtual Pass is Still Open!

MarkeTech 2020 Virtual Pass is Still Open!

MarkeTech 2020 Virtual Pass is Still Open!

Jay Wilkinson

Did you miss the in-person MarkeTech conference? No worries! With our NEW Virtual Pass option you can still receive access to the keynote presentations! The virtual pass is perfect for those who are still quarantining or who are far away and weren’t able to attend in person.

“This virtual pass is a great option for those who couldn’t make the trip to Kearney. It allows us to expand our reach to a much greater audience than just the midwest,” said Jessie Harris, Director of Marketing and Business Development at GROW Nebraska®. “Our keynotes are extraordinary and we really wanted to be able to share their knowledge with many more small businesses.”

The virtual pass is $59 and includes:

  • The ROI of Why – Video Recording
  • Get Your Business Online with Google – Video Recording
  • Get Your Business Online with Google – Handout
  • Use Data to Drive Business Growth with Google – Video Recording
  • Use Data to Drive Business Growth with Google – Handout
  • Why Leads Go Into a Blackhole and What to do About It – Video Recording

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.