Annual Convention

5 pm Early Arrival Reception

10 am   Emmett Cornibe Memorial Golf Tournament

10 am   Registration Opens

10 am   Conversation Cafe Opens
Plan one-on-one meetings now.  Host them in the Conversation Cafe.  NIOP will provide the refreshments. Look for list of activities to come.

6 – 7 pm Welcome Reception

7:30 – 9 am   Breakfast/Meet-Up-Meal
(See new format. Reserve your table  early.) Buffet menu to be
announced in advance.

9 – 9:45 am   Annual Business Meeting

9:55 – 10:30 am  Opening Keynote: Thomas Mielke, OIL WORLD

10:30 – 11 am  Networking Break

11 — Noon  How has the Pandemic Affected Consumer Trends?  Dr. Shelley Balanko, Senior Vice President of The Hartman Group

Now more than ever, insights into consumer behaviors become more vital than ever to businesses.  New trends are emerging as a result of the pandemic, and according to The Hartman Group, a food-culture consultancy, consumer concern for personal and collective health will linger for some time.  Dr. Balanko will share key insights on consumer behaviors and trends.

Noon – 1 pm  Meet-Up-Meal (See new format.)

Don’t pay for lunch in the hotel restaurant or off-site.  Lunch buffet and stations will be set up in the Conversation Cafe for you to choose from.  Then grab at table (or reserve one with NIOP staff ahead of time) and host a lunch meeting or just have a meal with colleagues.

Noon – 4 pm  Conversation Cafe open for your continued business meetings and networking opportunities.  Look for list of activities to come. NIOP will  provide the refreshments.

4 – 6 pm       All Member/All Attendee Reception 

7:30 – 9 am   Breakfast/Meet-Up-Meal
(See new format. Reserve your table early.)

9 – 9:50 am   Closing Keynote Speaker: Jim Wiesemeyer, ProFarmer

YOU CHOOSE ONE of the following breakout sessions at 10 am

10 – 10:40 am  Transportation: How can we help you make money?

• • Trust
  • Communication
  • Pricing
  • Planning

10 – 10:40 am   Renewable Energy: What’s the Latest

Panel Discussion with Michael Rath, Darling Ingredients, Nate Burk, StoneX and Doug Lenhart, REG

10:55 – 12:30 pm   Board of Directors Meeting  — all members welcome 

Noon – 1 pm  Meet-Up-Meal

Noon – 4 pm  Conversation Cafe open for your  continued business meetings and networking opportunities

6:30 – 9 pm    Dinner and Closing Concert

Thomas Mielke

Oil World

Editor and CEO of Oil World, an independent global forecasting service for oilseeds, oils and fats and oilmeals, Thomas Mielke will be NIOP’s Tuesday, closing keynote speaker.

Thomas is the son of founders Siegfried and Anne-Marie Mielke.

Oil World is neither linked to nor financially dependent on any other company which helps to assure objectivity of the analysis and price predictions.  None of the owners nor employees are involved in producing or trading the commodities that are analyzed. No one at Oil World is acting on any futures markets on oilseeds and/or products.

The OIL WORLD WEEKLY as well as the FLASH and all the other OIL WORLD publications are providing  elaborated, unbiased and reliable information and forecasts of the current and prospective world supply, demand and prices for oilseeds, oils, fats and oilmeals for the oilseed, oil and feed industries as well as the trade, organizations, banks and government agencies worldwide.

The team of market analysts in Hamburg, Germany, furthermore supplies information upon individual request also beyond the scope of the regular publications. ISTA Mielke GmbH has an excellent data bank of monthly, quarterly and annual world prices and statistics (with detailed breakdown by country) going back to 1958.

In view of the challenges of the a growing global market you need first-hand information from the world´s leading forecasters of the whole field of approximately 40 commodities, thus benefitting from their experience of 42 years worldwide.

OIL WORLD is in a unique position to reliably forecast supply, demand and prices because it is primary – being the world’s first and only source providing complete world supply and demand analyses and forecasts (annual, quarterly and monthly) for all the 39 commodities of our field;

independent & unbiased – the company being wholly family-owned and neither linked to nor financially dependent on any other company and neither producing nor trading our products;

experienced & reliable – its senior director as well as the editor and most analysts having more than 20 years of experience in this most complex of all commodity fields.

Pro Farmer  to Address the Latest with the Trade Wars

The latest in the “trade wars” is a moving topic, but the NIOP Convention Committee has found a “pro” to address the topic that affects the businesses of our membership.  Make plans now to come hear from Jim Wiesemeyer at the 2020 NIOP Convention.

From his office near Washington, D.C., Jim Wiesemeyer provides members with the latest information on agricultural policy and trade developments as Pro Farmer’s policy analyst. He is also a frequent guest on Farm Journal’s AgriTalk and AgriTalk ATB radio programs and an editor for The Agriculture Letter.

Since 1978, Jim has reported on and interviewed senior government officials, including Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, as well as USDA Secretaries since Earl Butz. He has traveled extensively in his assignments and is a frequent speaker on farm policy and trade issues.

Jim rejoined Pro Farmer in June 2017, after serving as our Washington consultant for 19 years while at Informa Economics. Before that, Jim was a full-time employee of Pro Farmer, then owned by Oster Communications. Jim has also served as the Washington bureau chief for Futures World News (FWN), formerly owned by Oster Communications.

Preceding his time with Oster Communications, he was Washington editor with Doane’s Agricultural Report and Washington editor and managing editor of the Washington Farmletter.

Shelley Balanko, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President

Shelley Balanko has an informed understanding of social and cultural influences impacting the marketplace of today and tomorrow. Shelley regularly engages a diverse audience spanning the foodservice, consumer packaged goods and retail segments as she shares leading-edge consumer insights and implications from the field. As a member of The Hartman Group leadership team and head of business development, her focus is understanding industry challenges and needs.

Shelley graduated from the University of Windsor with a Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology. She has a MA in Applied Social Psychology from the University of Saskatchewan and a BA in Psychology from the University of British Columbia.

About The Hartman Group

The Hartman Group is the premier food and beverage consultancy. Since 1989, The Hartman Group’s anthropologists, social scientists and business analysts have been immersed in the study of food and beverage culture, using ethnographic observation, quantitative tracking surveys and deep study of trends. What we have learned and continue to uncover allows us to upend many notions of our traditional eating and drinking patterns, thereby identifying unique opportunities and winning strategies for our clients. For more: www.hartmangroup.com.

* Four (4) complimentary registration passes for you and your colleagues
* Logo display on all marketing and event materials
* On-site recognition as closing event reception sponsor with signage
* Option for promotional brochure or gift placement in attendee registration packet

*Only one option:  Sponsor Tuesday Night Dinner and Concert that includes Live Ad and introduction of entertainment/event (recognized by entertainment on stage)  

* Meet and greet with Tuesday Night Entertainment

*Photo Op with Tuesday Night Entertainment

Benefits:
* Three (3) complimentary registration passes for you and your colleagues
* Logo display on all marketing and event materials
* On-site recognition as event sponsor with signage
* Option for promotional brochure or gift placement in attendee registration packet

* Option 1 for Sunday Night Reception sponsorship — SOLD to AmCom for 2021

* Option 2 for Hotel Room Key sponsorship

* Option 3 for Early Arrival Reception sponsorship

* Option 4 for Opening Keynote speaker sponsorship — SOLD to Richardson Oilseed Processing for 2021

* Option 5 for Closing Keynote speaker sponsorship — SOLD to Francis-Mustoe & Company for 2021

* Option 6 for Monday Night Reception speaker sponsorship — SOLD to MPB Commodities for 2021

* Option 7: Beer Break in Conversation Cafe Monday and Tuesday— SOLD to Moving Parts LLC for 2021

Benefits:

* Logo display on all marketing and event materials

* Option for gift placement in attendee registration packet

* Option 1: Refreshment break in Conversation Cafe on Sundy

* Option 2: Refreshment break on Monday —  sold to REG for 2021

* Option 3: Refreshment break on Tuesday

* Option 4: Attendee gift —

* Option 5: Golfer Eye Opener Drink Sponsor — sold to AmSpec for 2021

* Option 6: Golf Awards Sponsor — sold to Kent & GPC  

BRONZE LEVEL – $3,750/each option

Benefits:
* Logo display on all marketing and event materials

Option 1: Golf Hole Sponsor — SOLD to Catania-Spagna Corporation

Option 2: Golf Hole Sponsor — SOLD to Columbus Vegetable Oils

Option 3: Golf Hole Sponsor — SOLD to Johnsrud Transport & Viessman

Option 4: Golf Hole Sponsor — SOLD to AmCom

Option 5: Golf Hole Sponsor — SOLD to Stolt Tankers

Option 6: Golf Hole Sponsor

Option 7: Golf Hole Sponsor

Option 8: Golf Hole Sponsor

Option 9: Golf Hole Sponsor

Option 10: Golf Hole Sponsor