By Diane Johnson
Agricultural Media Summit just wrapped up its 25th iteration in Kansas City, Missouri.
Diane Johnson, retired executive director of the Livestock Publications Council, was a member of a joint steering committee that created AMS. We asked her to share how AMS got started, and a little more of the annual event’s history.
Discussions of the new event started around 1995-96 . It was realized that both organizations were similar in convention size – both around 200 people. Then it was discovered that there was starting to be some crossover in speakers and sponsors.
AAEA was having a trade show but it was not growing. In 1998 there were 17. AMS one year had over 80.
Key players to get it started were Warren Morris at Vance Publishing and soon on board was Greg Henderson. Executive directors of the three groups were Eddie Aldrete (AAEA), Diane Johnson (LPC) and Steve Drake (then the Ag Publisher’s Assn.) — that group wen through several name changes the through years.
ACN members JoAnn Alumbaugh and Karen McMahon were instrumental.
The event started as the “Agriculture Publications Summit” in 1999, and the first one was in Denver. The name changed to Ag Media Summit in 2005 with the vision that media was starting to change with the internet’s presence.
The Famous Welcome Party on Sunday night always set the mood for the event. (This year’s theme was “Roaring 20s.) Then Monday and Tuesday were packed with workshops and awards. We had some amazing speakers over the years: Helen Thomas in Milwaukee; George McGovern in Reno as some of the highest profile speakers. We had several mayors and other dignitaries speak in various years. A highlight was Nolan Ryan at our second APS in San Antonio. I’ll never forget the standing ovation he got. It was epic.
The student aspect of the event has been inspirational as well and including them on a full time basis was a big deal. They used to rotate each year with another group but chose us (eventually) to be with AMS permanently.
Challenges in the beginning were how to figure out the finances that it was equitable along with staff responsibilities but it eventually worked into a very well oiled machine and from 2010 (or so) we had it figured out.
I remember in Denver (first year) we had an ice sculpture with the logo of the sponsoring company at the opening reception. AAEA members literally almost melted. (pun intended)
There were many fundraisers (calcuttas) that raised A LOT of money for the students and those were extremely fun and very lucrative for the kids. I could go on and on about those!
A lot has happened in 25 years!!
Want to see pictures of the 2024 AMS? Click here for ZimmComm’s AMS Slideshow from Kansas City!