Mark your calendars for March 31 and April 1 and register today to participate in the best opportunity in 2023 to talk shop with your fellow members — the EMDA Spring Meeting. The meeting will be held at the Postcard Inn hotel in Islamorada, Florida. Registration was emailed to members yesterday and all material can also be found on the Spring Meeting page: https://www.emda.net/meetings/spring-management-workshop/.
At EMDA’s Spring Meeting, business leaders can step out of their day-to-day responsibilities to devote time to learning and connecting. By making the decision to invest your time in attending this workshop, you’ll get educated, get inspired, and build relationships with industry peers.
Friday morning features two session focused on cybersecurity.
Can Your Business Keep Up With A Changing Threat Landscape? Attack surfaces are massive – and significantly different than they were in the past. Not long ago, organizational cybersecurity was like defending a building – a relatively straightforward, one-dimensional task. But companies today have evolved and workforces are now decentralized, with ever-changing borders. Yet, in many ways, many organizations are still defending this new, broader attack surface as they did more than a decade ago. The strongest strategies are built around the right combination of technology, service, people, and processes. With more than a decade of experience helping distributors with IT/Security and Network Ransom/Wire Fraud, EMDA is pleased to welcome Tarek Salem and Jay McLaughlin of RBS IT Solutions, to help members spot potential security risks before they emerge, ensuring your business assets are continually protected.
Think your Insurance covers a Ransomed Network? Think Again – Most businesses have a risk management plan in place to cover general physical risks. But what about electronic ones? No business is immune to cybercrime – do you have the necessary precautions in place to help prevent one wrong click from hurting your business? The depth and breadth of cybercrime means that any business that is connected to the internet or stores information digitally is at risk. Understanding common types of cybercrime is the first step in protecting your business. Some of these include: card skimming, ransomware, wire fraud, false pretense and conversion, phishing/spoofing, and denial of service. With so many ways criminals can attack your business, it makes sense to create and implement a cybersecurity risk management plan. Ask yourself: what is in the best interest of the overall well-being and safety of your company’s electronic information? No single coverage protects from all types of theft – Jerry Leemkuil, Equipment Dealer Specialist with Federated Insurance, will help you make sure your policy accounts for your unique risks.
Saturday morning features member spotlights and member benefits:
E-Commerce from a Different Perspective: Business Strategy & ROI — While it’s easy to get lost in technical details, Spindustry’s experiences over the past few years in this industry have shown that it’s really important to talk about goals, business concerns, and ROI when thinking about E-Commerce. Following this lead topic, EMDA member Michael Bird, CEO, Spindustry, will share additional lessons learned and advice based on spending another year serving the ag community on its digital transformation journey. Topics will include: Supporting dealers digitally; ERP/business system integration; and Connecting the need for branding updates with your digital initiatives.
Member Spotlight: Farm Show Council, featuring the Sunbelt Ag Expo – Trade shows are always a hot topic and managing trade show activities is an important part of every EMDA member’s marketing efforts. Chip Blalock of the Sunbelt Ag Expo will share how the council and the individual member shows strive to improve their value through education, communication and evaluation, and how they provide the best possible marketing showcase for exhibitors of agricultural equipment and related products to the farmer/rancher/producer customer.
EMDA Market Intelligence project (tentative session) – The EMDA Board has been working with Randall-Reilly to put together a Market Intelligence program and has invited EDA to join our meeting to finalize this valuable new service for EMDA members.
Friday and Saturday afternoons are free to enjoy the Islamorada area.
From the real-life Kokomo to the sandy shores of our walk-in beach, it’s no wonder why Postcard Inn Beach Resort & Marina is a Florida Keys favorite for beach bums, boaters, and beyond. Located just minutes from Key Largo, the oceanfront resort has been serving up iconic cocktails and nostalgic beach vibes since 1951.
As the “Sportfishing Capital of the World!” Islamorada is proud to host a larger fishing fleet per square mile than anywhere else in the world. In addition to fishing, the Atlantic Ocean and Florida Bay offer a variety of activities from watersports to eco-tours. This perfect meeting destination has something to do in, on, and near the water 24 hours a day. The four islands of Islamorada have numerous tranquil spots to relax under the sun’s glorious golden rays. Enjoy a waterside cocktail, take a sunset cruise, or spend the day shopping at one of the unique shops or galleries. Check out highlights of things to do here.
Registration material and details on all the sessions is available at: https://www.emda.net/meetings/spring-management-workshop/
- Keep watching your email, the blog posts, and our social media channels as updates are announced.