INSIDE INSIDE INSIDE INSIDE INSIDE INSIDE INSIDE INSIDE INSIDE INSIDE INSIDE

� All attendees must wear flat, closed-toe and closed-heel shoes (no sandals or high heels). We recommend wearing comfortable shoes/sneakers.

� Please note that long hair should be secured above shoulder length.

� You may bring your keys, your wallet and your cellphone on the tour. Please leave all other personal items at home or in your car, including bags, purses, briefcases, backpacks, pocketbooks, and binoculars. Amazon is a weapon-free workplace; we reserve the right to turn away a guest if they are unwilling to tour without a weapon.

� No cameras or other video equipment are allowed on the tour, although you may bring your cellphone so long as you do not use it to take pictures or videos.

Association, Annual Catalog Conference, NY Insert Media Days, Florida Fruit Gift Shippers, the National Postal Forum, and the national DMA Conference. In 2011, Gina joined the online learning boutique, CatalogUniversity.com as the Dean of Marketing. She serves as a Trustee at Adrian College and is a Director on the Board of the Kansas City Direct Marketing Education Foundation.

6:00 pm – 7:30 pmWELCOME BACK RECEPTION (Inspiration Meeting Room)

Tuesday, August 77:00 am – 7:35 am REGISTRATION/NETWORKING ROOM OPEN (Pre-Function Ballroom Foyer)

Refreshments sponsored by CommerceV3

7:00 am – 7:35 am CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST (Vision Ballroom)

7:00 am – 7:35 am FIRST TIMERS/PAST PRESIDENTS/MENTORS BREAKFAST (Epiphany Room)

7:35 am - 7:45 amLOAD BUSES FOR TOUR (buses will hit the road by 8:15 am)

Transportation sponsored by Beaty Fertilizer

7:45 am - 8:30 amTRAVEL TO AMAZON FULFILLMENT CENTER

8:30 am – 9:00 amSIGN IN AND PREPARE FOR TOUR

9:00 am - 10:30 amTOUR OF AMAZON FULFILLMENT CENTER

10:30 am - 10:45 amLOAD BUSES

10:45 am - 11:45 amRETURN TO HOTEL

11:45 am – 12:15 pmBREAK WITH EXHIBITS (Vision Ballroom)

12:15 pm – 1:00 pmBOXED LUNCHES WITH Q&A (Vision Ballroom)

Lunch sponsored by Beaty Fertilizer

1:00 pm – 2:00 pmPRESENTATION – “Logee’s Experience Selling Plants through Amazon Marketplace”Sham ElShakhs, Logees Greenhouses (Vision Ballroom)This session covers Logee’s experience selling plants through Amazon Marketplace. Logee’s sold its first plant through Amazon in January, 2016. I will discuss why we started selling through Amazon, why we continue to do so, and how our plans have changed through the process. I will also cover the benefits and the challenges that we have faced. This is not a how-to, just one company’s experience.

Hisham ElShakhs is the Business and Operations Manager at Logee’s Greenhouses in Danielson, Connecticut. His role can cover pretty much anything that needs to get done on any given day, though actually growing the plants is not his strong

suit. His background includes a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University, a Master’s in Industrial Engineering from Rutgers University, and an MBA from the University of Connecticut. Before he came to work for Logee’s Greenhouses in 2004, he spent 14 years in various engineering

and manufacturing positions, working on a variety of products from foam for shoe inserts to parts for the International Space Station. When he left United Technologies Pratt & Whitney in 2004 to work at Logee’s his favorite reaction from a co-worker was “that’s my dream job.”

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm PRESENTATION – “Influencer Marketing Built on Trust” Cody Wallis, Handup Gloves (Vision Ballroom) A portion of Handup’s growth has come from seeing opportunity in cycling influencers. Some people came

from detailed research. Some people came from purposefully being at the right

place at the right time. Some simply landed in our lap. At this conference, Cody will explain how trust in these influencers, from their respective audiences, is the key to their potential.

Cody Wallis grew up in the small town of Caliente, Nevada. “One of those small western towns with one stoplight?” You guessed it. Most of daily life, outside of school and work, was spent on two off-road, motorized wheels. In fact, his time spent

on a motocross lead him to a professional motocross career. When that career came to a close, he took up cycling!

As an ever interested entrepreneur, he looked out at the niche world of cycling to see what was lacking. Although other’s made gloves, it was obvious that they were an afterthought. Thus, through the sea of understated gloves came Handup Gloves, fit with American flag designs, Zebra Print and even gloves with pizzas and pandas on the top.

Over the last 3 years, Handup has entered 150+ retailers, grown to nearly 20,000 followers, and has expanded from a spare bedroom to a downtown office. Aside from the business growth, Handup has created a nationwide and local community that people get excited to be a part of.

3:00 pm – 3:15 pm BREAK WITH EXHIBITS (Vision Ballroom)

3:15 pm – 4:15 pm PRESENTATION – “Expert Facebook Ads—a peek into live campaigns – Strategic Workshop”Dennis Yu, BlitzMetrics (Vision Ballroom)Do Facebook’s latest changes have you confused or concerned? Dennis Yu was just at Facebook headquarters and is bringing back the latest updates for you. His company has spent over $1 billion dollars of ads since Facebook started the ad platform in 2007. We will cover exactly how to build and tune campaigns via the Social Amplification Engine-- a 6 phase process that works for businesses of any size, even if you’re new. Dennis and his team will walk you through some live campaigns so you can see how to troubleshoot performance. All in-person attendees will get training materials to bring back to implement themselves or to another team member. We’ll save plenty of time for questions at the end, so definitely bring your biggest challenges to get solved on this day.

Dennis Yu is the Chief Technology Officer of BlitzMetrics, a digital marketing company which partners with schools to train young adults.

Dennis’s program centers around mentorship, helping students grow their expertise

to manage social campaigns for enterprise

clients like The Golden State Warriors, Nike, and Rosetta Stone.

He’s an internationally recognized lecturer in Facebook Marketing and has spoken in 17 countries, spanning 5 continents, including keynotes at L2E, PubCon, Conversion Conference, Gultaggen, and Marketo Summit.

Dennis has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LA Times, National Public Radio, TechCrunch, Fox News, CBS Evening News and co-authored “Facebook Nation” – a textbook taught in over 700 colleges and universities.

He’s a regular contributor to Adweek’s SocialTimes column and is published in Social Media Examiner, Social Media Club, Tweak Your Biz, B2C, SocialFresh, and Heyo.

Dennis has held leadership positions at Yahoo! and American Airlines and studied Finance and Economics at Southern Methodist University and London School of Economics. He ran collegiate cross-country at SMU and has competed in over 20 marathons including a 70-mile ultramarathon.

Besides being a Facebook data and ad geek, you can find him eating chicken wings or playing Ultimate Frisbee in a city near you.

You can contact him at dennis@blitzmetrics.com or on one of his social accounts

4:15 pm – 5:15 pmPRESENTATIONS – “How to Speed Up your Revenue from Digital – 10 Tips in 10 Minutes”Paula Jeske, Lett Direct, Inc.

“Sharing your Story Through Online Video” Dave Delaney, Futureforth.com (Vision Ballroom)With insight from onboarding clients across the country & categories, Paula will share the most common oversights direct marketers make that slow down their path to revenue when beginning or growing their digital program.

Paula brings in-depth experience designing, developing and implementing strategic cross-channel marketing programs for both B2B and B2C. Since joining Lett Direct, Inc. in September 2016, she leads all business development activity for print and digital

across new/existing clients and partners.

Paula’s vision of a cross-channel world began with her work in radio and TV – particularly at the PBS affiliate in Minneapolis/St. Paul where she had her first direct web offer up before the turn of the century. As marketing director for Skyvision, she oversaw all catalogs, ecommerce & infomercials along with launching a second catalog, Field Trips, from

scratch. Over the following decade plus, she applied her creative and marketing strategies with various agencies to clients large and small to develop catalog programs that delivered results. Seeing the disconnect between online & offline, she turned her focus 100% to digital for a direct response digital agency and an email service provider. Combining all these skills as strategic client director for Experian Marketing Services, she drove the relationship with brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, ServiceMaster and Redbox around customer data, email, mail, ecommerce, online advertising and new technologies.

With Lett Direct’s ability to plan, execute and analyze both print and digital, the team works with a diverse group of small and medium size businesses on how to leverage the multiple channels available to them for their Customer’s Journey. Serving as an extension of the client’s team, campaigns encompass catalog, direct mail, SEO, SEM, email, social and content development. Lett Direct is also a Google Premier Partner.

Paula has been an active member of DMA’s Catalog Council and speaker at ACMA, is currently a Bronze sponsor of NEMOA and ACMA member. When not on the road, you’ll find her singing with the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus or studying wine varietals.

Dave Delaney is a speaker for Google’s Get Your Business Online program. His humble beginning? In 1983, he ran a bulletin board system on his Commodore 64 (a self-proclaimed, old school nerd). Today, Dave is a popular keynote speaker, author, and digital marketing consultant.

He is the founder of Futureforth.com and NetworkingForNicePeople.com.

Dave is best recognized for his work in the digital marketing, social media strategy, and business networking spaces. He has appeared in technology related stories in USA Today, Forbes, Entrepreneur, BBC, CBC, Mashable, VentureBeat, The Tennessean, Nashville Business Journal, and The Toronto Globe and Mail.

Dave is also the author of the acclaimed book, New Business Networking. You can find his writing in his a bi-monthly column in The Tennessean and on his personal blog, DaveDelaney.me.

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm RECEPTION AT HOTEL (Salons B & C)Say hello to your fellow members and establish new relationships!

Wednesday, August 87:30 am – 8:00 amCOFFEE & JUICE BAR (Vision Ballroom)

7:30 am – 12:00 pmREGISTRATION/NETWORKING ROOM OPEN (Pre-Function Ballroom Foyer)

Refreshments sponsored by CommerceV3

8:00 am – 8:30 amDGA BUSINESS MEETING – ALL INVITED TO ATTEND (Vision Ballroom)

8:30 am – 9:00 amBREAK AND EXHIBITS (Vision Ballroom)

9:00 am – 10:00 amPRESENTATION – “(It Takes) Five Clicks to Convert: Effective Email Marketing”Sundeep Kapur, Email Yogi (Vision Ballroom)The perfect email campaign engages, nurtures, and then converts. Your email marketing program should adhere to these fundamental principles:

1. You have to grow your list

2. You must know more

3. You must interact across channel

4. You must sizzle

5. You must make it into the inbox

What does the savvy email marketer do to ensure that their recipient pays attention to their campaigns? With a case study based approach on best practices we will focus on three things:

1. Review 10 email campaign types to showcase email marketing styles

2. Analyze five really good campaigns from brands so we can learn

3. Discuss how email combined with social media can create perfection

Join me for an hour of best practices. I will focus on what works and what should be avoided. I will share my conversion mantra. Practical, innovative, and resourceful ideas to make your email marketing effective.

Sundeep Kapur, Educator, Digital Credence

Sundeep Kapur is an educator. After 24 years in corporate America as a business and technology consultant, he returned to his passion – teaching brands best practices so they can achieve the same success.

Direct interaction with over 1000 brands in 2016 & 2017 have highlighted the top challenges facing brands. Sundeep seeks to

address these challenges by offering innovative, yet pragmatic approaches.

He relishes his experience from engagements across industry – retail, sports, entertainment, travel, technology, education, and financial services.

Sundeep has had an opportunity to work with many brands including Gardeners Supply Company, Duncraft, Overstock.com, Wine Country Gift Baskets, Paul Fredrick, Ann Taylor, and Anthropologie.

In addition to direct work with clients, he writes articles, teaches yoga, and is a passionate gardener. Sundeep has a B.A. in Economics, a B. S. in Computer Science, and an MBA.

10:00 am – 12:00 pmBrunch and PRESENTATION “Expert Facebook Ads-- a peek into live campaigns – Tactical Workshop” Dennis Yu, BlitzMetrics (Motivation Room).

Brunch is sponsored by Fine Gardening

Do Facebook’s latest changes have you confused or concerned? Dennis Yu was just at Facebook headquarters and is bringing back the latest updates for you. His company has spent over $1 billion dollars of ads since Facebook started the ad platform in 2007. We will cover exactly how to build and tune campaigns via the Social Amplification Engine-- a 6 phase process that works for businesses of any size, even if you’re new. Dennis and his team will walk you through some live campaigns so you can see how to troubleshoot performance. All in-person attendees will get training materials to bring back to implement themselves or to another team member. We’ll save plenty of time for questions at the end, so definitely bring your biggest challenges to get solved on this day.

Dennis Yu is the Chief Technology Officer of BlitzMetrics, a digital marketing company which partners with schools to train young adults.

Dennis’s program centers around mentorship, helping students grow their expertise

to manage social campaigns for enterprise clients like The Golden State Warriors, Nike, and Rosetta Stone.

He’s an internationally recognized lecturer in Facebook Marketing and has spoken in 17 countries, spanning 5 continents, including keynotes at L2E, PubCon, Conversion Conference, Gultaggen, and Marketo Summit.

Dennis has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LA Times, National Public Radio, TechCrunch, Fox News, CBS Evening News and co-authored “Facebook Nation” – a textbook taught in over 700 colleges and universities.

He’s a regular contributor to Adweek’s SocialTimes column and is published in Social Media Examiner, Social Media Club, Tweak Your Biz, B2C, SocialFresh, and Heyo.

Dennis has held leadership positions at Yahoo! and American Airlines and studied Finance and Economics at Southern Methodist University and London School of Economics. He ran collegiate cross-country at SMU and has competed in over 20 marathons including a 70-mile ultramarathon.

Besides being a Facebook data and ad geek, you can find him eating chicken wings or playing Ultimate Frisbee in a city near you.

You can contact him at dennis@blitzmetrics.com or on one of his social accounts

12:00 pm – 12:15 pmClosing Remarks, Ken Oakes (Motivation Room)

GOLD

SILVER

TO THE SPONSORS OF THE 2018 DGA SUMMER CONFERENCE

as of (4/30/18)

REGISTER TODAYonline at:

http://www.directgardeningassociation.com/2018-dga-summer-conference

or by phone: 706-298-0022

PLATINUM

OUTSIDE OUTSIDE OUTSIDE OUTSIDE OUTSIDE OUTSIDE OUTSIDE OUTSIDE OUTSIDE

The Premier Event for Direct Marketing Professionals within the Gardening Industry!

Wholesale and Allied Providers, you can expect to take home... potential business leads strengthened business relationships new sources for selling your products and services a better understanding of your customers’ needs and

challenges

Catalogers, you can expect to take home... a solid network of providers to help your business succeed tried and true business techniques to increase your sales improved management and marketing skills insight into the world of social media and how it can help your business catalog design improvements web strategies that will help you run your business more profitably

conference scheduleMonday, August 6

8:00 am – 12:00 pm DGA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Invitation Only

12:00 pm – 5:00 pmREGISTRATION/NETWORKING ROOM OPEN (Pre Function Ballroom Foyer)

Refreshments sponsored by CommerceV3

12:45 pm – 1:00 pm OPENING REMARKS by DGA President Ken Oakes (Vision Ballroom)

1:00 pm – 2:00 pmPRESENTATION – “Making Good Better” Tripp Stanford, Papercut Interactive (Vision Ballroom)Search Engine Optimization and Conversion Rate Optimization

You’ve got a website, now what?

Get started making your website work harder with search engine optimization. It’s the key to increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your site and expanding your online visibility. Then, turn those visitors into customers with conversion rate optimization.

In this session, digital marketing expert Tripp Stanford will walk through real-life examples to give you a firm grip on how to put these concepts to work immediately and track your success along the way. Topics will include technical SEO, local strategies, keyword research, conversion planning, funnel development, and messaging analysis.

Tripp Stanford - Search Engine Optimizer at Papercut Interactive

Tripp Stanford cut his digital marketing teeth helping to build a startup moving company from the ground up — growing its revenue from $500,000 to $10 million in the

span of two years.

During his tenure there, he developed an emerging brand into a national contender by creating a digital funnel that consisted of a combination of search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, social media, and email marketing.

Now, Tripp helps companies across a variety of industries better navigate the digital world and grow their bottom line as the search engine optimizer at Papercut Interactive, a superfriendly web development and digital marketing company founded in 2001.

He serves as the communications chair for the Young Professionals of Chattanooga and is a member of the Rotaract Club of Chattanooga. He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and entrepreneurship.

2:00 pm – 2:30 pm BREAK WITH EXHIBITORS (Vision Ballroom) - Take a moment to stop by and visit with the DGA exhibitors. Representatives from various companies are there to talk with you about their latest and greatest products.

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm PRESENTATION – “The Battle for Catalog Mailers on Capitol Hill” Hamilton Davison, ACMA (Vision Ballroom)

Hamilton Davison, the president and cofounder of the American Catalog Mailers Association, will discuss the many battles the ACMA is fighting on behalf of catalog mailers in Washington. While the postal regulator seeks to remove the safeguard of CPI-capped postal rate setting, the internet sales tax momentum is forcing all catalog sellers to revamp their business practices and customer education in ways never before imagined. As Mr. Davison will outline, with much-needed support, the ACMA is there on both fronts to defend catalog marketers’ commercial interests. Hear how you can help make a difference to the outcome of both these issues as well as the latest in developments on in critical issues for catalog marketers in Washington.

A former CEO, Hamilton Davison been involved in postal affairs since 1992 as a volunteer leader in another trade association. He participated in Mailing Industry Task Force Steering Committee and was one of a group of eight CEOs who advised the Postmaster General during

the Anthrax crisis and on responding to the challenges post September 11. Davison also championed and sold the Forever Stamp to many in the mailing industry, including proposing it to the Chair of the Board of Governors. He was a founding member of the Mailing Industry CEO Council and served as its Secretary & Treasurer from 2002-2006.Mr. Davison has testified numerous times before House and Senate Committees and Subcommittees as well as before the Presidential Commission on the USPS and has been widely quoted in both trade and national media. He has made many lobbying visits to both sides of the aisle in both Houses of Congress. Davison sits on the Board of Directors for the Association for Postal Commerce (PostCom) and is an active participant in the Postmaster General’s Mailers Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC).

Prior to the founding of ACMA in 2007, Davison has consulted for a wide number of industries and held executive positions in manufacturing, distribution and consumer goods companies, including founding a retail chain as well as turning around and scaling a publishing company. He serves as a director for a public company, participates in an investor advisory committee for a private equity firm, and is involved in a variety of charitable and non-profit boards or committees.

3:30 pm – 4:00 pm BREAK WITH EXHIBITORS (Vision Ballroom)

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm PRESENTATION – “10 Tips for Increasing Catalog Performance” Gina Valentino, Hemisphere Marketing (Vision Ballroom)Gina’s 20-plus years in the catalog industry leverages experience and multichannel disciplines. In 2006, Gina founded Hemisphere Marketing LLC, a catalog and direct mail agency located in Kansas City, MO.

Prior to Hemisphere Marketing, Gina served key positions in Circulation, Marketing and Catalog Creative. Along with her role in offline marketing efforts, the natural progression into e-Commerce development and re-launch of websites was part of concurrent corporate

strategies. With specific P/L responsibilities at catalogers such as Road Runner Sports, Spiegel, Barrie Pace and Disney Direct, understanding the inter-dependence of marketing, merchandising and creative was constantly reinforced. Gina was also the marketing leader for development and implementation of a cross-company database at Spiegel.

Whether developing the analysis for a new catalog start-up venture, conducting creative best practice workshops or outlining the circulation plans to maximize growth of the customer file, Gina has worked with a variety of clients such as Spanx, See’s Candies, Home Depot Direct, 4-H, Carter’s | Osh-Kosh b’Gosh, Allen Edmonds, Pet Food Direct, Tafford Uniforms, Hickory Farms, Wrapped Hershey’s Chocolates, Select Seeds, Oakes Daylilies, Stark Bro’s, Only Natural Pet, Boston Coffee Cake, Photographer’s Edge, Three Dog Bakery, PRP Wine, Brook Running Shoes, TOMS, Outdoor Research Gear, Territory Ahead, and the VFW.

Gina remains active in the industry and has contributed to major publications, served many years as a judge for the Annual Catalog Awards, and concluded her appointment as a member of the Printery House Advisory Board. Gina has been a key speaker at many industry events including the NEMOA, Direct Gardening

general informationAbout the Hotel DOUBLETREE BY HILTON CHATTANOOGA DOWNTOWN 407 Chestnut StreetChattanooga, TN 37402Tel: 423-756-5150http://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/C/CHACHDT-DGA-20180805/index.jhtml

Check in: 3:00 PMCheck out: 12:00 PM

For Reservations:Call 423-756-5150 and be sure to say you are attending the Direct Gardening Association’s 2018 Summer Conference to receive special convention rates.

To make a reservation online, click on the 2018 Summer Conference link on the lower right hand corner of the DGA home page. Then click on the DoubleTree by Hilton Chattanooga Downtown link for the dedicated DGA reservation page.

Doubletree by Hilton Chattanooga, located just off I-27, offers a stylish base in the heart of downtown Chattanooga, TN within blocks of the Tennessee River and Riverfront attractions. We’re close to the Tennessee Aquarium, IMAX 3D Theater, AT&T Stadium, UT Chattanooga, museums, restaurants, shops, and the Convention & Trade Center, just 20 minutes west of Chattanooga Municipal Airport (CHA), and convenient to the nearby downtown shuttle.

Enjoy our hotel amenities including The Daily Grind coffee shop, outdoor saltwater pool and a fitness center. Relax in our inviting H²O lounge or dine at our American bistro-style restaurant – ELEVEN, serving a fresh selection of favorites for breakfast and lunch.

Travelers will love our great location, which is convenient to attractions like Lookout Mountain with its ancient formations of Rock City and Ruby Falls underground cave waterfall. Take a cruise on the Southern Belle Riverboat or shop at Hamilton Place Mall.

Special discounted room rates for DGA Members: $169/night for a

single or double room.** Book before July 8th ** and get it for $139/night!

IMPORTANT!!!Reservations must be made on or before July 8, 2018. Any unused rooms will go back to the hotel’s general inventory, which means your

room rate will be higher after the cutoff date! Be sure to make your reservation under the Direct

Gardening Association room block.

Cancellation InformationIf an individual with a guaranteed reservation does not check in or cancels the reservation after 3:00 PM 24 hours prior to arrival, the individual’s one night deposit will be forfeited or the credit card on record will be charged for one night’s room and tax.

Ground Transportation From Chattanooga Airport – 15 miles from the DoubleTree by Hilton Chattanooga Downtown

Type Typical Min. Charge

TAXI $28 USD (one way)

Checker Cab: ..........................................423-553-1598

Mercury Cab: ....................................... 423-624-1084

Millennium Taxi: ....................................423-267-2008

Nation Taxi: ............................................ 423-987-9918

Uber and Lyft

RENTAL CAR The following are available at the airport: Reservations:ALAMO .................................................... 423-855-2229

AVIS........................................................... 423-855-2232

BUDGET .................................................. 423-855-2224

ENTERPRISE .......................................... 423-855-2288

HERTZ .......................................................423-855-8131

NATIONAL ............................................. 423-855-2229

THRIFTY/DOLLAR ................................ 423-855-2277

Surrounding Attractions � Tennessee Aquarium

� The Hunter Museum of Art

� Chattanooga Riverpark

� Lookout Mountain

� Rock City

� Ruby Falls

REGISTER TODAYonline at: http://www.directgardeningassociation.com/2018-dga-summer-conference

or by phone: 706-298-0022

“Full of Educational and Professional Opportunities!”

Hotel ParkingParking is discounted at Valet $14 and Self $11.

P.O. BOX 429LAGRANGE, GA 30241