Corn at AgNite
Posted: September 4, 2008
The Minnesota Corn Growers Association was one of the top five sponsors for the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council AgNite event on Tuesday, held in conjunction with the Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities.
“The top five platinum sponsors are all Minnesota-based companies or organizations and we were thrilled that they came on board early to sponsor the event,” said council executive director Daryn McBeth. “The food and ag industry is important, it’s Minnesota’s second largest industry, it’s as far away as your next meal and we felt that with this opportunity with so many influencers and media in town for the convention, that in a non-partisan way we could take advantage of that and showcase this important industry.”
The venue and set-up for the event was nothing short of spectacular and extremely well done. The historic Minnesota Depot was skirted on the outside with potted corn stalks and inside the 60,000 square foot area was dotted with comfortable seating around video screens where those attending could just relax and enjoy the food and refreshments while taking in some information about the various agricultural sponsors. Unlike a trade show, it allowed people to take it all in just by the atmosphere. And it showed that agriculture could really throw one heck of a high-class party. There are always multiple outside evening events at political conventions, but the AgNite event was “the go-to” party that evening.
That was a relief to the organizers, who did have some concerns over the weekend when Hurricane Gustav threatened to wash out their plans. But, as it turned out, the attendance for the invitation-only event exceeded all expectations. As someone said, “What if you threw a party and everyone showed up?” Maybe not everybody - I don’t think John McCain made it - but the organizers were still quite pleased with the turnout.