Kansas State University

KSRE Supports Social Media Professional Training

Submitted by Cassie Wandersee

The Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement is hosting the second annual New-Media Marketing Boot Camp on February 27 and 28 at the Bluemont Hotel in Manhattan, Kansas. The Boot Camp is designed to provide agricultural and rural business owners and other service oriented individuals, such as Extension professionals, with the tactics necessary to combat the ever-changing, new-media technology world.

Thanks to a generous sponsorship from K-State Research and Extension, Extension professionals including specialists, agents, program assistants, office professionals, or other personnel with Extension-related social media responsibilities, can attend the Boot Camp at a discounted rate.

Cassie Wandersee, the newly hired managing director for CREE, is excited for the work she and her team are doing. “I am excited to bring everyone to Manhattan for Boot Camp this year. We will share a ton of valuable and actionable information that can be immediately implemented into marketing and communication plans that will help businesses across the state,” Cassie said.

CREE is a center that focuses on helping small businesses succeed through new media marketing research. As a generator and source of knowledge about new media technologies, CREE enables rural businesses to flourish in an ever-changing environment. Their goal is to make research-based knowledge discoverable and accessible to individuals, businesses, and communities and foster positive changes to rural livelihood.

This vision aligns with Dr. Lauri M. Baker’s, one of the three founding members, expectations for the Boot Camp and the overarching goals of CREE. “Myself and the other founders are seeing our vision playing out,” Baker said. “We are thrilled to have a new team in place and excited for the growth we have seen in just a few months.”

CREE guarantees Boot Camp recruits will leave with the skills and knowledge to take marketing to the next level. The Boot Camp is your opportunity to experience hands-on training in storytelling, analytics, and strategy. Attendees will also gain insights into CREE’s own adventures in new-media marketing and the team’s personal reflections on their journey.

Registration for the Boot Camp is open now. A special discounted rate is available for Extension professionals at $159. Click here to register for the two-day training event.

A block of discounted rooms is available at the Bluemont Hotel for the event dates. The room rate will be $89 plus tax. You can reserve a room at the Bluemont Hotel two ways:

- Call the hotel reservation line at 785-473-7091, extension 0 and ask for CENTER RURAL ENTERPRISE.

- Go to bluemonthotel.com, click BOOK NOW, select CLICK HERE FOR GROUP RESERVATIONS, enter group ID: CENT0218 and password: ksu, and enter the correct arrival and departure date to complete your reservation.

Please reach out to Cassie Wandersee if you have any questions or would like further information about the Boot Camp. Cassie can be reached through email at wande@ksu.edu or by phone 785-532-1173.