B2B Marketing is an Atlanta Tradition

July 31, 2014

In a city that is home to so many great companies with vibrant and world-class B2C credibility, we sometimes forget that these same companies–and so many other behemoths that live off the radar–have vibrant B2B channels. As the president-elect of BMA Atlanta, an organization with deep roots that is in the process of reseeding and reinvention, the feedback I get about the importance of B2B content, insight, thought leadership and talent has never been more essential.

I am proud that BMA Atlanta is BACK! And, in the spirit of those working hard to revive and broaden the value of BMA Atlanta, I’m happy to feature our current president, a BMA staple, Mark Semmelmayer.

Your connection to all things B2B

By:  Mark Semmelmayer, President of BMA Atlanta

With great pride and excitement, Business Marketing Association (BMA) Atlanta can say, “We’re back and ready to roll!”  We’d like to update constituents about BMA’s philosophy, goals and plans.  So, we will!

What happened to BMA?

Many of you have had past contact with BMA and the Atlanta chapter. Since the late 1970s, BMA Atlanta held regular luncheon speaker sessions, conferences and workshops…even social events.  Those who attended may have wondered, briefly anyway, why this valuable B2B resource fell off the radar.  Now that BMA ATL is up and running again, we can explain.

The Business Marketing Association is an international professional association of business-to-business marketing professionals.  Founded as the Association of Industrial Advertisers (AIA) in 1922 with over 3,300 members in 20 U.S. and two international chapters.  Those who are members are, essentially, dues-paying volunteers.  This is especially true of local chapter boards.

Through no fault of their own, the then-elected 2012 Board ran into job, personal or health issues that made it impossible to continue their volunteer commitment to BMA.  As with any organization, without leadership things come to a standstill.

What’s bringing it back?

In a nutshell, it’s a new Board of Directors with a great deal of talent, energy, commitment and roots with BMA. Last year, old Board members started to explore rejuvenating the Chapter.  After two successful “one-off” events, they asked if I’d take a lead role in bringing BMA back…and I gladly accepted.

I have a long history with BMA; a member for 30 years, an Atlanta Chapter officer at different times in the ‘80s, ‘90s and ‘00s.  I served 12 years on the National Board, from 1991-2002, including a term as International Chairman in 1996-97. I guess that’s why they asked.  Clearly, I have a passion for the organization.

Where is BMA Atlanta going now?

Enough history, let’s talk about where BMA Atlanta is and where we plan on taking it.

BMA ATL Goals and Philosophy:

  • Provide the best possible resources for B2B marketing pros
  • Provide unparalleled networking opportunities for B2B practitioners
  • Provide quality content, education and professional development programs
  • Focus on the developmental needs of the under-30 Young Professionals (YP) in the B2B space

Results to date:

  • Two luncheon speaker session that have drawn over 130 people to Maggiano’s-Perimeter for topics like “SEO and Lead Generation for Small and Medium Businesses” and “Marketing Automation Best Practices”
  • Two successful YP events, a panel discussion on “Today’s Top Marketing Disciplines Defined” and “B2B MarComm 101: Things Younger Communicators Need to Know”
  • A 50% membership increase from 40 to nearly 60 members, in just 4 months
  • Several successful BusinessRadioX programs focused on B2B content.

What’s next:

  • A luncheon session at Maggiano’s-Perimeter, 11 AM on August 12.  Topic: “Smarter Marketing Equals Better Results:  A Real-Life Example of How to Reach and Convert the Ever-Elusive C-Suite Customer”-  Register at www.marketing.org/atlanta
  • Two more YP events; September and November
  • One more luncheon session in October
  • Possible combined social event with another Atlanta professional association in late November or early December
  • Leadership plans to shore up a solid Board for years to come, including the return of past BMA board member and international BMA vp of strategy, Moira Vetter,  into the role of 2015 president. Moira’s experience as past president of AMA Atlanta and within BMA will add leadership and great continuity to the work we have accomplished this year.

THANKS MARK!

Want to find out more about BMA Atlanta? We’ll have our new Website up in due time (we’re rebuilding people). In the mean time, let’s rely on these social channels we want to spend so much time talking about. Visit us on LinkedIn at http://linkd.in/1mnySnn or on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/1pCZRin

Please follow us or like us at the above destinations.

And PLEASE, register for our lunch on demand generation next week on August 12th at Maggiano’s Perimeter here: http://tiny.cc/BMALunch