What We Did
The goal of our event was to focus on the industry, promoting ethanol and E85 — a corn-based alternative fuel made of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline — and increasing awareness of flexible-fuel vehicles. To accomplish this, we wanted to give participants a multi-sensory experience with corn, invoking sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. We set up a large mock cornfield in front of the Exchange, which was unique. It’s not something you see every day in New York City. Our partners General Motors Corp. (GM ) and Ford Motor Co. (F ) brought in flexible-fuel vehicles, which were displayed near our branded VeraSun E85 (VE85^TM) fuel pumps.  We served roasted corn on the cob, which not only filled the air with the scent of corn but allowed visitors to have a real “taste” of it, too. During the event, Iowa native and Warner Brothers Nashville recording artist Shannon Brown performed her hit song “Corn Fed”, so the message of corn could also be heard. In addition, we had a large daylight screen showing footage of our facilities, Shannon’s video (filmed in a cornfield) and commercials for the vehicles on display. We brought the experience inside the Exchange as well, where we framed the bell podium with cornstalks and handed out 2,500 T-shirts. T-shirts bundled with our news release and a corn cob were also distributed to the media. We also participated in media interviews. Our cornfield made such a compelling visual that reporters from CNBC, Bloomberg and other media outlets interviewed CEO Don Endres in front of it immediately after the bell-ringing ceremony.

How We Planned It
As we explored where to list, we met with folks at the NYSE and they put together a proposal that revolved around making corn visible outside, in front of the Exchange. The NYSE put a lot of thinking into helping us communicate a message around ethanol in a unique way. We took their initial idea and developed it further, eventually evolving into the cornfield concept. The NYSE was extremely helpful in pulling the event together, from initiating visual ideas to recommending reliable vendors. On the day of the event, the people at the Exchange really made us feel comfortable and – most importantly – like we belonged there.  It can be rather confusing with so many things going on all at once, and we felt like we were in good hands throughout the entire day.

Biggest Obstacle
Perhaps the biggest challenge was the timing of the event. We wanted the street event and the listing to occur on the same day in order to get the broadest possible exposure to the ethanol industry and the strategic alliances we have with the automakers. The actual listing date, however, is not certain until very shortly before it happens. Attempting to line up the bell ringing and bringing together all the various partners and vendors for an event of this scale while narrowing in on a date felt very much like aiming at a moving target. We moved our target listing date many times, up to and including the last two to three weeks before the event. Once we nailed it, it took every ounce of energy from our internal team, our PR firm, the NYSE and great vendors to make the event the success it was. 

Most Memorable
The bell ringing was quite exciting for all of us and was the most memorable part of the day. Beyond that, standing outside and seeing Shannon Brown play and then smelling the fresh-roasted corn and seeing our partners’ vehicles alongside our VE85^TM pumps in front of the Exchange was very gratifying. It all came together, and was somewhat surreal.

Benefits
The event created awareness around ethanol, E85 and the partnerships we are forming to help move us forward. This event was not about VeraSun as much as it was about the ethanol industry and the fact that it is growing, it is real, and it is making an impact on our nation. We were happy, too, with the media coverage. The visuals of the event created a prime media opportunity that gave us a chance to spread the word about ethanol. The momentum generated from this event resulted in more than 300 million media impressions surrounding the IPO and for the six weeks immediately following.

Click the link below to watch highlights from the the day's events at the NYSE.

 Windows Media Player 300k

VeraSun Energy Corp. (VSE) is the second-largest ethanol producer in the United States. The company has two operating production facilities located in Aurora, S.D., and Fort Dodge, Iowa; is constructing a third facility in Charles City, Iowa; and has two additional facilities under development in Welcome, Minn., and Hartley, Iowa.  Upon completion of the new facilities, VeraSun will have an annual production capacity of approximately 560 million gallons of ethanol per year.