Well our seventh Canadian Sponsorship Forum is now in the books.
I am pretty sure if you attended, literally or vicariously, you’ll agree with me that somehow, someway, we were able to top our 2010 event in Whistler. I am not a guy who makes the hollow claim that every year is the best ever. (Don’t ask me which Forum didn’t hit a high note, because I won’t answer!) But it’s pretty obvious, based on the avalanche of congratulatory notes I’ve received, that this was the best ever.
Problem is… I don’t remember it. Insert question here: Remember what? The Forum! I really don’t remember enough of it. I could blame it on the partying. I could blame it on networking with 300+ delegates. I could blame it on the seven and a half hours sleep… total…over four days. I could blame it on the stress of my opening keynote… ahhh, but that would be lying. I don’t stress over public speaking.
But seriously, the weekend was a blur. So I thought a little mental exercise might help. The exercise is quite simply: create a diary from the various mental fibers I can spark to try to stimulate more memories and somewhat hypnotically paint a picture of the weekend.
This exercise is dangerous when done alone however. So, if you are willing and able to participate, it would be most appreciated. I am not sure that I can appeal to you that this is somehow some sort of scholarly research or scientific contribution to society. However, you could add to your LinkedIn profile that you helped shape history. Even if its just the history of one M-H-3.
Okay, so it’s time to begin! Now one of the other conditions of this treatment I forgot to mention is that it must be completed in reverse. Therefore, begin at the last moment you had a partial memory and begin to fill in the pieces form there. If however, even a partial memory is not available, you are recommended to immediately race to your Facebook account and see how many pictures you may be tagged in. I in fact, am going to do that RIGHT NOW, before my boss does. Give me twenty minutes and I will be back to you.
Okay, I am back. Not that there was anything to worry about, cause I don’t have a boss, but I don’t think my clients need to see me dancing on a bar! Or under the bar I think is more appropriate.
Now to the exercise!
June 13th – 08:40
Land in Toronto via a very comfortable Porter Airlines flight. Is there any other kind?
June 13 – 07:00
June 13 – 05:00
Grudgingly got up, without my alarm, which was luxuriously set for 05:20!!
June 13 – 02:30
Finished packing. Why didn’t I finish packing earlier, like I said I would? Okay, when exactly was I going to do that?
June 13 – 01:30
Left Sir Winston’s, got in a cab. Cab almost got hit by another cab. I survived. Oh yeah, it was raining. (All this sounds pretty trivial right now!)
June 12 – 23:10
Resigned ourselves to going to Winston Churchill’s. Arrived and said hello to “my” bartender “Annie,” who I used to think was actually “Heidi.” Go back to June 9th to figure that out.
June 12 – 22:30
Tried to get into some swanky nightclub. They wanted $1,000 per table! Do I get to keep the table?
June 12 – 21:31
Watched the HEAT go DOWN in flames!
June 12 – 20:19
Ate dinner at Sauvignon in Old Montreal. Our waiter was older.
June 12 – 19:11
Relaxing in my suite with Media Merchants guys. That’s a load of bull. Felt like a dorm room after party, where the male ego of who can insult the other faster was racing out of control. Paced slowed slightly when some dellys showed up!
June 12 – 13:00 to I forgot
What a race! Our suite was right on the last turn, right at track level. When cars raced by, we got showered from the rainwater. How the heck does someone go from 21 cars down to win?!
Catering woman asks how everything is. I advised the “circumstances were much better.” (See June 10th for clarity!)
June 12: 10:44
Hanging out at the Hot Wheels Garage! We are almost out of product for demos. Three days of activating equals lots of “sticky fingers.” That’s okay it’s called product trial.
June 12 – 10:33
Hair of the dog!
June 12 – 08:00
Off to the track!
June 12 – 07:35
Wake up on couch.
June 12 – 06:30
The last three people leave my suite as the hotel security guard TASERS me.
June 12 – 01:33
Forgot I told people to come back to my suite for drinks. Taxi!!!!!
June 11 – 21:11
Went to Club 1234. Apparently the locals call it 12-34. Not sure why!
June 11 – 18:30
Off to FrancoFolies and the CINCO tent. What a setup. Open bar. Gourmet dogs. Two stages to watch from a covered porch. Awesome VIP spot. Well done L’Équipe Spectra!
June 11 – 16:00
IMI “Happy Hour” left everybody very happy! Did you get a picture with the Grand Prix du Canada trophy? Did you think it was real?
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June 11 – 15:45
I introduce “Stephen Blaney” as played by Andy Nulman. “Blaney” introduced Bill J-4, the Sponsorship Clarity Act. After convincing everyone our industry was under assault from legislation, he announced that the 2012 Canadian Sponsorship Forum would partner with Just for Laughs. It’s their 30th Anniversary. To be clear. THE CONFERENCE WILL BE IN MONTRÉAL, JULY 2012!!!!!!
June 11 – ALL DAY
We have never had a day like today. Mike Browne. Andy Shibata. Shari Willerton. Steve Podborski. David Corelli. Speaker after speaker just nailed it. Mr. Movember, Adam Garone closed us off with an unbelievable talk that garnered a massive, and I mean MASSIVE, standing ovation! I was on stage and it was electric.
June 11 – 06:11
Seriously, how am I waking up without an alarm. And why?!!
June 11 – 03:30
Walked back to hotel. Started with 15 people, finished with me. Odd…..hmmm!
June 11 – 02:11
Moved up Crescent to some dance club. Triple X maybe? I don’t know. And I can’t dance.
June 10 – 22:00
Started the Crescent Street Roulette. Will this bar take us? That one? Spin the wheel and hope. Flukily find a place called Bruitopia! Had an amazing bartender. Can’t remember her name. But I did ask.
June 10 – 20:00
Started cheering for the Bruins.
June 10 – 19:51
Headed to Tundra Lounge for Media Merchants cocktail and dinner. Yelled at catering staff. They weren’t ready for us. They blamed “circumstances.” Like?
June 10 – 19:18
Let delegates walk on Grand Prix du Canada track. Take pictures of pit crew. And Finish Line. And “Grid Girls” Glad I am not a dentist…no one was smiling. (-:
June 10 – 17:18
Went for a jog.
June 10 – 16:00
Wow what a day! We have had a ton of great presenters. Dave Thomas, Henry Storgaard, Davis Barnes, Chuck and Kyle from Cocoon Branding, Mark Stewart and now time for Don Mayo to bring the house down with his talk on research being the key to maximizing your ROI. Which he does. His presentation was laced with real time examples from the F1 Activations in the market that weekend! Real-time research!
June 10 – 11:11
Look at all these people! Registration is crowded.
June 10 – 09:30
Last time to rehearse. Now at the point where it won’t be natural, so I need to stop!!!!
June 10 – 07:45
Had a breakfast meeting downtown with a former client. Does he not like me anymore or do I just smell?
June 10 – 06:30
Rise & shine! Time to rehearse once again.
June 10th – 03:15
Somehow negotiated myself out of an after hours club with my staff and got home. As in my hotel room.
June 10th – XX:XX
What time is last call in this town anyway?
June 10th – 00:08
Invasion of my staff begins. Annie the Bartender is considering resigning.
June 9th – 23:53
Asked “my” bartender what type of French name was “Heidi?” She told me her name was “Annie” and she didn’t know why the @#$%& I had been calling her Heidi for hours.
June 9th – 22:55
Remarkably the IMI guys showed up. At a bar? Also receiving tons of emails from people on the VIA Party Train. No one told me it was open bar!
June 9th – 22:01
Made sure everyone at Winston Churchill’s knew that the Forum was in the house.
June 9 – 21:11
Ran into the Cocoon guys at resto, dragged them out drinking to help them prepare for their speech. Trust me they were kicking and screaming. Or maybe chugging and laughing?
June 9 – 19:19
After much negotiating with too many people, went out for dinner at Le Milsa on rue Bishop. Get up from your desk and go to Montréal right now and eat there. We had the “10 Meat” Turnstile. An all you can eat feast. Oh I am so going to Brazil for the Olympics and World Cup!
June 9 – 19:00
Checked out our main room setup with a phenomenal backdrop created by Event Graphics. Wow! Revved to get up on stage and start presenting!
June 9 – 17:45
Went past lobby bar, saw the IMI guys.
June 9 – 16:30
Met with a delegate from Toronto. Our offices are four blocks away in the 416. But we can never get our schedules to match. That’s what makes conferences great. Small world. Her university roommate is one of my former employees, now married to a former client. Start humming that tune!
June 9 – 15:11
Headed down to our conference area to check out setup. Could not believe the contraption that Rhoddy built for our registration area.
June 9th – 14:44
Checked into my room. It was the Presidential Suite at the Delta. Oh my! Eight rooms. Three bathrooms. Dining/Meeting table for a dozen people. Four TV’s. Three bathrooms. (I like bathrooms!)
June 9 – 13:40
Check out our Welcome Booth at the airport. Very exciting, just wish one of the staff held up an 8″ X 10″ white card with the letters H-A-R-R-I-S-O-N on it. Still haven’t gotten over not getting that at Canada Games. Apparently according to the government audit of the Halifax committee, that was their only glitch in producing a flawless Canada Winter Games!
June 9-13:30
Land in Montreal via a very comfortable Porter flight. Is there any other kind?
June 9th – 12:30
Ready for takeoff from Toronto and rehearse my Opening Remarks one more time. I am not too worried about my ROI presentation… I have a GREAT memory!!!!!!