I am really excited about our T1 Speaker Series event next week. I would have used the word “stoked”, but after posting it three times yesterday people have told me that my quota is up.
But I am stoked for a bunch of reasons.
Our panel wasn’t assembled by accident. That’s pretty obvious. It’s a bit of a sneak peak of our lineup for sponsorshipX 2018.
Darren Kinnaird is the General Manager of Crankworx and our partner event for the first edition of sponsorshipX, happening this August 2018. (Yes in case you have been ignoring me for months, CSFX is now called sponsorshipX and we are going global with content, speakers, delegates and an international event soon). David Zimberoff is the VP Marketing of SRAM and one of biggest partners of Crankworx. Micayla Gatto is a professional mountain biker, artist, online host, and brand ambassador.
Micayala Gatto is the panelist I know the least because we haven’t actually met yet. I have been spending some time this week learning about her in the way we learn about most people in 2017 – online. But as vast as the interweb is, I have a feeling that it is only telling me a fraction of the story. I am excited to have her share her story of juggling her multiple roles, endorsement deals, appearances, and content creation. Here is a link if you want a sneak peek, though I think meeting her in real life will be the real deal.
I know David Zimberoff the second best. But that may be a slight exaggeration since our relationship to date has consisted of one evening together at the Crankworx partner dinner, and one phone call to discuss his speaking at sponsorshipX 2018. But it only took a few minutes at that dinner to realize I had met someone who not only has an unlimited insider’s knowledge of the biker world & community, but also a unique and savvy approach to business building. Plus his stewardship of the World Bicycle Relief Program is reflective of the type of difference we should all want to make in this world.
Darren Kinnaird, I know the most from his attendance and involvement in several past CSFX events. For years he prodded me about hosting our conference in tandem with Crankworx. To be candid, I had dozens of misconceptions as to what Crankworx was really all about. Turns out, it’s the world’s largest mountain biking festival – attracting thousands of affluent, influential and engaged consumers – and Whistler’s most lucrative event of the year.
That is a great segway to our the discussion we will hold next Tuesday during the Speaker Series. As consumers shift away from mass to mass customization, properties become increasingly globalized, and affluent customers seek experiences over collectibles, we as marketers are faced with many questions. How do I reach unique and targeted consumers? How do I connect with authenticity? How do I uncover the many layers of my customers and understand what makes them tick?
