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I’m enjoying two glorious, sunny days in New York at the The Sport Business Summit, put on by Leaders.

Though some of our team has previously attended, this is my first time. It’s the third U.S. iteration of a fairly large UK event that is over a decade old, and from what I’m told by other delegates, it’s grown dramatically from 2015. They announced six hundred delegates are in attendance, but I think that’s a generous number. Regardless, it’s a well-produced, slick event in a great venue, The TimesCenter on 41st street. This Leaders group understands branding very well.

Many people ask me why I attend conferences. Hopefully it’s not because I come across as a know-it-all! No, I attend conferences for all the same reasons I pitch you in attending mine, plus one more. I love experiencing others’ events to improve my own. Whether that be through blatant theft of something amazing that I saw or experienced, or perhaps stimulated by something frustrating. Either way, being a customer is the best research in the world.

A new reason for me to attend conferences is to share my learnings (not about the event mechanics, but from the content) with you. I am very fortunate to attend so many events. I realized I shouldn’t be so selfish. So here today you get the taste of a first of a new periodic twist to my blog. No formal announcement or name. Let’s just call it a Conference Report. I will let my creative team brand it up later!

The highlight of the event for me was David Droga from Droga5, the hottest advertising agency in America right now. His firm did the trailers for The Martian, featuring a unique Matt Damon Under Armour integration.

A great example of multiple parties winning because they were an advertisement for the movie, UA, and even Matt Damon; yet to the consumer they were inspiration. I loved his line that “everything is advertising” today and that a brand needs to know what it stands for, develop a consistent “red thread” that communicates their promise, and then engage in ongoing disposable activities to communicate it. To Droga, an advert or an event or vine video is disposable. Yet they contribute to building a place for the brand in the consumer’s mind. A great example of a red thread is their client at Prudential, who relentlessly pursued a mission to Make America financially smarter. This provides a platform for all activities.

Two other groups who presented and truly get their red thread are Real Madrid CF and Williams F1 Racing. For Real Madrid it is simple. Every player, every employee, every club owner must possess Ambition. In essence the speaker proclaimed that Real Madrid is so successful because they aim to be. Simple. Powerful. At Williams F1 they have a similar red line – double entendre intended. There, every employee has one job description. To make the car go faster. The leaders at Williams F1 proclaim that every employee is a racer. That sets the stage for all brand relationships, innovations, and even new businesses they create. Williams F1 currently has thirty-six for-profit projects leveraging their auto racing technology in other industry sectors. A bizarre example? They are designing a system to reduce energy loss in grocery stores’ cool sections that makes the middle of the aisles cold.

Interesting learnings were to be had from Olympic partners BMW, Dow and P&G. BMW has used their bobsleigh success from Sochi to launch a program of building racing wheelchairs for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

If you don’t remember, the car maker developed Team USA’s sleds and vaulted them to unprecedented success. Now they plan to do the same and are very proud of their focus on the Paras. I think it’s brilliant.

P&G has continued to evolve their Thank you Mom campaign if for no other reason than some of their participating brands see an 11% higher marketing spend ROI on Olympic-associated campaigns, versus those pitches that go ringless. That should be in every NSO’s pitch deck!

Dow is a unique sponsor in that they are a B-to-B company looking to create new channels, or as they say, skip a generation of traditional supply chains.

What all Olympic brands also emphasized was the positive impact on their agencies Olympic work has. Given the Games are only every two years, these brands see an increased creative effort from their partners and their internal stakeholders. It seems that their Olympic brand promise of inspiration impacts more than just young athletes.

The only other discussion that impressed me was MasterCard. They have 70,000 sponsorship assets globally. The guy who counted them all was in the room! They used to use those assets to tell stories, but have transitioned their activation approach to story making.

Leveraging their Priceless platform, they reward consumers from small surprises to once-in-a-lifetime experiences, that have been identified through data intelligence. Delivering these Priceless moments then creates the script to make stories. They are the first brand I have heard use this approach. Watch for lots more story making speeches on the conference circuit for the next two years.

Overall I was disappointed in this event. I had heard great things of Leaders and their events, but this summit missed the mark wildly. Many of the speakers talked in uncessarily broad terms at a level that wouldn’t interest a Grade 10 class. There were multiple references to speakers’ own children who watch three screens at once and other profound research. Honestly whoever created that cliché should be barred from their favourite dessert for a year. In general the speakers were not pushed or prodded to get deep.

As well, the format of the event was stale and boring. Almost every session was a moderated panel, all of whom except for Scott McCune and Bernie Mullin lacked energy, knowledge, and depth. Mullin would be a superstar moderator if he wasn’t so inclined to promoting his own firm with every question he asked. But he and McCune are keynote-worthy, so their moderating was a treat.

The networking for the event was the predictable buffet lunch and end-of-day hospitality bar. Speakers were ushered in and out of back doors like heads of state, making delegates feel almost criminal for seeking to connect with them. It felt like there were two tiers to the event. Those in a secret club, or perhaps the organizer’s clients, and the rest of the regular delegates.

Some delegates said I should see their London event, which is fine. Except I paid for the New York event.

It’s seems that many people who are asked to pay tribute to the dead use a hauntingly similar opening line, which is to describe the first time the speaker met the deceased. 

I won’t be asked to speak at Dennis Glavin’s funeral, but I do need to pay tribute to him. Dennis, was the founder of Glavin & Associates where I began my career, many many many hairs ago. My first meeting with him was over the phone, which resulted in an impromptu live interview not an hour later. From that moment, until I received word this morning that he passed away in his sleep last evening, he was a looming shadow in my life.

Dennis Glavin was a larger than life figure. He commanded a room like few people I have ever met. There was no client he feared. No pitch too intimidating. No concept too daunting. He was too smart to be a promotions expert. He was too articulate to be writing contest headlines. He was too well read to be reading briefs about product launches. 

His writing was both artistically beautiful and literally masterful.  His written word was only rivalled by his oral performances. His command of written and spoken language was buffeted by a curiosity that made him resemble a human Google, long before that invention changed forever the way world discovers.

Dennis had his warts. While a tribute to him should not be tainted by describing them, it would also be disingenuous of me to pretend to you that they didn’t exist. More appropriately for this tribute they made him part of who he was. Someone you could genuinely follow off the edge of the earth one day and the next minute wish to pummel. He was as fascinating a human as you could ever meet. 

Dennis was my business father. He took a chance on a kid from a tier two Political Science program and put him in front of blue chip marketing clients. He let me grow a dying account into our largest business. He rewarded me handsomely, financially, and emotionally. 

I can’t put a price on that. If that price was the times we struggled, I will take that. We worked together for a decade, over two stints, before I was thirty five. That’s a long time in a young man’s life.

He was a massive Steelers fan. Check.
Loved March Madenes. Check.
Could drink like a fiend. Check.
Had a wicked sense of humour. Check. 
Could out debate Gorbachev. Check. 
Insanely smart. Check. 
Loved nice cars. Check.
Was a neat freak. Check.
Loved his Mom like no one you ever met. Double Check.
Revered the legacy of his father. Check. Check. Check.

Dennis and I had an acrimonious ending to our last business relationship. I say that only for context. I saw him only two times after over the course of fifteen years.  Once we had a drink to see if we could rekindle our working relationship. It didn’t. The last was a unplanned encounter after he had been stricken with cancer. Although he was recovering, he was nothing short of miserable. That brief encounter crushed me. He wasn’t the same imposing man that loomed large in my memory. 

That’s not the man I’m going to remember.

I’m going to remember the man who built a business with his bare hands. I’m going to remember the man who who overcame childhood illness, obesity, being bedridden, and schoolyard persecution to push himself to become the most refined sense of himself he could be. I’m going to remember the man who sold laundry detergent from the trunk of his car in the depth of the Manitoba winter to support his family. I’m going to remember the  man who saw the future of consumer promotions before anyone else and launched his namesake company. I’m going to rember the man who spawned generation after generation of employees who went on to own their own businesses. I’m going to remember the man who bought me a new car for graduation. I’m going to remember the man I promised that I would never tell anyone about that gift. (Sorry!). I’m going to remember the man who told me “I am your MBA”, when I excitedly announced I was accepted to grad school. I’m going to remember the man who could swing a golf club so beautifully, the sun came out on cloudy days just to watch. I’m going to remember the man who lined our office hallways with amazing gift baskets from Oliver’s Bakery for Christmas. I’m going to remember the man who taught us how to concept ideas that no client ever dreamed possible. I’m going to remember the man who would make me take his car keys home when he knew he was in for a crazy night. I’m going to remember the man who overtipped everywhere he went. I’m going to remember the man who found it hard to publicly let people get close to him, yet privately he truly coveted them. I’m going to remember the man who somehow brought smiles to the family of his deceased secretary, who died from a horrific cancer discovered only when she broke her leg, during his spellbinding eulogy of her. I am going to remember the man who teased one of our colleagues on a relentless basis, yet we all knew how much he loved this guy. I’m going to remember the man who cried when I shared my problems with him. I’m going to remember the man who told me not to find my birth parents, because he was convinced the ones who raised me were perfect

I’m going to remember the man I met December 4th, 1987. RIP Dennis “Hondo” Glavin. 

The circus has left town. Leaving behind an abandoned trail of ticket stubs and empty beer cups, hazy recollections of celebrity sightings and behind-the-ropes parties, and everlasting memories of cold and the best damn slam dunk contest ever.

NBA All-Star 2016 won’t be the last big event to hit Toronto. This year alone we have the World Cup of Hockey, 104th Grey Cup, and IIHF World Junior Championship opening rounds to look forward to. They join an already amazing highlight reel of annual events like TIFF, Pride Toronto, and Caribana. But the magnitude of what we witnessed was somewhat unprecedented and educational.

Every cool venue in town was the site of some sort of official or unofficial NBA event. Restaurants, galleries, event spaces, hotels, and even a certain performance venue. Casa Loma held a Jordan party. An unindentified Bridal Path home was rented for LeBron & Drake’s bash. A championship boxer held court at a certain venue on King Street for his own private dance party.

Media of all sorts descended upon us. The massive and traditional TV networks, newspapers, magazines, and radio. As well as the global and agile digital and social networks. International social reach exceeded even the Super Bowl. It was like a mini Olympics impact-wise. The legacy of holding such an event is measured in exposure, economic, and excitement. There is, however, an important benefit for consideration. That is of key lessons learned for marketers.

It was a bit surprising to hear how many people were surprised about the impact of All-Star Weekend. One business leader told me they flat out missed the boat. Another asset holder realized they could have leveraged their property better. While I can’t claim any particular expertise to leveraging NBA All-Star events, we did have some great success, but there still is lots of learning to be taken from an event like this. Learning that can be applied to the next major event window.

Whether you are a brand or a charity, you should be planning ahead and examining what’s happening in your markets over the next two years. Yes two years. Whether you will be an official rights holder or not, the first step to success is planning ahead. But before we talk about planning, you may wonder if I’m advocating guerilla marketing. I’m not recommending ambush. I am personally, however, supportive of activities that contribute to the investors of an event.

Let me explain. Ambush is when Brand B, the non-rights holder of a major festival, runs a promotion entitled Win a Trip to the Big Party, in attempt to diminish the equity if Brand A’s official rights relationship. No, what I’m suggesting is that if Brand B decides to buy tickets, buy hosting packages, market to tourists to attend the festival, stage an adjunct event, or create B2B transactions, then I’m all for it. Why? Because their efforts help generate returns for the tourism boards, government agencies, and visitors associations that often underwrite so much of these events. Often to an amount much much larger than the sponsor. But I digress, and any more of this and Bill Cooper will be hanging me in effigy.

Back to the educational part of the NBA All-Star experience. We’ve all witnessed the opportunities such a big event brings. Now is the time to be looking ahead. Your number one success factor will be lead time. But future planning on its own isn’t enough, and sometimes time isn’t on your side. Then you need other resources. I will use the teachings of one of my early mentors for this one. He was a crusty old print broker who taught me every single day in the first five years of my career. One of his favourite messages was the time-money axis. In his own words, anything a client wanted could be done – they just took time and money. The less time you have, the more money you needed. He was right.

But in today’s marketing ecosystem, I think money has been equaled by clout, channel, access, and influence. So in your planning, you don’t have to be deterred if you have money and/or some combination of the newer ingredients for marketing success.

If you’re thinking about upcoming major events that you want to leverage, you need to plot a militaristic strategy. Take a thorough look at where the event will be held, where the primary hotels are, convention facilities, public spaces. Overlay on your map the most appropriate entertainment venues, dining attractions, and unique event spaces. Now overlay on it all the human consideration. Traffic. Transit. Pedestrians. Parking. By the time you’re done you should have a five-star general-worthy battle map.

Keep it handy.

Now look at the different groups you want to influence. VIPs? Celebrities? Government Oficials? Speakers? Entertainers? Visitors? Residents? Industry Leaders? Events have many layers. They are more complex than icebergs. The live audience is very different based on rank, importance, industry connections, and customer relationships. In overly simple terms, the public is outside the ropes, and the rest are inside. Perhaps your plan is to talk to several groups. Perhaps you want to flip the ropes around. Perhaps you’re not sure. If you’re a charity who has never before worked with a big event, it can be daunting. Even for a major brand who has lots of global experience, perhaps you’re the new brand manager and don’t want to appear nieve. This is where you need to network like mad. Read about such past events. Talk with suppliers, venues who hosted previous versions, maybe even event attendees. The internet can lead you through this web faster than you can imagine.

When you’re done, pull your map out again and give it a closer look. You may now want to make some revisions.

Now that you have an understanding of what could happen in your region and who will be involved, you still need to think about how you can get involved. What do you do if you feel your brand or organization  is too small to play? Well there is an APP for that, but you can skip the APP Store – I will share the secret with you. It’s called leverage. Perhaps you have access to venues that outsiders won’t. Or volunteers. Or goodwill. Or media relations. I know of one charity who scored a pretty great cross-promo with the NBA, all due to their request of a middle man to set up a meeting.

If you feel you need to get more drastic, then take some risks. Rent every limo for the entire week. Book off the three best restaurants. Sound like a business blockade? No, it’s just being a first mover.

Is that too aggressive for you? Okay create a fundraiser and invite visiting celebrities to be a key part of it. Make sure they understand how important the cause is in that region. Position yourself as a local expert or a media channel or an information provider. All it takes is a little packaging of the expertise you already have.

The bottom line is the bottom line here. Major events can provide amazing impact for you brand, business, or cause. The sole reason that your tax dollars and resources are utilized to lure them in is to provide benefits to your organization, employees, customers, and suppliers. Lasting benefits. So there is no reason you shouldn’t take advantage of these opportunities.

Ready for tipoff?

@CdnSponsorForum @MarkHarrison3 thanks for for an incredible first #CSFX experience! #inspired

This was one of my favourite tweets received after CSFX16 came to a rocking conclusion on Saturday. Rocking? How rocking? I’m talking Sam Roberts surprise live appearance rocking. CSFX is headed to the JUNO Awards in 2017, and Roberts, along with guitarist Dave Nugent, shocked our delegates with a sneak peek of what’s to expect.

CSFX16 was indeed truly inspiring. Call me biased if you will, but I was thoroughly inspired, and the sentiment was unsolicitedly shared with me by so many delegates, it could have been the conference theme. With fifty moving speakers, three hundred motivated delegates, and the unprecedented buzz of the NBA All-Star all around, CSFX16 had everyone soaring!

Now comes the hard part. Keeping that amazing feeling. Translating it into your every day. Unleashing it into action. It’s time to turn inspiration into perspiration. But how?

Well, let’s look at the ingredients that inspired you so thoroughly. Was it a great presentation or panel? Perhaps it was a key slide or message from several speakers? So let’s begin there. Make a list. Type out the notes you took. Number how many jolts of inspiration you took in. If it was twelve or more, then great. If it was less, you need to build the list. Now calendarize each jolt of inspiration to the Wednesday of the next 12-16 weeks. Yes Wednesday. That’s Humpday. This will get you over the hump. Then every week I want you to reflect on that inspiration. Re-read your notes. Peruse their presentation. Look up the speaker online and see what she has said recently in the Twitterverse. Send her an email or a LinkedIn request to stay in touch. Don’t let it slip.

The second ingredient probably came from some memories you had from the weekend. Whether it be a networking event, one of the presentations, an NBA All-Star event, or your meeting Sam Roberts. Share those memories. Write a blog. Curate something for Instagram. Develop an internal presentation to share key learnings. Putting your own spin on these memories will not only ensure they stay in your mental archive for a longer time, but also add to your motivation to achieve greater heights. At that moment, when they happened, you were ready to climb a mountain. Don’t you want that feeling back again and again?

The final ingredient was undoubtedly some of the amazing people you met. I was blown away by how many people came in from all across Canada for this year’s event. I guess I shouldn’t have been. I know you made a ton of great contacts whether it be through the CSFX16 basketball tournament, a bus ride to the NBA All-Star Practice, or sharing a roundtable. Now comes the easy part. Staying in touch, building a lasting relationship, growing your network, establishing lifelong alliances. You have our app. Our app has you. Put it to use. Make a list of fifty – yes fifty. Or at least twenty-five. I prefer fifty, people that you want to stay connected with. Every day do something incredibly simple. Say HELLO. Thank-you Adele for bringing that word back into culture, community, and business. It’s a great word. So every day, send a note, make a call, send a handwritten note, extend a lunch invite, or hookup when you’re in one another’s hometowns. It’s that easy. One a day. The next fifty business days. Your business network has just exploded.

I don’t need to wrap up this blog with a corny message about hard work and how it pays off. But what I can say is this. If you follow just one of the suggestions above, or two, or all three, you will generate a far greater return on your time and resources invested in CSFX, than you could possibly imagine. I know personally I wish I could stop time and stay suspended in the magic of February 11th to 13th. I can’t stand waiting over a year until CSFX17 in Ottawa. But I have to. Sadly it only comes once a year. But I like trying to keep that feeling year-round.

Ever been the only person in the room who didn’t know one single other? It’s okay if you’re at the doctor’s office. But has this happened to you at a baby shower or dinner party? Worse, what about at a conference?

Personally it’s never been a situation that has bothered me. But for many the thought of walking into a room full of strangers is terrifying.

I’m assuming by now you’re registered, booked, and packed for the 2016 Canadian Sponsorship Forum Experience. Perhaps your excitement is being partially eroded by the FOBA. I just made this up, but I’m creating a phobia called Fear of Being Awkward. FOBA occurs when you’re standing in a reception, looking around at dozens of gleeful conversations happening and not one involving you. You feel like everyone else can see how alone you are, so no one is going to approach because they suspect whatever general ailment you have, it must be contagious.

So now you’re drowning in FOBA. You want to bury your face in your phone, but realize that will slaughter any hope you have of being approached. You’re slowly nursing your coffee, but the crummy little hotel-issued cup makes that impossible. You’re slowly performing a finger autopsy on your muffin, but realize there is a good chance a cranberry is now visibly stuck in your upper front teeth.

Suddenly an important looking group heads your way, only to then ask if you could take their photo as they have already selfied themselves beyond acceptable societal limits. Immediately after you finished the portraits while balancing all three of their cameras and your muffin and your coffee and your own phone, they have disappeared without so much as a handshake or an introduction.

Networking. Ugh. A four-letter word to many people.

But it doesn’t have to be. Networking is a skill to be learned, practiced, refined, and honed. Like public speakers, the best networkers are not born naturals, despite popular belief. Practicing networking will just add to your confidence.

When I network I tend to intuitively follow a few specific guidelines. One of the most important is to not show up at the event with the look of a mass murderer, also known as the about to miss their target salesperson. Nothing turns people off more than being pitched hard before the handshake is cold. Don’t believe me? Try it. I will bring the video camera.

Networking shouldn’t be about trying to find the big whale. Networking should be about sending out a vibe about who you are as a person. Be natural. Someone that people enjoy being around. The laws of attraction will result in the big fish coming to you and not vice versa.

Another key to networking is to act fast. What I mean is this. In almost any networking event you are bound to be in line or seated next to someone. At first glance, introduce yourself. Before you sit down or grab a spoonful of cherry tomatoes for your salad. Don’t wait and appear to be revving up your nerve. Go for it.

Get in quickly. Then get out just as quickly. If the other person wants to engage, they will keep the conversation going. If they don’t, you’ve saved yourself a ton of dignity because you don’t separate feeling like a loser. It’s easy to get in if you’ve done your homework.

Your homework should be done well before the conference. It starts with a short list of intriguing, but innocuous opening lines. Leading with “that opening keynote sucked” may be one to stay away from. As the opening keynote speaker, you can understand the bias in my advice. But you do need to have better game than “Have you been to the Forum before?” I suggest you laterally write up some opening lines and how you anticipate them to reply.

Be positive. Be upbeat. Be interesting. Don’t be trying to sell, recruit, or dare I say recruit for other reasons. One great way to be interesting is to know something the other person doesn’t that you can share causally and utilize to build a dialogue. For example, if you have seen one of the speakers previously. Or perhaps you watched them online before the conference. Drafting on the intrigue of someone else or something else provides a nice halo for your brand. Translation? I’m telling everyone my real name is Mitch Joel at CSFX. Check out our head shots to see this isn’t going to be that hard for me to pull off. I hope.

Now that you have a conversation started, get your foot off the gas and mind your GPS. Where can you take this conversation at a pace. Don’t rush through it because they aren’t the VP of Marketing for BIGCO! Savour the moment. Some of my peers have a natural (or conditioned) ability to make whomever they are speaking to feel like the most important human in the world at that moment. Other people will never know the colour of your eyes, because the minute they meet you it feels like they are looking past you for a better contact to slay.

Once you give one enjoyable and deep first exchange with someone, the next few will be even easier. It then becomes a multiplier effect because everywhere you turn for the rest of the event, you now have new friends you can lean on when the networking hits a roadblock.

Perhaps you are still too shy, despite reading this. You’re feeling you need a wingman. So go get one? Invite a colleague or supplier to the event. Jump on social media ahead of time and let other delegates know you are new and you would love to meet up Wednesday night for a drink or Thursday at breakfast to make new friends. I’m getting hammered on my SXSW social feeds by sales people wanting to meet me in Austin to pitch T1. Never. But if someone said hey I’m also from Toronto and headed to SXSW alone and would love to meet others from the 6, I would be my regular cruise director self.

If all else fails, I can let you know this. We build so much networking into CSFX, I don’t think you’ll be alone. But if you think you will be, let me know and one of my T1 colleagues will gladly introduce you to three delegates. From there you will have an awesome start and the perfect prescription to combat FOBA.

If you are joining us next week at the brand new, kick-ass Delta Toronto for the 2016 Canadian Sponsorship Forum Xperience, you need to come prepared. Only a rookie or a Denver Broncos fan would show up at the doorstep of one my events without properly preparing. This isn’t your Mom’s packing list for summer camp when you were nine years old and overly anxious about passing the early morning cold water swim test.

Nope. You’re an adult now. Regardless of whether you are coming from Victoria, BC or Victoria Street Toronto, you are on your own to get organized for the splash you are about to make. But, because the inner ringleader in me always wants to get out, I thought I would share with you some of my personal secrets for what you should pack.

In honour of our Moms, I am not going to use numbers. This pains me as I love using numbers, but hey did your Mom ever use numbers for her lists? Me think not! Okay, where to begin?

• Check your Uber app. If you don’t have it, load it now. Maybe take a couple of test runs to get your passenger rating up so you can get higher on the dispatch priority. Make sure it’s up to date and you have a valid credit card. Rumour has it that Toronto cabbies think this would be a great time to strike and show the world what an (in)hospitable city we are.
• Custom reserved seating sign. I’ve always daydreamed about this. If you want the best seat in the house for Don Mayo, Kim McConnie, or Mitch Joel, why not give this a try.
• A cold compress for your neck. Unless you’re Justin Orfus from my team, you are going to spend a lot of time looking up!

• Find room in your gym bag for your crossover dribble because our CSFX Delegate Basketball Tournament is going to be for industry bragging rights! You know that pressure you feel on a Par 3 during a corporate tournament when two foursomes are stalled behind you. That will seem like a Grade 3 gym class compared to the crowds at the NBA Center Court where we will be hosting our tourney. So come prepared.
• A cup full of decisiveness. Think about the challenge you will have selecting among these head to head speakers: Wrigley Canada’s Dan Alvo vs Labatt Breweries of Canada’s Andrew Oosterhuis, Metro’s Nancy Modrcin vs Holt Renfrew’s Alison Simpson, Canadian Pacific’s Mark Wallace and Crankworx’s Darren Kinnaird vs the women-only panel.
• Your autograph book. I know it’s not for you. It’s for your nephew in Saskatoon. He just happens to have the same name as you! Wow, so many coincidences.
• Your Emmy Award. Judy John won one for the #LikeAGirl campaign she spearheaded for Procter & Gamble. I’m sure she will show you hers, if you bring yours.

• Your Inner Maker. Mark Stewart, Chief Innovator at wonderMakr, isn’t going to let you sit on your hands during his session. No, you will need to get them out and ready to make, break, and shake your way to learning how to be innovative.
• A teammate for Saturday. If you haven’t taken me up in our special offer yet, you have no one to blame but yourselfie! Do you like my new word?
• Your best social media one liners. You will want to make your friends jealous when you’re up close and personal with the world’s best ballers during the NBA All-Star Practice on Saturday.
• Our app. We have saved a thousand trees this year and not printed a guidebook, so if you want to network with that person you met in lunch Friday, you will need our app to send him a followup note. His, and everyone else’s, coordinates will be right at your finger tips.
• Underwear. Yes it seems obvious, unless you attended Forum in 2012 when we handed out, you guessed it, underwear as a delegate gift.

• In those underwear, you may want to have your name, cell phone, and a “If found, please return me to the Delta Toronto” message.
• Thundersticks. Why would MH3, the hater of all Thunderstick promotions ever implemented, be suggesting you bring the very same. It’s simple. Our speaker lineup is worthy of much more than applause and I can’t imagine you doing the wave. Besides, that’s so baseball. So I think to really show your love, you need to bring a little extra. The choice is yours, bells, horns, freshly energized lungs. I will even admire your inflatabe clappers!

There really aren’t a whole lot of rules about attending CSFX, but bring your A-game. We are bringing ours!

Despite some shoddy reporting by the Toronto Star, Canada’s 150th is still happening. The article I am referring to somehow declares that as a result of one company’s failed effort to raise corporate funds for their initiative that the entire year is going to be a disaster. Really? So does that mean that if my local hockey team can’t get a sponsor, the NHL is also going to go bankrupt?

It’s too bad the Star didn’t do a little research before publishing such a ridiculous article. Because for all of those groups who are well underway creating amazing Canada’s 150th celebration events, this piece has caused an unnecessary level of concern by their stakeholders. Irresponsible is not a stern enough phrase for this piece.

Despite my readership being a little less than the Star’s, I do want to share the news that, last I checked, January 1st, 2017 is still scheduled to arrive. On time. Within seconds of December 31st, 2016 departing. With it will come a patriotic flurry of events, celebrations, and legacy programs.

If you haven’t gotten into the groove yet, now is the time. Our friends at ParticipACTION are launching a national activity challenge that already has two major corporate partners on board. You can connect with them to create a lasting legacy of a fitter country.

I read recently that CIBC has signed on as lead partner of Ottawa 2017, the group responsible for staging many of the celebrations in our nation’s capital. Given how CIBC leveraged Pan Am in Toronto this past summer, I expect to see them bring many smart strategies to the table to animate this partnership.

Have you heard of ONEFIVEOH? Check out their website. They’re inviting Canadians to share their greatest campfire stories in 150 seconds or less. How much more Canuck can you be than that?

Crashing into the 150^th celebration calendar, it was just announced last week that The Red Bull Crashed Ice final championship is heading to Ottawa for the first time. Apparently it’s estimated to have an economic impact of $10 million for the city. That’s nothing to sneeze at.

You can hear about more 2017 excitement at CSFX16. On February 13th (Activity Day), our CSFX 2017 partner, which I am not going to tell you about right now, is going to be a jewel event in Canada’s 150th crown. As part of the announcement there will be powerful business leaders, talented industry executives, a Canadian celebrity (or two), and a chance to win a VIP trip to the event… and CSFX17.

To stay connected to all things 150th, I suggest that you join the Canada 150 Alliance. The 150Alliance is an open network of groups, individuals and organizations, promoting action, engagement and impact around Canada’s 150^th and working to make the most of Canada’s sesquicentennial in 2017. Building the biggest database of 2017 organizations and projects in Canada, this digital platform will act as a hub for all 2017 activities.

If you have an exciting 150th project underway, send me the details and we will share with our audience via this newsletter or just post your comments.

Don’t forget that for Saturday, February 13th at CSFX we have a special opportunity for you to bring a teammate for free to Activity Day.

Maybe we can all find some time to let our Canadian media know what’s really going on.

1. It’s your best chance to be thrust right in the middle of the NBA All-Star 2016 and truly mix business with pleasure.
2. FOMO alert! We’ve got 300 of your peers and counting!
3. What does the woman who runs sports marketing for all of PepsiCo USA, the global sponsorship director of AIG, and the partnership marketing director of New Zealand Rugby Union have in common? They are all speaking at CSFX16. New Zealand Rugby? Huh? Did I mention their partnership director is a former WNBA player?
4. The people you meet at CSFX become more than just a network. They become friends for life, who remember you for more than the logo on your business card.

   

5. We guarantee memorable stories you’d never expect from a conference. Like the time one delegate took his competitive spirit to a new level during our ball hockey tournament, suffered a head injury, was cabbed to the hospital while I held him whimpering in my arms, had staples put in his skull, and still made it out to the evening networking event. I’ll refrain from sharing the others. For now.

   

6. With CSFX16 being on Family Day weekend, it’s almost like we created a holiday just for you to recover.
7. Want to hear from the Canadian woman named Top Chief Creative Officer and Top Creative Director in the World by Advertising Age? Leo Burnett’s Judy John will join us on Creativity Day for an insightful discussion. Your chance to hear firsthand the genius behind the Emmy-winning Like a Girl Campaign.
8. Rumoured to make surprise appearances include an award-winning performer, NBA legends, and Don Mayo.
9. Steph Curry obviously couldn’t accept our invite so we got the next best thing, Chip Bowers, CMO of the Golden State Warriors.
10. Partnerships have been known to start at CSFX. Even those between a sponsor and a property…(-:
11. Still behind on digital and social media? Twitter and Vine are in the house to help even the most ancient of us learn to type in 140 characters or create a purposeful six-second clip. Plus the man dubbed the “Rock Star of the Digital Age” by Marketing Magazine, Mitch Joel, will be on hand to share his view on The Future of Brands.

    

12. We don’t believe in BS. And neither do the female trailblazers in our women-only panel. Saturday afternoon, chat with women who champion empowered leadership and tell it like it is.

    

13. There’s a lot to prove in the CSFX Delegate Basketball Tournament on Friday. We have our own private court at NBA Center Court, where you’ll be in the thick of all the NBA All-Star festivities. And in honour of Steelers LB James Harrison, not everyone gets a trophy.

    

14. If you’ve attended in the past, then there’s nothing left to say.
15. Our app. Look! Somewhere else to post 2:00-am-drunk-with-a-CEO selfies. #networking
16. When do you think will be the next time Toronto will host the NBA All-Star? Rhymes with forever!

Whoever came up with the phrase Actions Speak Louder Than Words probably didn’t realize they were creating the rallying cry for our entire industry. Especially given experiential marketing probably didn’t exist at the time. So hopefully they will be flattered that we have ironically taken their words literally and fashioned a vital form of business communications from them.

Day III of CSFX16 is an action packed day. It should be since I am asking you to attend a conference on the Saturday of a holiday weekend. But then again I am inviting you to spend it with some pretty active people. The highlight of which will be the NBA All-Star Practice. We have great seats reserved for you to watch the best basketball players in the world get warmed up for the All-Star Game.

We also have great seats for you to watch the All-Stars of our industry share with you their best game plans for implementing experiential and sponsorship marketing programs. Immerse yourself in their worlds as they demonstrate how they connect with consumers and stakeholders alike.

Another highlight of the day is our women’s-only panel. This was first deployed at our CSFX15 event and is the brainchild of former WTA CEO Stacey Allaster. So many of you implored me to ensure we had it become an annual feature that I not only agreed, but doubled the time allocated to it. For young female leaders in our sector, this panel promises to be the most important 90 minutes of your year. You need to be there. Tell your boss. Bring her as well.

For those looking for digital activation, Twitter is fielding an All-Star group of their own which will sure to trend highly among our attendees. Back by popular demand to lead the panel, Christopher Doyle has developed and executed media strategies for some of the most enviable sports properties, like FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. He’s joined by Jared Kleinstein, who stumbled upon and turned Tebowing into a mini-craze, award-winning Head of Brand Strategy, Jamie Michaels, and TJ Taylor Adeshola, Twitter’s Content Partnerships Manager for Sports.

Gregory Hegger’s passion for live music may be fuelled by a self-confessed terrible singing voice. At least at Virgin Mobile, he’s able to live out any musical dreams by bringing to life Virgin’s major partnerships with Osheaga and the Squamish Valley Music Festival.

One speaker whose executional talent took her to the world stage is Rogers’ Alexandra Orlando. She dedicated over 15 years to rhythmic gymnastics and represented Canada at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Sherida German has taken media partnerships to a whole new level, having negotiated the largest co-marketing initiative in Shaw’s history with Johnson & Johnson and recently gave CFL fans unprecedented behind-the-scenes content and virtual experiences for the Grey Cup.

I’m banking CP’s Mark Wallace grew up playing with some intensive train sets as a kid. He’s been in the railway business, a business predicated on flawless timing and execution, for almost 20 years.

Having evolved Crankworx from an exclusive high-performance event into a massive celebration of endurance, we knew Darren Kinnaird would be perfect for a workshop on Activity Day.

We’re wrapping up the day with someone who has clearly made an impact on PepsioCo and its consumers, having started her career as a Sales Representative in Australia before climbing the ranks and moving abroad to Thailand, back home to Australia, and then ultimately around the world to become Senior Director, Sports, PepsiCo North America Beverages.

In any business you must have a sound strategy and devise creative solutions to problems. But at the end of the day, if you don’t execute with greatness, you’re sunk. All that preparation, focus, and concentration is out the window. The moment of truth is all anyone will remember.

There’s a reason in Hollywood the final words before the camera rolls are Lights, Camera, Action.

The BIG idea.

How many times a year are you asked to deliver one? Something ownable. Never been done before. Out of the box. Bigger than Movember/Christmas Miracle/Ice Bucket/Like a Girl combined. On a shoestring budget. In ten days.

Sound familiar?

Under ideal circumstances, being creative is a daunting challenge. It requires a clear understanding of the business problem. The necessary background information to understand all critical circumstances. Precise clarity on what needs to be achieved to classify the endeavour as a success. Time to ideate, collaborate, and evaluate various options. Talent from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

If those conditions exist in your world on a daily basis, you should safeguard them at all costs. More than likely only some exist. You’re not alone. Which is precisely why we decided to dedicate Day II of CSFX16 to Creativity.

The day will be hosted by T1’s award-winning Chief Creative Officer, and one of my key business partners, Graham Lee. Graham and his creative team at T1 are mission critical to ensuring that we develop ideas that scale to build business for our clients. Ideas are the most valuable currency in our industry, and your ability to create, or access creativity, is directly linked to your organization’s market worth. Graham will headline an all-star cast guaranteed to fill your mind with provoking concepts.

We’ve got a panel of CD’s from some of the best agencies in Canada. Dave Diamond of Diamond Integrated Marketing, who recently won the CMA’s Best of the Best award for #TDTHANKSYOU. Plus Matt McCoubrey of Mosaic, just-announced gold winners of Event Marketer’s Experience Design Awards for both Best Collection of Technology Interactives for Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference 2015, as well as Best Pop-Up Store for the Diet Coke Get a Taste Style Bar. And then there’s SDI Marketing’s Luke Kinmond, whose Rogers Hometown Hockey has won the nation over by celebrating local communities and the game through the cross-country hockey festival.

To get the day off to a rocking start, I’ve convinced brand guru and digital marketing rock star Mitch Joel to join us. He’s been named top “insert prestigious marketing award here” many times over. And he co-launched a music label with Juno and MuchMusic award-winning acts. Any one else feel lazy yet?

If not, Alison Simpson is sure to do the trick. Beyond driving the Holt Renfrew, Holt Renfrew Men, hr2, and Ogilvy brands, she’s completed almost 50 marathons and ultramarathons. Seriously.

Honoured to have Judy John, CEO and CCO of Leo Burnett Canada grace our stage. Her team created the #LikeAGirl campaign last year for P&G Always. The one that won awards around the world, including Canada’s first Titanium Lion at Cannes.

If there’s anyone who’d celebrate the machines taking over, it would be wonderMakr’s Mark Stewart. He’s the imagination behind a smile-activated photo booth vending machine, a selfie-taking vacuum, and several other experience-driving contraptions that brands never dreamed they needed.

A proudly iconic Canadian brand, Roots has successfully promoted the spirit of Canada’s heritage globally through James Connell’s innovative approach to digital marketing and music partnerships.

From date nights at the store to fashion week sponsorships, Metro Ontario has been wooing new loyal customer segments through Nancy Modrcin’s knack for creating unexpected brand experiences.

For far too many years I thought I was the most creative person around. I eschewed brainstorms. Poo poohed group sharing. Shat on others’ thoughts. All the while not realizing how great the opportunities were that was passing me by. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to learn at this stage in my career that creativity is a result of collaboration, inspiration, and dedication. Dedication to process and dedication to discipline that’s required to generate the Big Idea. It’s not luck. It’s not (just) booze. It’s not a sudden lightning bolt or stroke of genius. The thunder will come eventually, but only when the heavy lifting has been put in.

A big part of the pursuit of greatness is learning from the best. I can’t promise you that Creativity Day will make you a creative guru. In fact I can assure you it won’t. But what I can promise you is a day that will illuminate what’s been successful for others, so you can apply that to your own box, you’re so eager to think outside of.