Sponsorship Connect is a virtual marketing conference run by The Sponsorship Space, a digital community dedicated to providing accessible marketing and sponsorship education, with the goal of empowering the future leaders of the partnership marketing industry. The conference will feature panel discussions and fireside conversations with 30+ C-Suite and leading executives from across North America, who are all coming together as a way to raise funds for pandemic relief in India.
100% of funds raised will be donated to UNICEF.
Dates:
Wednesday May 26th to Friday May 28th
Panel Options:
Driving Forward Brand Purpose & Category Innovation
An inside look at how leading brands are bringing forward innovation to propel the category forward, while looking deeper into their brand purpose to drive forward meaningful relationships with consumers.
Panelists:
Jay Sethi (CMO, Diageo)
Alexia Wharton (Head of Marketing, Hershey’s)
Kristen Cavello (President, Martin Agency)
Kamal Bhandal (Vice President of Brand, Invisalign)
Tariq Hassan (CMO, Petco)
Engaging a New Generation of Fans/Consumers
The panel will look at how brands and sporting organizations are looking at driving meaningful impact with different and distinct groups of consumers, by prioritizing the communities they are located in and initiatives they are passionate about.
Panelists:
Xavier Gutierrez (President, Arizona Coyotes)
Google x WNBA
An inside look on basketball’s newest and biggest partnerships, aiming to help grow the game for the next generation of women through technology.
Panelists:
Kate Johnson (Director of Sports Sponsorships, Google)
Christy Hedgpeth (Chief Operating Officer, WNBA)
Growth of North American Soccer
Heading into the 2026 World Cup, our panel will discuss the evolution of North American soccer while taking a look at how the NWSL helped lead the way in bringing live sports back to the forefront during the pandemic.
Panelists:
Kay Bradley (Vice President of Marketing, US Soccer)
Heidi Pellerano (Chief Commercial Officer, CONCACAF)
Mallika Pereira (VP of Partnership Marketing, Major League Soccer)
Approaching Travel Heading out of the Pandemic
With vaccination rates increasing by the day, this panel will look at how some of the world’s leading travel brands are approaching the pent up demand for international and country-wide tourism.
Panelists:
Shivram Vaideeswaran (Head of Brand Marketing, Uber)
Sangita Woerner (Senior Vice President of Marketing, Alaska Airlines)
Chandreyi Saha Davis (Global VP of Brand Marketing, Expedia)
Felix Vo (Airbnb)
Taking New York to New Heights
Once the epicentre of the pandemic in the United States, former Canadian sports execs will give us an inside look on their transition to south of the border, helping lead New York’s biggest properties into the opening of the city.
Panelists:
Dave Hopkinson (President, Madison Square Garden)
Jeff Deline (EVP, New York Mets)
Tom Pistore (President, UBS Arena)
Justine Fedak (Former Head of Sponsorships, BMO)
BMO x Milwaukee Bucks
An inside look at BMO’s historic partnership with the Milwaukee Bucks, the strategy behind it and what is ahead for the two brands as they work together through an upcoming playoff run.
Panelists:
Amy Potter (Head of U.S. Sponsorships, BMO)
Kareeda Chones Aguam (Senior Vice President of Partner Strategy and Management, Milwaukee Bucks)
Power of Mentorship / Redefining the Mentor and Mentee Role
This panel will discuss the evolution of mentorship, how it no longer is a ‘one way street’ but rather an exchange of new ideas, different perspectives.
Panelists:
Nana-Yaw Asamoah (VP Partnerships, NFL)
Menaka Gopinath (President, IPSOS)
Future of Experiential
With an array of unique activations stemming from the pandemic, this panel will take a deeper look on the future of experiential marketing as audiences continue to crave for social interaction.
Panelists:
Brian Graybill (President, Intersport)
Sub Nijjar (President, Mosaic North America)
Judy Lee (Global Head of Experiential Marketing, Pinterest)
Building A Successful Social Strategy
This panel will look at how brands are building out their social strategy within unique categories and the process behind how they bring to life different creative executions.
Panelists:
Arshiya Kapadia (Global Head of Social Media, Marsh)
Matt Kobach (Director of Marketing, Fast)
Evolution of Media Consumption
This panel will discuss how users have consumed media pre and during the pandemic, while addressing what the future outlook will be after a screen heavy year.
Panelists:
Evan Parker (General Manager, The Athletic)
Bridging the Gap Between Brands & Athletes
As athletes continue to build their careers outside their respective domains, this panel will look to bridge the gap in understanding how endemic and non endemic brands approach partnerships.
Panelists:
Thomas Alomes
Zaileen Janmohammed (Head of Parternships, LA 2028)
Blake Lawrence (Co-Founder, Opendorse)
Business Intelligence
With brands relying heavily on data for insight, this panel will discuss the ‘why’, ‘so what’ and how BI is best used in different facets of the business and evaluating partnerships.
Panelists:
Amir Zonozi (President, Zoomph)
Jess Gelman (CEO, Kraft Group)
Russell Scibetti (Vice President, New York Giants)
Clorox x NHL
An inside look on hockey’s newest partnership heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Panelists:
Ed Huber (Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of Partnerships, Clorox)
NHL Executive (TBD)
Location:
Virtual – Zoom Webinar
Next Steps:
Panel timings are still being confirmed with all executives. If there’s a specific panel of interest, we will coordinate accordingly.
Organizer’s Details
The event is being run by The Sponsorship Space, a digital community dedicated to providing accessible sponsorship education, with the goal of empowering the future leaders of the partnership marketing industry. The initiative is being led by Avish Sood, who is a two-time 30 Under 30 award winner and active member of the sponsorship marketing community.
