This opening session will set the tone for the 2011 Western Sponsorship Congress™. Brent Barootes will take the opportunity to highlight what has happened in the sponsorship industry in 2011 with highlights of trends, shifts, great stories and some of the failures and successes of this past year. Brent will then deliver his forecast for 2012 and where he sees the industry moving and why. In addition Brent will deliver some of the outcomes of the 2011 Consumer Sponsorship Rankings. This first ever Canadian research clearly defines what average Canadians are thinking about sponsorship. These are the people who attend events and buy sponsors'' products. There may be a few surprises that are revealed! This is a must attend session that will provide the platform for the 2011 Western Sponsorship Congress™ and help everyone to get their piece of the pie.

 

This session is 2 hours of sellers pitching, sponsors spending AND audience/delegate participation. This unique format will create a mock "pitch and buy" session!

On one side, the sellers will be properties ranging from small non-profits to Arts, Health and Sporting Events. Each presenter will have "five minutes" to present their case and pitch why a sponsor should invest in their property. The properties have the flexibility to target all or any one of the prospective sponsors.

Once all of the sellers have pitched, the buyers will get involved. Each of these industry leading professionals will decide how they will spend the $100,000 mock budget they have to allocate!

Once all of the industry leaders (sellers and buyers) have had their say, the floor is open to delegates for an opportunity to ask any panel member questions, make comments or gain further details.

This session is not to be missed!

Properties/Sellers Geraldine DeBraune - The Forks Kyle Leetham - City of Toronto Carla Paton - Calgary Zoo Austin Ritchie - TELUS World of Science - Edmonton Nathan Petersen - JDC West Business Competition

Sponsors/Buyers Christi Cruz - TELUS Jim Bryant - Xerox Ben Rutherford - Keg Restaurants Ltd. Jim Tobin - Scotiabank Karla Wingate - Enmax

 

The key to success in building any partnership is open communication. This begins with a "discovery session". Before any property presents a proposal they must undertake to learn about the potential sponsor. They should sit face to face with the prospect and learn and understand about that prospect and garner knowledge in order to build the "right proposal".

This panel session will demonstrate how to proceed with a discovery session in a mock situation. Moderated by Mark McLoughlin, a Senior Associate at Partnership Group - Sponsorship Specialists™, a series of sponsors will be asked the necessary questions to form a proposal correctly. Mark will simultaneously interview these sponsors and learn about their business, their goals, their reasons for investing in sponsorship and more.

As a brand and sponsor, come understand what other leading Canadian sponsors are looking for and how they evaluate opportunities. As a property come and learn what questions should be asked of any prospect prior to proposal writing and garner knowledge of these specific brands and sponsors.

Panellists
Tim Maloney - Purolator
Jim Tobin - Scotiabank
Rod Garossino - Encana Corporation

 

This panel of experts moderated by Jim Button of Evans Hunt will delve into how digital marketing and social media relate to sponsorship. It will question industry leaders on how they are integrating digital into their sponsorship plans, activation and buys. We will better understand the obstacles and celebrate some of the successes. The panelists represent both properties and brands to ensure a well rounded approach and understanding of the different roles, objectives and opportunities with digital and social media in sponsorship today and the future.

Properties/Sellers John Vidalin - San Francisco 49ers Aleece Germano - The S.W.A.P. Team

Sponsors/Buyers Corey Evans - WestJet Forest Kenney - Molson Coors Canada

 

 

"Doing good is good for business!" It's what most corporate leaders wish they could figure out. The reality is that there is no "how-to" in cause marketing but Mark asserts there is an anatomy, and a set of guiding principles that ensure success in cause marketing. Mark will lead you out of the fog and show what must not be missed in bring this strategy to life, as one channel of engagement marketing today. In this session you will learn about:

• The evolution of cause marketing
• Knowing when cause marketing is the right strategy
• Principles behind being successful in activation
• The ROI of cause marketing
• A few hot cause marketing case studies

This session is targeted to: Properties and Sponsors

 

Learn about the new Calgary Stampede sponsorship that gives Corus radio sales access to the entire Stampede sponsorship family. This new association enables all three Corus stations that ability to partner with other like-minded sponsors to help them activate their sponsorship. Corus reaches over 600,000 loyal listeners per week that participating sponsors can access either through direct sale event advertising or leveraging their sponsorship through contesting and hospitality. Cross-promotions between partners is now much easier to facilitate.

This session is targeted to: Properties and Sponsors

 

With fewer than 100 employees, Calgary-based Trico Homes continues to punch above its weight in the world of major sponsorships - including naming rights for the Trico Centre for Family Wellness, GlobalFest & the title sponsorship of the Trico Homes International Fireworks Festival and the presenting sponsorship position of the Kids Cancer Care Foundation’s Don & Joanne Golf a Kid to Camp. Hear how these partnerships have grown the Trico Brand and how this local company, competing with billion $ multinationals, is now leveraging and activating them to convert consumers into customers!

This session is targeted to: Sponsors

 

As the lead developer of advertising partnerships within CBC's sports properties, one of Mark's most coveted portfolio offerings is the venerable and much sought after Hockey Night in Canada brand. Mark will speak about the creation of some of HNIC's key partnerships such as Scotiabank Hockey Tonight, Crown Royal 3 Stars, Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada, Hyundai Hockey Nation and Chevrolet iDesk - from the perspective of how the partnerships came to be, how the partner brands are integrated into HNIC, and how the brands ultimately leverage each other across all platforms to provide a strong consumer offering..

 

Enigma Research Corporation will deliver previously unreleased findings from the 2011 Canadian Consumer Sponsorship Rankings (CSR) commissioned by the Western Sponsorship Congress and the Partnership Group - Sponsorship Specialists. This exclusive session will review topline results from Canada's only national consumer survey gauging what average Canadians think about sponsors and properties. Results covered will include consumer perceptions as to why corporations sponsor, consumer affinity towards sponsors of arts, sports, and causes, consumer reaction to popular activation techniques, and activity participation among Canadian consumers.

This session is targeted to: Properties and Sponsors

 

Hear about how CIBC keeps their award-wining sponsorship of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure fresh after 15 years as title sponsor. Explore CIBC’s employee engagement strategy, the evolution of their multi-million dollar cause marketing program and how research plays a critical role in validating your sponsorship, from relevance to activation.

This session is targeted to: Sponsors

 

Sponsors and Properties have the opportunity to take advantage of one of the fastest growing trends in business today. Strategic Alliances can improve competitive positioning and build brand recognition, provide access to new markets and generate income. Strategic Alliances are different from partnerships. The concept is simple: 1+1=3. The purpose is to add value and create better results for the market you serve.

As a Sponsor or a Property you already have existing relationship that could form strategic alliances. How can you leverage your skills, talents and abilities to position your organization as an attractive Strategic Alliance opportunity?

David will share essential "how to" strategies for Sponsors and Properties to create a successful Strategic Alliance that will serve your market in a unique and powerful way. He will reveal the essential elements of a successful alliance, how to identify who you, either as a Sponsor or as a Property, can create Strategic Alliances with, how to leverage your strengths and the strengths of your alliance to create a niche in the market, or enter a market you are not currently working in.

From the age of 23 David Saxby rapidly built a number of companies and associations from start-up using these principles.

This session is targeted to: Properties and Sponsors

 

While properties are competing for sponsorship dollars in markets across Canada every day, competition is even greater in small markets. With very few large corporations and 75% SME’s, business owners in a small community such as Vernon get approached daily for support of small, medium and large events. Find out how Funtastic - Canada’s largest slo-pitch tournament & music festival - manages more than 115 sponsors in a small market.

This session is targeted to: Properties

 

Through Sports Day in Canada, ParticipACTION, True Sport and CBC Sports once again invited Canadians to celebrate the power of sport at all levels in building strong individuals and strong communities.

Christa Costas-Bradstreet, Relationship Manager, will share ParticipACTION's approach for engaging grassroots community organizations from coast-to-coast-to-coast to help power the movement.

This session is targeted to: Properties

 

It is a question every charity and non profit must ask itself. What is the difference between the two? Does it really matter which avenue you follow and what are the consequences if you get it wrong? Can you do both together or must you make a choice? Canada Revenue Agency clearly differentiates between these types of support, but do you know the difference and do you know when to use which, or both? The answer could make an important difference to your bottom line!

Back by popular demand, Ross Marsh will lead this all important workshop. It is a must for sponsors, charities, properties and companies to understand fully. Ross will explain the differences, how they impact properties, sponsors, donors and charities and how choose or balance both opportunities for maximum return on investment. Be sure to attend this session with Ross.

This session is targeted to: Properties and Sponsors

 

What happens when people stop buying on emotion and start buying on objectives and outcomes? Welcome to the new world of sponsorship marketing and the new reality for today's sponsorship sales executive. Selling creative client-focused solutions derived from clearly defined brand goals and business objectives is the only way to build a sustainable sponsorship sales model for your property. If you're in the business of selling signage, contact your local media buyer, but you better bring your ratings or you'll be on the sidelines. Tyler will draw on his diverse ten+ years of business development experience including roles with IMG, Molson Sports and Entertainment and the Canadian Football League. He'll share his perspective on how the industry has changed and what it takes to capture the attention of decision makers when they have more options than ever before.

This session is targeted to: Properties

 

Whether you are an entertainment destination, event or town, you want to be "top of mind" when your audience is making their leisure choice. In this session, you will learn why sponsors want to be active marketing partners. You will learn what you as a seller need to do to attract that new corporate sponsor.

This session is targeted to: Properties

 

A look through Purolator's strategic sponsorship lens, including an in depth review of the award winning Purolator Tackle Hunger program.

This session is targeted to: Sponsors

 

Social media and cause marketing has exploded onto the Canadian scene and proven to be a powerful communication tool for organizations of every type. The question is: Where do they fit in the building of a strong sponsorship package? Can they stand alone? Learn how TELUS successfully leveraged social media in their Go Pink cause marketing campaign. Hear concrete examples of what social media tools worked best and why and how they engaged their employees as brand ambassadors, rallied consumers through cause marketing initiatives, and built an interactive and modern approach to community investment, community sponsorships and communications.

 

In this session Hari will present the key steps and watch-outs in negotiating a successful sponsorship.

This session is targeted to: Properties

 

Paul will deliver a workshop on sponsorship performance measurement; what are the lessons learned in recent years and how can corporate sponsors benefit from his experience.

This session is targeted to: Properties and Sponsors

 

As the competition for advertising dollars increases, the need for creating truly beneficial partnership agreements has intensified. Gone are the days of cookie cutter packages for venues. Companies now demand full integration for their brand and expect defensible value in return. In this session we will explore what true partnership selling means, from developing a meaningful proposal, to understanding the needs of the client’s business short and long term and then delivering on them. Real partnerships work, if you are selling you need to understand this, if you are buying, you need to demand this.

This session is targeted to: Properties

 

Based on learnings from studying the top 100 engaged brands from around the world in his book Wikibrands and supplemented by sponsorship specific research, Sean provides wall to wall case studies and insight on how businesses, brands, properties and events can tap into the power of connecting technologies, social media, fan communities and new customer culture. Sean will provide the arguments for engaging deeply and collaboratively with your customer and fan base and identify the key strategies and tactics in delivering revenue and value streams for today's hypercompetitive sponsor marketplace.

This session is targeted to: Properties and Sponsors