What previous attendees said about the conference

“IEG’s Conference was 3.5 days of immersion in sponsorship-related concepts and ideas!”
- Doug Scholz, Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau

“What was the most beneficial aspect of the conference? EVERYTHING!”
- Bob Cox, impossible2Possible

“I was inspired. It’s a rare opportunity to step away from the office and let yourself think creatively about developing partnerships.”
- Sarah Giannelli, Macy’s Parade & Entertainment Group

“It was great hearing insights from experts, talking trends, and new directions for activations.”
- Gabe Wardell, Atlanta Film Festival 365

“I was thoroughly impressed with the entire conference from the beginning to the end. Every presenter was extremely engaging and informative. Every detail was taken care of, which is impressive at a conference of that size and is a testament to the dedication of the entire IEG team! I can honestly say I left the conference reenergized and recommitted to take sponsorship to a whole new level at Mercy Home.”
- James Marrese, Mercy Home for Boys & Girls

“1. I enjoyed the roundtable sessions the most. The open discussions were ideal. 2. The keynote speakers were great. In fact I tried to attend all of Lesa Ukman’s sessions because she was full of knowledge and a great speaker. 3. I really like the fact this is an international conference. 4. Location and hotel were great!”
- Beth Kempton, Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission

“It was great to hear concrete sponsor examples of activation; it’s inspiring even if it doesn’t directly relate to my organization.”
- Jenny Burch, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

“The morning round tables presented a great opportunity to meet others either facing or having knowledge of similar problems and allowed for the quickest networking.”
- Rob Hewett, Mammoth Mountain

“Great to hear real world examples that THEN tied back to strategy and tactics for the overall organization, plus trends for future sponsorships and how sponsorship differs from other forms of marketing.”
- Gerald Nevins, State Farm

“I am new to the sponsorship world and was afraid presentations would be too advanced however, I felt that if you had 20 years of experience or 20 days in sponsorship there would be something to fit your needs.”
- James Marrese, Mercy Home for Boys & Girls

“I thought everything was beneficial. In particular, the morning roundtable sessions were very informative and helpful.”
- Rachel Richard, The American Institute of Architects

“Being new to the sponsorship arena – it was beneficial to me to hear success stories, and absorb some of the lingo.”
- Jacquelyn Wallace, SeaWorld Orlando & Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

“There were so many opportunities for targeted interaction – with potential sponsors, during roundtables, at the lunch tables by topic, and at the parties.”
- Leah Wong, Minneapolis Downtown Council

“I really enjoyed the many opportunities to meet with others within my industry and with those outside of the Air Show/Military communities. Also, keeping current on marketing trends is extremely important and I got that at the IEG Conference”
- Dino Richardson, MCAS Miramar Air Show/Marine Corps Community Services

“Many of the lectures were thought provoking, and allowed me to look at sponsorship ‘upside down’ if you will, from different perspectives”
- Rhonda Anderson, Odyssey Sports

“The conference is a terrific opportunity to meet people and share information about me and my company.”
- Steve Seiferheld, Turnkey Sports, LLC

“I found the research sessions very beneficial and hearing what people are doing in countries outside of North America.”
- Meredith Sumner, BMO Financial Group

“Roundtables were a great chance to talk and discuss like-minded issues or in our case with sport-minded people. It was great to listen to how other sports events/properties manage their programs and inquire about similar things our event cares about, regardless if Tennis is completely different than an NFL or NHL property. Great stuff.”
- Jennifer Snazyk, Tennis Canada

“Conference was very energizing; very dedicated folks working in a very important field.”
- Bruce Rosenthal, American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging

“Some great creative social networking ideas. The speakers that were real and honest about what it was going to take moving forward in this economy.”
- Lara Skutt, Downtown Tempe Community, Inc.

“Sponsorship measurement tools, networking, and international best practices were invaluable.”
- Jamie Michaels, CBC

“IEG is the only conference that provides a feeling of belonging to an industry and to meet your peers in a relaxed environment.”
- Anders Linden, Tango Sponsring

“The networking and chance to see many, diverse presentations in a short time was really impressive.”
- Mikael Ritsfalk, JJP

“The networking opportunity with other properties was great. Organizing the seating by categories also worked well. The informal receptions and breakfast allowed for some interesting idea exchanges. The one-on-one sessions with sponsors was an incredible opportunity that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
- Kim Haddad, Irving Arts Center

“What was the most beneficial part of the conference? The Networking! Meeting and talking with people that work with similar properties and sponsors was great! We were able to idea share and discuss what each of us was doing. Also, being able to network at the receptions and meet people that can help your business was great as well. I was able to connect with a music promoter that will save me thousands of dollars on my concerts this year!”
- Megan Stadlman, Naval Station Great Lakes MWR

“The opening session really set the stage and provided a great environmental scan and framed the new environment. It helped me to frame the rest of the conference in context.”
- Lesley Ring, Canadian Cancer Society

“The opportunity to have access to other sponsorship professionals across a wide variety of areas was worth the price of admission.”
- Kristin Smith, Department of Recreational Sports, The Ohio State University

“Attending IEG provides me with the opportunity to learn from leaders in the field, hear new ideas, and see case studies related to innovations.”
- Herman Baumann, Green Line Strategies

“The speakers were very candid in their presentation and in their answers to questions from attendees. The dashboard was also great, I used it quite frequently.”
- Elizabeth Dailey, The Parade Company

“The Sponsor in Residence program and the professional level of information delivered at the seminars, keynotes and round tables were the most beneficial.”
- Colby Fackler, Sport BC/KidSport

“The tutorials and the key presentations were very good. The sponsor in residents was probable the best aspect of the event.”
- Terry Davis, Tri-California Events, Inc

“The value to me was the time to think about some of my untapped opportunities and underutilized network.”
- Mike Caldwell, GOAL Foundation

“IEG is the only place that provides the variety and flexibility of seminars and speakers.”
- Amy Aeilts, State Farm

“Coming to IEG gives me the opportunity to learn how to think about our sponsorship opportunities from entirely new perspectives.”
- Sam McClain, Travelers Marketing

“What was most beneficial to me were the networking receptions, and the information shared by national sponsors on the metrics they use in deciding which property’s to sponsor.”
- Mark Williams, Charlotte Center City Partners

“The conference provided concrete tools I can immediately apply. The small round tables in the morning were most beneficial as they allowed for more give and take. SIGs [special interest groups] at lunch were also useful for connecting and sharing strategies.”
- Lisa Klein, Cosmetic Executive Women

“Many of the presentations and workshops gave case studies for how they have activated their sponsorships and how they measured results which was extremely valuable.”
- Maryann Vitelli, DBC Management (Australia)

“I totally enjoyed the experience of attending! One day of connections helped me very much and was worth the trip!”
- Mary Wright, Wright Track, LLC

“Several of the sessions really helped expand my thinking of what sponsorship is in the current climate. I really felt I learned a lot about what sponsors are looking for.”
- Erin Lomers, Director, Austin Junior Volleyball

“I had many valuable takeaways that I can implement immediately, like: secure my media and retail partners first, importance of getting more research on my audience, finding new ways to enhance experiences and ideas for new sponsorship categories.”
- Joanna Hogan, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

“I really enjoy hearing from creative and experienced people who have done a lot of sponsorship business. Those sessions are always the best learnings for me.”
- Shelley Sainsbury, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation

“I came away with so many ideas (I can’t note them all) that I can apply immediately. I have already incorporated several great cause ideas. I will be implementing several ideas from the SIG on Fairs and Festivals. I have already come up with some great proposal ideas for some of the brands I met or listened to.”
- Thomas Carruthers, Thomas Carruthers Entertainment/The Connecticut Film Festival

“You guys do an incredible job every year. You can gain something from every aspect of the conference – sometimes it just gets your thoughts flowing. You continue to make changes to keep up with the needs and trends of the industry.”
- Donna Agresto Seavey, Sinclair Communications

“I would LOVE to attend next year!”
- Jenny Filamore, San Diego Zoo

“The variety and depth of experience of the speakers, the opportunity to ask questions and being able to participate in smaller group discussions was very beneficial.”
- Cathy DePodesta, Morguard Investments

“The entire conference experience was incredible.”
- Bradley Houseton, American Academy of Family Physicians