2026 AGENDA
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22
8:00 – 3:00 PM
BDSE empowered by Legends Workshop
9:00 – 11:45 AM
Case Cup: Preliminary Round of Presentations
Locations: Grand Ballroom A, B and C
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Morning Workshops
Retention & Customer Service
Ron Contorno, President, Full House Solutions
Ken Troupe, Co-Founder, SportsBiz Builders LLC
Location: Midway 3-4
Sales Leaders
Melyssa Jaskiewicz, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Sideline Sports
Brian Richeson, Executive Vice President, Business Development, Attend
Location: Midway 1-2
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Brunch
Location: Regency Ballroom
12:00 – 2:30 PM
League/Event Workshops
MLB
Brian Jemison, Dr. Director, Premium & Membership Service, Detroit Tigers & Detroit Red Wings
Jared Kozinn, Deputy Athletics Director, Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer, Michigan State Athletics
NBA
Will Eidam, Director, Partnership Analytics, Detroit Pistons
NFL
Adam Nuse, CRO, Tennessee Titans
Eric Sudol, CRO, Tepper Sports & Entertainment
NHL
Brett Baur, Senior Director, Corporate Partnerships, Excel Sports Management
Eric Stisser, Vice President, Corporate Sponsorship, St. Louis Blues
MILB
Chip Maxson, President & COO, Sacramento River Cats
Andy Milovich, Head, Client Development, Revelocity Sports
Heather Raburn, Senior Director, Partnership Marketing, Unrivaled Sports
Soccer
Katie Foglia, Vice President, Marketing & Brand Strategy, Columbus Crew
Lindsey Moore, Director, Global Partnership Sales, Americas, Liverpool FC
From Legacy to Lift-Off: Revitalizing Assets with New Sponsorship Energy
Haley Jurick, Director, Client Development, rEvolution
Trade Show
David Brown, Executive Vice President, Idegy Inc.
1:15 – 3:15 PM
Case Cup: Finals
Location: Regency Ballroom
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Coffee Break
Location: Trade Show Floor
3:00 – 5:30 PM
Discipline Workshops
Ticket Sales & Strategy | Tech Tank
Paige Farragut, Dallas, TX
Tom Sheridan, Co-Founder, SportsBiz Builders
Brands (Brands Only)
Marc Timson, Executive Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, MoZeus
Lisa Woodward, Woodward Sponsorship Consulting
Corporate Partnerships & Brand Activation | Tech Tank
Sponsored by
Doug Holtzman, Senior Vice President, Sports, Sportsdigita
Heather Raburn, Senior Director, Partnership Marketing, Unrivaled Sports
Marketing & Fan Engagement | Tech Tank
Rishi Lal, Brooklyn, NY
Toni Will, General Manager & Governor, Kalamazoo Wings
Innovation Lab | Tech Tank
Brian Gainor, Founder & CEO, Gainor Sports
Business Intelligence & Analytics
Will Eidam, Director, Partnership Analytics, Detroit Pistons
Ryan Horiuchi, Customer Insights Manager, Portland Trail Blazers
Private Events & Non-Game Day Revenue
Starr Jemison, Senior Vice President; Content Development & Private Events, Oak View Group
5:00 – 5:45 PM
Budweiser Beer Wagon
Location: Trade Show Floor
5:45 – 6:15 PM
Buses to Busch Stadium
6:00 – 9:00 PM
Welcome Reception
Location: Busch Stadium
8:45 – 10:00 PM
Buses to Union Station Hotel
8:00 – 9:30 AM
Newcomers Breakfast
Hosted by
Location: Regency Ballroom
8:30 – 9:30 AM
SBJ Connect: Structured Networking Breakfast
9:45 – 10:15 AM
General Session: Welcome & Opening Remarks
Location: Grand Ballroom D - F
10:15 – 11:05 AM
Fireside Chat
Howie Nuchow, Co-Head, CAA Sports
Location: Grand Ballroom D - F
11:05 – 11:45 AM
General Session
Steve Phelps, Commissioner, NASCAR
Location: Grand Ballroom D - F
11:45 AM – 12:15 PM
Networking Break
Location: Midway West | Trade Show Floor
12:15 – 1:00 PM
Breakout Sessions Round One
Breakout 1: Sponsorship Sales
Ten MORE Emerging Sponsorship Categories & Partnership Platforms You can take back to your Organization
Brett Baur, Senior Director, Properties & Corporate Partnerships, Excel Sports Management
Travis Misner, Director, Team Partnerships & Strategy, Playfly Sports
Breakout 2: Senior Management
The New Expectation of Sports Entertainment
Wayne Partello, CEO, CUENTO Marketing
Breakout 3: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Beyond the Game: Community Engagement as a Core Revenue Driver and Brand Builder in Sports
Tatianna Carthorn, Founder & CEO, NextPhase CConsulting
Breakout 4: Business Intelligence
Lead Generation through Analytics
Kai Murray, Director, Season Ticket Sales & Business Development, Kansas City Royals
Breakout 5: Marketing
Cross-collaboration amongst departments to reach goal
Matt Walker, Manager Partnership Activation, Cleveland Browns
Breakout 6: Private/Special Events & Non-Gameday Revenues
Beyond Game Day: Uncovering Millions in Untapped In-Venue Sponsorship Value
Alexander Kerr, CEO, Trajektory
Breakout 7: Wild Card
Hosted by
Breaking Boundaries: Lessons from a Sports Industry Game-Changer
John Roberson, CEO, Advent
Eric Sudol, CRO, Tepper Sports & Entertainment
1:00 – 2:30 PM
Networking Lunch
Location: Midway West | Trade Show Floor
2:30 – 3:15 PM
Breakout Sessions Round Two
Breakout 1: Ticket Sales
Theme Night Promotions
Bethany White, Manager, Fan Engagement, St. Louis Cardinals
Jennifer Nevins, Sr. Director Group & Promotional Sales, St. Louis Blues
Breakout 2: Sponsorship
Hometown Partnerships w/ Big Impact
Mike Kapilla, Manager, Sponsorships, Enterprise Mobility
Chris Rohlfing, Manager, Sports Marketing, Purina Nestle
Joe Samel, Media, Partnerships & Sponsorships, Stifel
Eric Stisser, Vice President, St. Louis Blues
Breakout 3: Fan Engagement
Sports Betting: An Evolving Area of Fan Engagement
Evan Davis, Head, Gaming & Sports Practice, Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld, LLC
Breakout 4: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Where to Begin: A Startup Approach to Inclusion and Belonging
Lia Rollman, Director, People & Culture, Tepper Sports & Entertainment
Kisha Smith, Senior Vice President, Chief People Officer, Tepper Sports & Entertainment
Breakout 5: Senior Management
Negotiations Secrets of High Stakes Leadership
Andres Lares, CEO & Managing Partner, Shapiro Negotiations Institute
Breakout 6: Artificial Intelligence
Your Sixth Player: Maximum Impact, Minimum Resources
Lenny Goh, Vice President, Business Development, Tradable Bits
Breakout 7: Marketing
We Sell Nothing Fans actually need …so why are we Marketing like we do?
Dr. April Seifert, President & Data Scientist, SprocketCX
3:15 – 3:45 PM
Networking Break
Location: Midway West | Trade Show Floor
3:45 PM
General Session Afternoon Remarks: Case and Challenge Cup Winners; Project Possible Award
Location: Grand Ballroom D - F
4:30 – 5:30 PM
Super Panel
The New Home Field Advantage: How Brands Are Owning the Entertainment District
Moderator: John Roberson, CEO, ADVENT
Location: Grand Ballroom D - F
5:30 – 7:30 PM
Opening Night Trade Show Reception
Location: Midway West | Trade Show Floor
7:30 – 9:30 PM
Women Sports Leaders Reception
Location: Energizer Park
8:00 – 10:00 PM
CITY After Dark Reception
Location: Energizer Park
7:30 – 8:50 AM
Networking Breakfast
Location: Midway West | Trade Show Floor
9:00 – 9:15 AM
General Session: Opening Remarks
Location: Grand Ballroom D - F
9:15 – 10:00 AM
Fireside Chat with Joe Buck
Joe Buck, Play-By-Play Announcer, ESPN
Location: Grand Ballroom D - F
10:05 – 11:00 AM
Super Panel
Gateway to Greatness: Leading St. Louis Sports into the Future
Bill DeWitt III, President, St. Louis Cardinals
Carolyn Kindle, Owner & Chairwoman, St. Louis City SC
Tom Stillman, Chairman & Governor, St. Louis Blues
Location: Grand Ballroom D - F
11:15 – 11:45 AM
Networking Break
Location: Midway West | Trade Show Floor
11:45 AM – 12:30 PM
Breakout Sessions Round Three
Breakout 1: Senior Management
10 Ideas to Make Your Sports Venue More Attractive for Corporate Meetings
Rose Lanham, President, Athlete Speakers & Sports, Players for Good Speakers Bureau
Breakout 2: Business Intelligence/AI
Building an AI Playbook to Leverage your Data for New Revenue
Ryan Miller, Co-Founder & CEO, WolfCycle
Breakout 3
The Six Best Ideas You Should Be Doing Now! (SAMMY Competition)
Breakout 4
Worst Practices in Brand Partnerships
Molly Sapienza, Senior Vice President & Group Head, Corporate Sponsorships, PNC
Breakout 5: Diversity & Inclusion
Inclusive Sponsorships: Expanding ROI by Expanding Representation
Mara Dorne, CEO & Senior Regional Sales Leader, Dorne Region
12:30 – 2:00 PM
Networking Lunch
Location: Midway West | Trade Show Floor
2:00 – 2:45 PM
Breakout Sessions Round Four
Breakout 1: Business Development
Behind the Playbook: EQ in Action for Sales Success
Brittany Alexander, Executive Assistant, Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Breakout 2: AI
3rd Annual State of Sports Biz AI: 60+ New Tools & Tricks to Transform your Career & Life
Jim Delaney, Founder & CEO, Activate Sports & Entertainment
Breakout 3: Ticket Sales
Five Ways to Use AI Pricing to Boost Event Day Sales
Derek Zhou, Head, Investments, SeatGeek
Breakout 4: Marketing
Revenue Beyond the Gates: Turning Every Fan Touchpoint into a Profit Center
Rodney Moore, Vice President, Customer Experience, i6
Jacqueline Purcell, Sales Manager, Sports & Entertainment, Alvarado Mfg
Tim Thomas, Business Development Manager, i6
Breakout 5: Fan Entertainment
Fan Engagement Partnership: How Singles & Doubles Should Compliment your Home Run Swings
Tom Bridger, Associate Director, Partnerships, WIT Sports
Breakout 6: Wild Card
The Everchanging Landscape of Women’s Sports
Sara Arnold, Vice President, Corporate Partnerships, Chicago Stars FC
2:45 – 3:15 PM
Ice Cream Break
3:15 – 3:30 PM
General Session: Afternoon Remarks
Location: Grand Ballroom D - F
3:30 – 4:30 PM
Closing Keynote Speaker
Location: Grand Ballroom D - F
4:30 – 4:45 PM
General Session: Closing Remarks
Location: Grand Ballroom D - F
4:45 – 5:45 PM
Budweiser Beer Wagon
5:50 – 6:15 PM
Buses Depart for Enterprise Center
6:20 – 9:15 PM
Budweiser Gala
Hosted by
Chris Zimmerman, President and CEO, St. Louis Blues
9:15 – 9:45 PM
