Attendees were hit with steady surprise-and-delight experiences from a multitude of brands, which either handed out some of their latest products or gave out gifts that were placed under chairs in the conference space.
Following their premium hospitality panel, Marriott VP/Head of Global Sponsorships & Experiences Tonia Constable and AXS/AEG’s Erin Zinser collaborated for a giveaway of a one-night hotel stay, along with show tickets. Marriott also provided many gift cards: one for $500, four for $250 and five for $100.
During Bulls’ Luka Dukich session, Manny Cabrera of streetwear brand Gente Fina gave out one of the designer’s team varsity jackets. A Panini sports trading card was given out by Toyota, which featured Packers QB Jordan Love and Toyotathon branding (similar cards, by the way, have garnered $2,000 bids on eBay). Thirty lucky folks earned Sephora eyeshadow palettes by finding stickers placed on the bottom of seats.
There were also Cheez-Its on every seat ahead of the presentation from Senior Director/Full Funnel Marketing for Mars Snacking Diane Sayler’s presentation on the snack brand’s push into basketball, Happy Meal toys provided by McDonald’s, regular and diet versions of Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut (as well as air fresheners featuring the flavor, uh, we mean scent) and cold Heineken 0.0 nonalcoholic beers on hand for folks to grab.
A constant eye-catcher throughout BIS’s two days was the art of Taylor Gallegos, a painter working on a canvas outside of the venue’s grand ballroom. The piece featured a trio of Chicago sports greats: the Bulls’ Michael Jordan, the Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane and the Bears’ Walter Payton.
Gallegos has been working as a full-time painter/muralist for the last 10 years, and over the last three, business has picked up significantly thanks to sports. His work has also been part of branded efforts, such as a collaboration with Toyota and the Rockies. The car manufacturer is the naming-rights sponsor for the team’s VIP clubhouse, getting Gallegos to paint six large-scale murals and 14 canvases featuring big moments in club history, players on the team and Toyota’s fleet of vehicles.
Rasheda Petty, the brand manager for Grey Goose Vodka and panelist for a discussion on the evolution of the Honey Deuce cocktail, didn’t come alone to Brand Innovation Summit. She brought her mother, Angela Harris, whose first job was at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile. Before watching her daughter take the stage, she reminisced with SBJ staff on her days as a personnel assistant from 1978 to 1983.
Regions Bank SVP/Sponsorships & Experiential Marketing Strategy Paul Hodges followed up his Tuesday panel appearance by taking in a White Sox game featuring his favorite team, the visiting Braves. While they lost in extras, he saw an awesome ending: Chicago rookie outfielder Braden Montgomery, making his MLB debut for the club, hit a two-run walk-off homer in the 10th to give the White Sox a 6-5 win.
Erin Zinser (SVP, AXS sponsorship sales & activation, AEG global partnerships, AEG global partnerships) is a huge Marriott Bonvoy fan and shared in detail with her BIS panel in the green room before they went onstage her ability to recall Marriott hotel brands’ custom scents.
Zinser, who is friends with fellow panelist Tonia Constable (Marriott VP and head/global sponsorships & experiences), said “The Edition” is the fan favorite, and she also likes the JW Marriott’s and Ritz-Carlton’s smells. Westin’s “Westin Heavenly Scent” is just that, to Zinser’s nose, and she enjoys all the Autograph Collection Hotels, each which has its own custom scent. Her favorite aroma for an Autograph property is Lido House in Newport Beach, Calif., which has a “magical beach vacation scent.”
Kristyn Cook, State Farm EVP and chief agency, sales & marketing officer, shared a key to her personal routine, where she tries to allow some time for herself before “letting the world come in.” That can range from journaling to fresh air to a short session in her infrared sauna. She also shared a guilty pleasure of reality TV, saying that she’s enjoyed watching “Summer House” and the “Rafa” documentary on Netflix. That latter form of entertainment has inspired one of her latest quips in the office.
“When my teams say, ‘Well, limitations are ... ’ I’m like, ‘Did you know that Rafael Nadal played most of his career on a broken foot?’” Cook deadpanned. “So guys, we can do this.”
Party scene
The highest-attended BIS in SBJ history also featured a large amount of shoulder programming.
Legends Global held a Monday evening happy hour gathering at the Rooftop Lounge of the Godfrey Hotel, where Ryan Sports Development CEO Pat Ryan Jr., Group 1001 Chief of Sponsorship Strategy & Activation Mike Nichols, JMI CEO Erik Judson, and Molson Coors Head of Partnerships/North America Adam Dettman made appearances.
Intersport’s gathering Tuesday evening saw appearances by Unrivaled VP/Partnerships Taylor Lake, Heisman Trophy Trust CEO Jeff Price, Overtime co-founder Zack Weiner, Mastercard VP Michael Paolini, Toyota Motor North America VP/Marketing & Communications Dedra DeLilli, Salesforce Named Account Executive Jacob Ojalvo and Verizon Senior Manager/Partnerships Colleen Kowalczyk.
Publicis Sports hosted a packed reception Tuesday evening at the Miru Sake Room in the St. Regis Hotel. Hosts on hand were Publicis Sports President Jon Tuck and 160over90 EVP/co-Head Justin Zambuto. Guests included the Bears VP/Corporate Partnerships Doug Carnahan, President/Legends Global Partnerships Chris Hibbs, Director/Sponsorship Marketing at Reliant/NRG Energy Katie Register and Constable.
The Heisman’s Price was a shoulder programming MVP, bouncing around the scene and hitting up the Legends, Intersport and Publicis events.
Unrivaled, Sephora and a few others held a watch party for AUSL’s opening day, with the makeup brand’s Nanette Nunu extending an invite to attendees who sat in on her panel closing out Day 1.
Sephora provided gift baskets at that gathering that were so big — both in the amount of offerings and the size of those containers — they far exceeded the amount of liquid allowed by TSA to pack in carry-on luggage. Some attendees opted to ship them home because they were too good to pass up.
