Can you “Guess Who” will be appearing at CSFX 2017?
It’s true, the thirteenth edition of the Canadian Sponsorship Forum will be featuring some amazing JUNOS weekend talent. No it won’t be the eponymous Winnipeg rockers. I just borrowed their name to create a catchy headline, or what I thought was a catchy headline.
But I can promise you some surprise artists will be making an appearance sometime during the weekend. I can’t tell you when. I certainly can’t tell you who. That would be ruining the fun. In fact, I have already said too much. I will leave it to you to be ready to share live with your social networks, so make sure your smartphone is always charged. As for whether you will be able to get a selfie, a group photo, or an autograph… my advice is simple. Sit in the front row of every session. Dress to impress. Gasp out loud every time a curtain opens behind a speaker. Mare sure you have engaged a teammate with sharp elbows to ward off other delegates trying to hone in on your moment!
That’s half the fun of an event like the JUNOS. You don’t know who you are going to run into over the weekend, whether it be in the hotel or on the street. Just take a look at this year’s nominee list! We have The Weeknd, Celine Dion, Drake, Sam Roberts Band, Tegan and Sara, Coleman Hell, The Tragically Hip, Billy Talent, Hedley, Leonard Cohen, and Arkells just to name a few! How much fun would it be to see one of them? Once again, I encourage you to be at your ready. Start a couple of weeks out by practicing your moves. For example, don’t suffer from open mouth gaping syndrome when you first catch their eye. Your uvula is not attractive to anyone, especially perfect strangers. Secondly, don’t stammer that your their greatest fan and then get the name of their last single incorrect. Third, don’t start talking about your Kiwanis music festival ribbons unless you enjoy shouting to the back of a departing skull.
Here is who I can tell you that we are going to see: Shawn Mendes, The Strumbellas, Ruth B, Alessia Cara and A Tribe Called Red.
Taking nothing away from the spectacular award show itself, but my favourite event is the Songwriters Circle in support of MusicCounts. The 2017 version of this event is hosted by music legend Bruce Cockburn and features some of Canada’s most talented songwriters, including this year’s JUNO nominees, performing their songs and sharing the stories behind them.
Guess who else you are going to see at CSFX 2017? Well I can tell you we have delegates from RBC, BMO, TD, Visa, Scotiabank, Telus, Bell, NHL, Canadian Red Cross, Allstate Insurance, Freedom 55 Financial, Unicef Canada, Habitat for Humanity Canada, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Diamond Integrated Marketing, NFL Canada, NBA Canada, Lumency and more! Now I am not sure if this is needed, but I am happy to share my Top 10 Networking Tips with you perhaps in a future blog, but #7 is most definitely to keep your PowerPoint in your pants. Seriously, nobody comes to a conference to get pitched. Friends first, sponsorship partners second.
Our JUNOS weekend won’t be complete without some Ottawa venue carousing at JUNOfest. Friday night we encourage you to hit the town with your wristband (part of your delegate kit) and check out some of the 100+ artists playing on stages throughout Ottawa. The festival will feature live performances by regional and national artists representing the many genres that make up Canadian music, including local artists representing Ottawa’s diverse and vibrant music scene and 2017 JUNO Award nominees.
You don’t need to guess at who our great speakers are. But in case you’ve missed it, we have Google’s very own Mike Armstrong and Cristie Schultz talking how Google can help you amplify your efforts in a mobile-first World. We have the founder and CEO of Spartan Race, the world’s leading obstacle racing company, Joe De Sena. We have digital media industry veteran of nearly 20 years, Marc Dinsdale, from Facebook and Instagram. We have Marketing Mag’s 30 under 30 winner, Rebecca Basi, from Plastic Mobile. We have Dana Brochu chatting how Sleeman Breweries launched a new product with a younger demographic. We have Allan Reid, President & CEO of CARAS, The JUNO Awards and MusiCounts, giving a backstage glimpse of the JUNOS and Canadian music. We have Smoke’s Poutinerie‘s Ryan Smolkin discussing brand building through entertainment and world domination through poutine. That’s just a small taste of CSFX17’s exciting speaker roster.
I would encourage you to, once again, sit in the front. I would also encourage you to keep that charged phone in your pocket. Trust me, the world can wait forty-five minutes. You are much better off inhaling everything the speaker has to offer, especially if you want to hit them up later for coffee. Nobody wants to have coffee with the crown of your head.
I am sure you can guess by now that I will be at CSFX 2017, as your host and conference guru. But if you have any questions for me sooner, feel free to reach out!