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Ever been the only person in the room who didn’t know one single other? It’s okay if you’re at the doctor’s office. But has this happened to you at a baby shower or dinner party? Worse, what about at a conference?

Personally it’s never been a situation that has bothered me. But for many the thought of walking into a room full of strangers is terrifying.

I’m assuming by now you’re registered, booked, and packed for the 2016 Canadian Sponsorship Forum Experience. Perhaps your excitement is being partially eroded by the FOBA. I just made this up, but I’m creating a phobia called Fear of Being Awkward. FOBA occurs when you’re standing in a reception, looking around at dozens of gleeful conversations happening and not one involving you. You feel like everyone else can see how alone you are, so no one is going to approach because they suspect whatever general ailment you have, it must be contagious.

So now you’re drowning in FOBA. You want to bury your face in your phone, but realize that will slaughter any hope you have of being approached. You’re slowly nursing your coffee, but the crummy little hotel-issued cup makes that impossible. You’re slowly performing a finger autopsy on your muffin, but realize there is a good chance a cranberry is now visibly stuck in your upper front teeth.

Suddenly an important looking group heads your way, only to then ask if you could take their photo as they have already selfied themselves beyond acceptable societal limits. Immediately after you finished the portraits while balancing all three of their cameras and your muffin and your coffee and your own phone, they have disappeared without so much as a handshake or an introduction.

Networking. Ugh. A four-letter word to many people.

But it doesn’t have to be. Networking is a skill to be learned, practiced, refined, and honed. Like public speakers, the best networkers are not born naturals, despite popular belief. Practicing networking will just add to your confidence.

When I network I tend to intuitively follow a few specific guidelines. One of the most important is to not show up at the event with the look of a mass murderer, also known as the about to miss their target salesperson. Nothing turns people off more than being pitched hard before the handshake is cold. Don’t believe me? Try it. I will bring the video camera.

Networking shouldn’t be about trying to find the big whale. Networking should be about sending out a vibe about who you are as a person. Be natural. Someone that people enjoy being around. The laws of attraction will result in the big fish coming to you and not vice versa.

Another key to networking is to act fast. What I mean is this. In almost any networking event you are bound to be in line or seated next to someone. At first glance, introduce yourself. Before you sit down or grab a spoonful of cherry tomatoes for your salad. Don’t wait and appear to be revving up your nerve. Go for it.

Get in quickly. Then get out just as quickly. If the other person wants to engage, they will keep the conversation going. If they don’t, you’ve saved yourself a ton of dignity because you don’t separate feeling like a loser. It’s easy to get in if you’ve done your homework.

Your homework should be done well before the conference. It starts with a short list of intriguing, but innocuous opening lines. Leading with “that opening keynote sucked” may be one to stay away from. As the opening keynote speaker, you can understand the bias in my advice. But you do need to have better game than “Have you been to the Forum before?” I suggest you laterally write up some opening lines and how you anticipate them to reply.

Be positive. Be upbeat. Be interesting. Don’t be trying to sell, recruit, or dare I say recruit for other reasons. One great way to be interesting is to know something the other person doesn’t that you can share causally and utilize to build a dialogue. For example, if you have seen one of the speakers previously. Or perhaps you watched them online before the conference. Drafting on the intrigue of someone else or something else provides a nice halo for your brand. Translation? I’m telling everyone my real name is Mitch Joel at CSFX. Check out our head shots to see this isn’t going to be that hard for me to pull off. I hope.

Now that you have a conversation started, get your foot off the gas and mind your GPS. Where can you take this conversation at a pace. Don’t rush through it because they aren’t the VP of Marketing for BIGCO! Savour the moment. Some of my peers have a natural (or conditioned) ability to make whomever they are speaking to feel like the most important human in the world at that moment. Other people will never know the colour of your eyes, because the minute they meet you it feels like they are looking past you for a better contact to slay.

Once you give one enjoyable and deep first exchange with someone, the next few will be even easier. It then becomes a multiplier effect because everywhere you turn for the rest of the event, you now have new friends you can lean on when the networking hits a roadblock.

Perhaps you are still too shy, despite reading this. You’re feeling you need a wingman. So go get one? Invite a colleague or supplier to the event. Jump on social media ahead of time and let other delegates know you are new and you would love to meet up Wednesday night for a drink or Thursday at breakfast to make new friends. I’m getting hammered on my SXSW social feeds by sales people wanting to meet me in Austin to pitch T1. Never. But if someone said hey I’m also from Toronto and headed to SXSW alone and would love to meet others from the 6, I would be my regular cruise director self.

If all else fails, I can let you know this. We build so much networking into CSFX, I don’t think you’ll be alone. But if you think you will be, let me know and one of my T1 colleagues will gladly introduce you to three delegates. From there you will have an awesome start and the perfect prescription to combat FOBA.

If you are joining us next week at the brand new, kick-ass Delta Toronto for the 2016 Canadian Sponsorship Forum Xperience, you need to come prepared. Only a rookie or a Denver Broncos fan would show up at the doorstep of one my events without properly preparing. This isn’t your Mom’s packing list for summer camp when you were nine years old and overly anxious about passing the early morning cold water swim test.

Nope. You’re an adult now. Regardless of whether you are coming from Victoria, BC or Victoria Street Toronto, you are on your own to get organized for the splash you are about to make. But, because the inner ringleader in me always wants to get out, I thought I would share with you some of my personal secrets for what you should pack.

In honour of our Moms, I am not going to use numbers. This pains me as I love using numbers, but hey did your Mom ever use numbers for her lists? Me think not! Okay, where to begin?

• Check your Uber app. If you don’t have it, load it now. Maybe take a couple of test runs to get your passenger rating up so you can get higher on the dispatch priority. Make sure it’s up to date and you have a valid credit card. Rumour has it that Toronto cabbies think this would be a great time to strike and show the world what an (in)hospitable city we are.
• Custom reserved seating sign. I’ve always daydreamed about this. If you want the best seat in the house for Don Mayo, Kim McConnie, or Mitch Joel, why not give this a try.
• A cold compress for your neck. Unless you’re Justin Orfus from my team, you are going to spend a lot of time looking up!

• Find room in your gym bag for your crossover dribble because our CSFX Delegate Basketball Tournament is going to be for industry bragging rights! You know that pressure you feel on a Par 3 during a corporate tournament when two foursomes are stalled behind you. That will seem like a Grade 3 gym class compared to the crowds at the NBA Center Court where we will be hosting our tourney. So come prepared.
• A cup full of decisiveness. Think about the challenge you will have selecting among these head to head speakers: Wrigley Canada’s Dan Alvo vs Labatt Breweries of Canada’s Andrew Oosterhuis, Metro’s Nancy Modrcin vs Holt Renfrew’s Alison Simpson, Canadian Pacific’s Mark Wallace and Crankworx’s Darren Kinnaird vs the women-only panel.
• Your autograph book. I know it’s not for you. It’s for your nephew in Saskatoon. He just happens to have the same name as you! Wow, so many coincidences.
• Your Emmy Award. Judy John won one for the #LikeAGirl campaign she spearheaded for Procter & Gamble. I’m sure she will show you hers, if you bring yours.

• Your Inner Maker. Mark Stewart, Chief Innovator at wonderMakr, isn’t going to let you sit on your hands during his session. No, you will need to get them out and ready to make, break, and shake your way to learning how to be innovative.
• A teammate for Saturday. If you haven’t taken me up in our special offer yet, you have no one to blame but yourselfie! Do you like my new word?
• Your best social media one liners. You will want to make your friends jealous when you’re up close and personal with the world’s best ballers during the NBA All-Star Practice on Saturday.
• Our app. We have saved a thousand trees this year and not printed a guidebook, so if you want to network with that person you met in lunch Friday, you will need our app to send him a followup note. His, and everyone else’s, coordinates will be right at your finger tips.
• Underwear. Yes it seems obvious, unless you attended Forum in 2012 when we handed out, you guessed it, underwear as a delegate gift.

• In those underwear, you may want to have your name, cell phone, and a “If found, please return me to the Delta Toronto” message.
• Thundersticks. Why would MH3, the hater of all Thunderstick promotions ever implemented, be suggesting you bring the very same. It’s simple. Our speaker lineup is worthy of much more than applause and I can’t imagine you doing the wave. Besides, that’s so baseball. So I think to really show your love, you need to bring a little extra. The choice is yours, bells, horns, freshly energized lungs. I will even admire your inflatabe clappers!

There really aren’t a whole lot of rules about attending CSFX, but bring your A-game. We are bringing ours!

Despite some shoddy reporting by the Toronto Star, Canada’s 150th is still happening. The article I am referring to somehow declares that as a result of one company’s failed effort to raise corporate funds for their initiative that the entire year is going to be a disaster. Really? So does that mean that if my local hockey team can’t get a sponsor, the NHL is also going to go bankrupt?

It’s too bad the Star didn’t do a little research before publishing such a ridiculous article. Because for all of those groups who are well underway creating amazing Canada’s 150th celebration events, this piece has caused an unnecessary level of concern by their stakeholders. Irresponsible is not a stern enough phrase for this piece.

Despite my readership being a little less than the Star’s, I do want to share the news that, last I checked, January 1st, 2017 is still scheduled to arrive. On time. Within seconds of December 31st, 2016 departing. With it will come a patriotic flurry of events, celebrations, and legacy programs.

If you haven’t gotten into the groove yet, now is the time. Our friends at ParticipACTION are launching a national activity challenge that already has two major corporate partners on board. You can connect with them to create a lasting legacy of a fitter country.

I read recently that CIBC has signed on as lead partner of Ottawa 2017, the group responsible for staging many of the celebrations in our nation’s capital. Given how CIBC leveraged Pan Am in Toronto this past summer, I expect to see them bring many smart strategies to the table to animate this partnership.

Have you heard of ONEFIVEOH? Check out their website. They’re inviting Canadians to share their greatest campfire stories in 150 seconds or less. How much more Canuck can you be than that?

Crashing into the 150^th celebration calendar, it was just announced last week that The Red Bull Crashed Ice final championship is heading to Ottawa for the first time. Apparently it’s estimated to have an economic impact of $10 million for the city. That’s nothing to sneeze at.

You can hear about more 2017 excitement at CSFX16. On February 13th (Activity Day), our CSFX 2017 partner, which I am not going to tell you about right now, is going to be a jewel event in Canada’s 150th crown. As part of the announcement there will be powerful business leaders, talented industry executives, a Canadian celebrity (or two), and a chance to win a VIP trip to the event… and CSFX17.

To stay connected to all things 150th, I suggest that you join the Canada 150 Alliance. The 150Alliance is an open network of groups, individuals and organizations, promoting action, engagement and impact around Canada’s 150^th and working to make the most of Canada’s sesquicentennial in 2017. Building the biggest database of 2017 organizations and projects in Canada, this digital platform will act as a hub for all 2017 activities.

If you have an exciting 150th project underway, send me the details and we will share with our audience via this newsletter or just post your comments.

Don’t forget that for Saturday, February 13th at CSFX we have a special opportunity for you to bring a teammate for free to Activity Day.

Maybe we can all find some time to let our Canadian media know what’s really going on.

1. It’s your best chance to be thrust right in the middle of the NBA All-Star 2016 and truly mix business with pleasure.
2. FOMO alert! We’ve got 300 of your peers and counting!
3. What does the woman who runs sports marketing for all of PepsiCo USA, the global sponsorship director of AIG, and the partnership marketing director of New Zealand Rugby Union have in common? They are all speaking at CSFX16. New Zealand Rugby? Huh? Did I mention their partnership director is a former WNBA player?
4. The people you meet at CSFX become more than just a network. They become friends for life, who remember you for more than the logo on your business card.

   

5. We guarantee memorable stories you’d never expect from a conference. Like the time one delegate took his competitive spirit to a new level during our ball hockey tournament, suffered a head injury, was cabbed to the hospital while I held him whimpering in my arms, had staples put in his skull, and still made it out to the evening networking event. I’ll refrain from sharing the others. For now.

   

6. With CSFX16 being on Family Day weekend, it’s almost like we created a holiday just for you to recover.
7. Want to hear from the Canadian woman named Top Chief Creative Officer and Top Creative Director in the World by Advertising Age? Leo Burnett’s Judy John will join us on Creativity Day for an insightful discussion. Your chance to hear firsthand the genius behind the Emmy-winning Like a Girl Campaign.
8. Rumoured to make surprise appearances include an award-winning performer, NBA legends, and Don Mayo.
9. Steph Curry obviously couldn’t accept our invite so we got the next best thing, Chip Bowers, CMO of the Golden State Warriors.
10. Partnerships have been known to start at CSFX. Even those between a sponsor and a property…(-:
11. Still behind on digital and social media? Twitter and Vine are in the house to help even the most ancient of us learn to type in 140 characters or create a purposeful six-second clip. Plus the man dubbed the “Rock Star of the Digital Age” by Marketing Magazine, Mitch Joel, will be on hand to share his view on The Future of Brands.

    

12. We don’t believe in BS. And neither do the female trailblazers in our women-only panel. Saturday afternoon, chat with women who champion empowered leadership and tell it like it is.

    

13. There’s a lot to prove in the CSFX Delegate Basketball Tournament on Friday. We have our own private court at NBA Center Court, where you’ll be in the thick of all the NBA All-Star festivities. And in honour of Steelers LB James Harrison, not everyone gets a trophy.

    

14. If you’ve attended in the past, then there’s nothing left to say.
15. Our app. Look! Somewhere else to post 2:00-am-drunk-with-a-CEO selfies. #networking
16. When do you think will be the next time Toronto will host the NBA All-Star? Rhymes with forever!

Whoever came up with the phrase Actions Speak Louder Than Words probably didn’t realize they were creating the rallying cry for our entire industry. Especially given experiential marketing probably didn’t exist at the time. So hopefully they will be flattered that we have ironically taken their words literally and fashioned a vital form of business communications from them.

Day III of CSFX16 is an action packed day. It should be since I am asking you to attend a conference on the Saturday of a holiday weekend. But then again I am inviting you to spend it with some pretty active people. The highlight of which will be the NBA All-Star Practice. We have great seats reserved for you to watch the best basketball players in the world get warmed up for the All-Star Game.

We also have great seats for you to watch the All-Stars of our industry share with you their best game plans for implementing experiential and sponsorship marketing programs. Immerse yourself in their worlds as they demonstrate how they connect with consumers and stakeholders alike.

Another highlight of the day is our women’s-only panel. This was first deployed at our CSFX15 event and is the brainchild of former WTA CEO Stacey Allaster. So many of you implored me to ensure we had it become an annual feature that I not only agreed, but doubled the time allocated to it. For young female leaders in our sector, this panel promises to be the most important 90 minutes of your year. You need to be there. Tell your boss. Bring her as well.

For those looking for digital activation, Twitter is fielding an All-Star group of their own which will sure to trend highly among our attendees. Back by popular demand to lead the panel, Christopher Doyle has developed and executed media strategies for some of the most enviable sports properties, like FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. He’s joined by Jared Kleinstein, who stumbled upon and turned Tebowing into a mini-craze, award-winning Head of Brand Strategy, Jamie Michaels, and TJ Taylor Adeshola, Twitter’s Content Partnerships Manager for Sports.

Gregory Hegger’s passion for live music may be fuelled by a self-confessed terrible singing voice. At least at Virgin Mobile, he’s able to live out any musical dreams by bringing to life Virgin’s major partnerships with Osheaga and the Squamish Valley Music Festival.

One speaker whose executional talent took her to the world stage is Rogers’ Alexandra Orlando. She dedicated over 15 years to rhythmic gymnastics and represented Canada at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Sherida German has taken media partnerships to a whole new level, having negotiated the largest co-marketing initiative in Shaw’s history with Johnson & Johnson and recently gave CFL fans unprecedented behind-the-scenes content and virtual experiences for the Grey Cup.

I’m banking CP’s Mark Wallace grew up playing with some intensive train sets as a kid. He’s been in the railway business, a business predicated on flawless timing and execution, for almost 20 years.

Having evolved Crankworx from an exclusive high-performance event into a massive celebration of endurance, we knew Darren Kinnaird would be perfect for a workshop on Activity Day.

We’re wrapping up the day with someone who has clearly made an impact on PepsioCo and its consumers, having started her career as a Sales Representative in Australia before climbing the ranks and moving abroad to Thailand, back home to Australia, and then ultimately around the world to become Senior Director, Sports, PepsiCo North America Beverages.

In any business you must have a sound strategy and devise creative solutions to problems. But at the end of the day, if you don’t execute with greatness, you’re sunk. All that preparation, focus, and concentration is out the window. The moment of truth is all anyone will remember.

There’s a reason in Hollywood the final words before the camera rolls are Lights, Camera, Action.

The BIG idea.

How many times a year are you asked to deliver one? Something ownable. Never been done before. Out of the box. Bigger than Movember/Christmas Miracle/Ice Bucket/Like a Girl combined. On a shoestring budget. In ten days.

Sound familiar?

Under ideal circumstances, being creative is a daunting challenge. It requires a clear understanding of the business problem. The necessary background information to understand all critical circumstances. Precise clarity on what needs to be achieved to classify the endeavour as a success. Time to ideate, collaborate, and evaluate various options. Talent from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

If those conditions exist in your world on a daily basis, you should safeguard them at all costs. More than likely only some exist. You’re not alone. Which is precisely why we decided to dedicate Day II of CSFX16 to Creativity.

The day will be hosted by T1’s award-winning Chief Creative Officer, and one of my key business partners, Graham Lee. Graham and his creative team at T1 are mission critical to ensuring that we develop ideas that scale to build business for our clients. Ideas are the most valuable currency in our industry, and your ability to create, or access creativity, is directly linked to your organization’s market worth. Graham will headline an all-star cast guaranteed to fill your mind with provoking concepts.

We’ve got a panel of CD’s from some of the best agencies in Canada. Dave Diamond of Diamond Integrated Marketing, who recently won the CMA’s Best of the Best award for #TDTHANKSYOU. Plus Matt McCoubrey of Mosaic, just-announced gold winners of Event Marketer’s Experience Design Awards for both Best Collection of Technology Interactives for Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference 2015, as well as Best Pop-Up Store for the Diet Coke Get a Taste Style Bar. And then there’s SDI Marketing’s Luke Kinmond, whose Rogers Hometown Hockey has won the nation over by celebrating local communities and the game through the cross-country hockey festival.

To get the day off to a rocking start, I’ve convinced brand guru and digital marketing rock star Mitch Joel to join us. He’s been named top “insert prestigious marketing award here” many times over. And he co-launched a music label with Juno and MuchMusic award-winning acts. Any one else feel lazy yet?

If not, Alison Simpson is sure to do the trick. Beyond driving the Holt Renfrew, Holt Renfrew Men, hr2, and Ogilvy brands, she’s completed almost 50 marathons and ultramarathons. Seriously.

Honoured to have Judy John, CEO and CCO of Leo Burnett Canada grace our stage. Her team created the #LikeAGirl campaign last year for P&G Always. The one that won awards around the world, including Canada’s first Titanium Lion at Cannes.

If there’s anyone who’d celebrate the machines taking over, it would be wonderMakr’s Mark Stewart. He’s the imagination behind a smile-activated photo booth vending machine, a selfie-taking vacuum, and several other experience-driving contraptions that brands never dreamed they needed.

A proudly iconic Canadian brand, Roots has successfully promoted the spirit of Canada’s heritage globally through James Connell’s innovative approach to digital marketing and music partnerships.

From date nights at the store to fashion week sponsorships, Metro Ontario has been wooing new loyal customer segments through Nancy Modrcin’s knack for creating unexpected brand experiences.

For far too many years I thought I was the most creative person around. I eschewed brainstorms. Poo poohed group sharing. Shat on others’ thoughts. All the while not realizing how great the opportunities were that was passing me by. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to learn at this stage in my career that creativity is a result of collaboration, inspiration, and dedication. Dedication to process and dedication to discipline that’s required to generate the Big Idea. It’s not luck. It’s not (just) booze. It’s not a sudden lightning bolt or stroke of genius. The thunder will come eventually, but only when the heavy lifting has been put in.

A big part of the pursuit of greatness is learning from the best. I can’t promise you that Creativity Day will make you a creative guru. In fact I can assure you it won’t. But what I can promise you is a day that will illuminate what’s been successful for others, so you can apply that to your own box, you’re so eager to think outside of.

Recently I made my return to the squash court for the first time in five years since a disruptive knee injury. Though not cleared to play, I’ve decided to take some tuneup lessons before participating in a winter house league.

What does squash or my wonky knee have to do with the Canadian Sponsorship Forum Xperience (CSFX16)? A lot.

For CSFX16, presented by T1 and hosted by the NBA, we have decided to forgo our annual approach of programming the event to an overall conference theme, but rather feature a unique daily focus. Each day of our event February 11, 12, and 13, 2016 at the Delta Toronto will effectively be a mini-conference unto itself. We took this approach, knowing that sometimes it’s difficult to commit the time to attend a multi-day event. For those who are attending the entire show, I’m hopeful the variety will spice things up for your Xperience.

Now back to squash. Day 1 of CSFX (February 11) is Strategy Day, and my new squash pro quickly reminded me of the value of strategy. In assessing my game he told me essentially that my power was useless without strategy. In his words, Squash is like Chess. You need to play under control and get your opponent off-balance, attacking them all over the court. Most importantly he said you need to finish every shot or chess move, before moving onto the next.

That’s sage advice because finishing what you start is a savvy strategy whether you’re on the court or planning a marketing campaign.

If you’re looking for similar advice I can send you to my squash pro or you can take a look at our speaker lineup for Strategy Day at CSFX16. It’s packed with speakers and content that will equip you with new insights, data, and key learnings to help you shape your program strategies for a long time to come.

The day will feature speakers from DAVIDsTEA, Wrigley, CIBC, and the Canadian Olympic Committee. You’re going to hear a lot about transformation in big organizations. How a brand evolves a twenty-year-old partnership, in an era where it seems three years is the unofficial shelf life for partnerships in too many executives’ minds. You’re going to hear how a major property has obliterated international standards and set a new bar in national partnership revenue, activation, and integration. You’re going to understand how a multinational has been able to align disparate internal departments, procurement and marketing, to create a powerful and thoughtful approach to sponsorship. Every brand is chasing millenials and you have a chance to engage with some great marketers, including the one beer brand that has really shone at cracking the code and experiencing how they did it.

Many of our Day 1 speakers I know personally. If you haven’t met Kristina Schaefer, this is your opportunity to hear from a woman who has literally hopped the globe helping the biggest of brands navigate the biggest of properties. I have only met Visa’s Zaileen Janmohamed once, but am thrilled she is willing to make the trek from San Fransisco to Toronto because her expertise in Sponsorship Intelligence is quite unique on the continent. I get to work daily with the marketing team headed up by Rachel MacQueen from AIR MILES and am excited you will get to see their unique take on building brand love.

Our friends at the NBA are delivering us an All-Star speaker in Emilio Collins, their EVP of Global Marketing Partnerships. If you think you’ve got a busy development job, try overseeing the NBA, WNBA, USA Basketball, the D-league and all its teams and all its partners. Whew. I’m honoured Emilio even has time to sit with us during his crazy All-Star Week schedule.

No Strategy Day would be complete without data and insights. The Canadian Sponsorship Landscape Study will be presented for the ninth time, and our Most Valuable Property Study, done in conjunction with Ipsos, will appear for the fourth time. To cap the day will be IMI’s infamous Don Mayo, who could probably present for the entire day on his own, but in only an hour will certainly deliver a year’s worth of strategic gems from real life global case studies.

The last strategic challenge of the day will be some high-profile networking at the IMI International Happy Hour to wrap February 11th up. Start working on your best move now!

If you’ve never attended CSFX, T1’s annual conference formerly known as the Canadian Sponsorship Forum, then my next few blog posts are for you.

Today marks the first in a series of CSFX previews that I’ve decided to prepare for you to devour. Today I will whet your appetite as to what CSFX is all about. Then over the next few weeks, I will add to the sizzle with some tasty bites of the meaty content and savoury networking you can feast on next February.

Of course if you’re not hungry for my cooking, you can always resort to the best way to get a good recommendation. Regardless of whether it’s a restaurant or a business conference, ask somebody who has already been. The odds are unbelievably high that you know, not one, but several industry peers who have attended this amazing fete in the past. They will enthusiastically share what over three thousand others know. CSFX isn’t a conference that talks about being a great conference, it’s a conference that lives it.

I think it’s important to begin the CSFX story with you by focusing on the Why versus the What. For clarity sake I will let you know the When and Where: February 11, 12, 13, 2016 at the brand spanking new, super beautiful, unbelievably appointed, conveniently located Delta Toronto. If those dates sound familiar to you, you’re not only a shrewd marketer, but also a sports fan, as those days are right smack in NBA All-Star Week. Which makes sense given our CSFX16 host is none other than the National Basketball Association!

Having an annual host is central to the Why. Why did I think Canada needed another conference? Why did I decide to enlist my colleagues to embark on this labour of love? Why did we decide to partner our forum with a major event every year? Why does any of this matter to you?

We didn’t start CSFX because we felt Canada needed another experiential marketing and sponsorship conference. No. We started it to create a platform for learning, to create an opportunity for sharing, to create a venue for inspiration. As marketers our number one enemy is our desks. The more time we spend in our offices or boardrooms the less strategic and creative we become. Over time our senses become dulled, our skills eroded, and the passion we had for pursuing our life’s work is in a distant rearview mirror.

However being a smorgasbord of motivation is just the beginning for us. We concocted an event that combines endless amounts of proprietary research, unparalleled speakers addressing the most topical issues of the day, and networking that is curated to ensure even the most introverted of introverts will leave with a pocket full of business cards. (I personally volunteer as host, match maker, and cruise director.)

I have a passion for connecting people. I have an endless thirst for knowledge. I have endless admiration for the best work, people, campaigns, and brands in the sponsorship marketing world. So if any of that translates into the Why of CSFX, the mission of our event, and a sneak preview into the value of attending, then you and I share something very powerful in common.

They say that sports is PVR-proof because it’s the truest form of reality television. I’m beginning to question that.

On the surface the analogy is simplistic. The outcome of sports events isn’t scripted, tested, edited, and manipulated. Writers and directors don’t decide the hero’s fate. It’s decided in the arena. You can speculate all you want, but the final buzzer is judge and jury. As a fan you want to know the outcome in real time. Not on your week off in a fit of binge watching. Save that for Game of Thrones.

Advertisers love it. Consumers follow their teams, their heroes, their home side in real time because the moment is so special in sports. It’s incomparable. Sport is real.

It’s grounded in the passion you developed as a kid. Cheering for your grandfather’s team. Worshiping that athlete who came to visit your childhood sports camp. Or a book signing. Or a chance meeting at a restaurant.

No matter how you fell in love with that team, that athlete, you had a team. You lived with them. You died with them. You prayed for their playoff chances. You cringed over their injuries. You screamed at the coach after losses. You lionized the captain after wins. They are your team.

Reality. Meet TV. It’s called sports.

I love sports because it’s simple. My team. My guy. My gal. Head to head. Face to face. 1:1. Me versus you.

It doesn’t matter who wears my colours. You’re my hero. Maybe for the night. Maybe for the season. Maybe just for one inning.

However I’m worried. Recently you have some new admirers and I’m not sure you even realize this.

They don’t cheer for your teammates. They aren’t a fan of our club. They don’t know about our playoff drought. They aren’t clamouring for the coaches’ heads. They aren’t already fantasizing about next year.

I’m struggling to describe these new admirers as sports fans. They claim they are. But when I gently prod them, they spill much evidence to the contrary. These people aren’t fans.

A fan loves her team.
A fan worships her starters.
A fan makes excuses for their coach.
A fan watches the game.
A fan argues.
A fan cheers.
A fan cries.
A fan what ifs themselves for days on end.
A fan brainwashes their children.
A fan argues with friends.
A fan ignores family members.
A fan dreams of next season. Before this year is over.
A fan can’t be bought. Sold. Persuaded. Discouraged. Hoodwinked. Influenced. Tempted. Convicted. Convinced. Flattered. Intimated. Educated. Denied.

In short. There is no way possible to understand a fan.

That’s why I love sports.
It’s also why I don’t love fantasy sports.
I don’t get it.

Here is the value proposition of fantasy sports.
Pick players from any team you want.
Base your love solely on their past statistics.
Disregard all measures of character.
Cheer for them to achieve individual success.
Disregard their teams efforts.
Express zero allegiance to the past.

Clearly I don’t get, can’t get into, am bothered by, see it as a perpetual nuisance, haven’t had any success with fantasy sports.

Candidly fantasy sports is something I don’t understand.

On the radio I don’t hear game forecasts anymore. I hear advice for draft picks.

When I’m away from the TV I can’t get scores online. I get fantasy stat updates.

My son’s groans from the TV room are based solely on the defence he’s drafted for the weekend.

I don’t know how to play fantasy if it requires me cheering for the enemy. There is only one quarterback I love. There is only one goalie I pantomime. There is only one small forward’s spot up shots I cross my fingers for. There is only one reliever I will hold off heading to the bathroom for. They all play for the same team. My team. It’s a real team. Not a fantasy team.

I’m not trying to win a pool. I don’t need in-office, online, Facebook/Snapchat/ Instagram bragging rights. There is no reason for me to aspire to win back what I bet (why bet!).

Being number one among buddies doesn’t matter. I just want my teams to win.

Fantasy isn’t fanatic. But tell that to the accountants. They are loving the advertising money that is literally altering the way sports, sports news, online reporting, videos, and highlights are packaged and presented.

Fantasy is ruining reality. Hard to believe. But I see it. If sport becomes nothing more than a glorified game of trading cards, then why bother playing the games. Why not just turn sport over to Hollywood. That may be more than a fantasy.

There is nothing else I can say.