This event is in-person only and no virtual option is available

Networking & Introductions (12:00pm - 1:00pm ET) 

Opening Remarks (1:00pm - 1:05pm ET) | 
Gena Casciano, Senior Director - ANA

I. The Howard Hughes Corporation (1:05pm - 1:40pm ET)  
The Howard Hughes Corporation has worked with brands to lead the revitalization of the historic Seaport neighborhood and Pier 17 in NYC and created a model for strategic partnership development within mixed use neighborhoods. Join us to hear from Jennifer Abt, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, and Sam Gips, Director of Strategic Partnerships, about their process and success.

Speakers:
Jennifer Abt, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships - The Howard Hughes Corporation
Sam Gips, Director of Strategic Partnerships - The Howard Hughes Corporation

II. Nielsen Sports: Return on Sponsorship Investment (ROSI) (1:40pm - 2:15pm ET) 

Nielsen will lead a discussion on sponsorship measurement designed to highlight how brands are successfully measuring and optimizing sponsorship investments alongside the measurement of other marketing activities. To succeed in today’s fast-changing market, a holistic view of marketing activities and the ability to compare activities and channels over time is becoming increasingly important. Nielsen’s ROSI framework provides analytics-driven CMOs and bottom line-focused CFOs with new metrics and benchmarks to enable the best use of their budgets and most effective sponsorship activations possible.

As the worldwide leader in media measurement, advertising planning and optimization as well as content services, Nielsen is uniquely positioned to bring these new sponsorship valuation and effectiveness measurement capabilities to market. Nielsen already provides the currency measurement on which the $70 billion U.S. linear TV advertising market operates, and ROSI capabilities are a natural extension of the company’s core expertise.

Nielsen Sports is the premier provider of analytics and insights within the sports industry offering the most reliable source of independent and holistic market data in the sector and the most complete view of consumer trends and habits worldwide.

Speaker:
Nye Sleeper, Vice President, Head of Consulting & Research - Nielsen Sports

III. Watch the Game, Change the Game (2:15pm-2:50pm ET)
84% of sports fans say they are interested in watching women’s sports, yet women’s sports receives only 5% of media coverage.  Hear from Bridget Sponsky on Ally’s commitment to reach equal spend in men’s and women’s sports media and the actions they are taking to break the cycle.

Speaker:
Bridget Sponsky, Director of Brand and Sponsorship Marketing - Ally Financial

Break (2:50pm - 3:05pm ET) 

IV. More Than A Game (3:05pm - 3:40pm ET) 
Join Meghan Baker, Executive Director, Partner Engagement & Solutions for the New York Mets and Michelle Harmon-Madsen, CMO of SponsorUnited to hear insights and trends on engaging a fan base, and creating opportunities to build connections with new audiences throughout a season. 

Speakers:
Meghan Baker, Executive Director of Partner Engagement and Solutions - Mets
Michelle Harmon-Madsen, Chief Marketing Officer - SponsorUnited

V. "C" Is For Collaboration: How Sesame Street Works With Brands (3:40pm - 4:15pm ET) 
Ever wonder how to get to Sesame Street? The Sesame Workshop Strategic Partnerships team can tell you how to get there! Learn about how Sesame Street works with brands to reach parents, build brand awareness, and support Sesame’s mission to help children grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. 

Speakers:
Jennifer Ahearn, Vice President, Global Themed Entertainment and Strategic Partnerships - Sesame Workshop
Amanda Droll, Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships - Sesame Workshop
Jason Johns, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships - Sesame Workshop

Closing Remarks (4:15pm - 4:20pm ET) 
Gena Casciano, Senior Director - ANA

Happy Hour (4:20pm - 5:30pm ET) 

**Schedule subject to change

SPEAKER BIOS

Jennifer Abt, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, The Howard Hughes Corporation
Jennifer Abt is the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for the Howard Hughes Corporation. Jen and her team provide brands with the opportunity to increase awareness, engage new and current customers, and drive revenue. This is achieved through comprehensive and immersive programming, which includes on-site activations, entertainment and culinary experiences, and hospitality.

Prior to Howard Hughes, Jen was at Endeavor managing Visa’s partnership with the NFL, and before that she spent 10 years with the New York Jets in the corporate partnership department.

Jen lives in Manhattan with her husband and daughter.

Sam Gips, Director of Strategic Partnerships, The Howard Hughes Corporation
Sam Gips is a Director of Strategic Partnerships for The Howard Hughes Corporation. He leads the partnership development efforts for the historic Seaport neighborhood and Pier 17 in New York City, the home of ESPN’s studios and The Rooftop at Pier 17, an award-winning concert venue. He also pursues select partnership opportunities across the company’s portfolio, which includes six communities with 370,000 residents across the country.

Sam started his career at the NBA and spent seven years within the league’s Global Partnerships group managing over 15 of the league’s premier marketing partnerships. In his last role at the NBA, he managed the league’s fantasy sports and sports betting partnerships.

Sam graduated from the University of Virginia majoring in Public Policy and Global Development Studies.

Nye Sleeper, Vice President, Head of Consulting & Research, Nielsen Sports
Nye joined Nielsen Sports & Entertainment in July of 2017 following the completion of business school. Nye previously worked for MLS/SUM for five years in a variety of corporate partnership positions leading both property and partner relationships across MLS, U.S. Soccer and the Mexican National Team. Nye currently leads the Consulting and Research teams with engagements across both brands and rights holders. Nye has an M.B.A. from Georgetown University and B.A. from Connecticut College. 

Bridget Sponsky, Director of Brand and Sponsorship Marketing, Ally Financial
Bridget Sponsky is the executive director of brand marketing at Ally leading a team with responsibility for the strategic direction and execution of its brand marketing efforts, sports and entertainment sponsorships, brand partnerships and Web3-gaming initiatives with a focus on driving a diverse and inclusive culture.

Bridget joined Ally in 2008 as an integral part of the rebranding efforts during Ally’s transformation from GMAC. Prior to joining Ally, Bridget held various positions at several advertising agencies including Young & Rubicam, Doner and Campbell-Ewald in the areas of brand and retail advertising, experiential and sports & entertainment marketing.

As a mentor to early talent in the industry and college students spanning several universities, Bridget is dedicated to the development of her mentees. She is a member of NASCAR’s industry diversity committee and is responsible for championing Ally’s strategic diversity, equity, and inclusion marketing efforts across the enterprise. This includes Ally’s pledge to investing in and creating more opportunity and equity for women in sports.

Bridget earned a bachelor’s degree in advertising from Michigan State University. She is a busy mother of two incredible daughters, and active in fundraising and volunteerism for several community organizations, serving most recently on the Board of Directors for the Bottomless Toy Chest.

Meghan Baker, Executive Director of Partner Engagement and Solutions, The New York Mets
Meghan Baker is in her second season as the Executive Director of Partner Engagement and Solutions for the New York Mets. Prior to that she worked at Momentum Worldwide and Genesco Sports & Entertainment consulting on brands such as Verizon, Campbell’s and Pepsi. Meghan is glad to be back in baseball, as she started her career on the diamond with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Michelle Harmon-Madsen, Chief Marketing Officer, SponsorUnited
As Chief Marketing Officer at SponsorUnited, Michelle Harmon-Madsen is responsible for creating and accelerating the company’s marketing strategy and building its brand equity. She leads all marketing functions, including brand marketing, content marketing, demand generation, marketing research and insights, and public relations.

For more than 25 years, she has led marketing and business transformation at industry-leading companies, where she was known for launching and building customer-centric businesses and new revenue streams.

Michelle joined SponsorUnited after most recently serving as Chief Marketing Officer at AccuWeather. Her other former roles include Executive Vice President, Marketing for ShopperX Lab; Senior Vice President, Brand Partnerships for FreshDirect; and Vice President of Branded Entertainment for 19 Entertainment, where she led sponsorships for American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.

She also serves as co-chair of the Executive Achievement Committee at She Runs It, an organization dedicated to paving the way for more women to lead in marketing, media, and tech. A proud alumna of The Pennsylvania State University, Michelle has served on the Board of the Alumni Council, Smeal College of Business, and Lion’s Paw Alumni Society.

She resides in New York, NY, with her husband and daughter.