Schedule

Concurrent Session: Presentation and Discussion

• Beyond the Sign on the Building: Modern Sponsorship & Naming Rights Strategies for Destinations

  Franklin 1-2

  Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

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  Destinations are under increasing pressure to generate non-tax revenue without compromising community trust, yet many still rely on outdated sponsorship and naming-rights models. This session reframes sponsorship as a strategic value exchange, not just logo placement. Attendees will learn how to identify and monetize both physical and non-physical assets, avoid common pitfalls, and build long-term partnerships that align revenue goals with stewardship and brand integrity.

   

  Takeaways: 

  By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Identify monetizable assets beyond traditional naming rights, including experiential, operational, and partnership-based opportunities.
  • Evaluate sponsor fit to ensure alignment with destination values and community expectations.
  • Structure sponsorship deals that prioritize long-term value over one-time transactions.
  • Understand common pitfalls related to brand safety, public perception, and contract structure.
  • Apply a repeatable framework for sponsorship strategy that destinations of all sizes can scale.
• Rumor Has It — Let’s Align & Clear the Air

  Franklin 11-13

  Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

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  After a seven-year absence, the format of the Great Debates are returning and not for small talk.
  
  This is a reimagined Rumor Session built for the world we’re actually living in: AI-fueled narratives, half-truths, and leaders who too often dodge reality. So let’s ask the only question that matters:
  
  What are the facts and what’s real?
  
  We’re putting the industry’s biggest rumors on the table and calling them what they are: fact, fiction, or somewhere uncomfortably in between. No panels hiding behind safe answers. No vague consensus. Just sharp debate, real perspective, and clarity. Debaters will provide facts, receipts and the occasional industry expert testimony to prove their points.
  
  The goal:
  To confront the rumors shaping our industry and arm every attendee with the truth, so WE ALL can go back to our destinations and cut through the noise with confidence to our stakeholders and residents.
  
  These rumors have gone on long enough.
  
  So we brought Ted out of “retirement” to lead the debates on what's fact and what's fiction.
  
  Let’s clear the air.