From First Employee to Managing Director: 17 Sport's Andrew Wisniewski Steps Up
Seven years ago, Andrew Wisniewski walked into 17 Sport as its very first hire. No playbook, no established client roster just a founding belief, shared with Neill Duffy and Fabien Paget, that sport could do more than entertain. It could change communities. This month, that bet on Andrew came full circle: he's been promoted to Managing Director, taking the reins of 17 Sport's global team and day-to-day operations.
Leaning In with Lisa Ferkul
It is very fitting to be staging our SponsorshipX event with Lisa Ferkul of the Toronto Tempo next week, as we first met when she was a delegate at our forum some fifteen years ago.
Does Your Brand Have Lovers?
I have been thinking a lot about fandom lately, and not just because I need to go write an opening Keynote for our upcoming summit.
Creating a Legacy of Fandom
How long after the FIFA World Cup leaves North America will we understand its legacy?
Your 2027 Cannes Plan
Has your FOMO maxed out from reading all the "what I learned at Cannes" posts?
I know it's no consolation, and somewhat bougie of me to say, but I was there for the entire glorious week, and I have FOMO for all the stuff I missed.
Activation Love
Last week in Vancouver, I fell in love. Again.
In love with Vancouver? Maybe.
The World Cup Lab
Later this week, across the three countries currently known as North America, but some may call the Divided Americas, the largest and most important sporting event in the world will descend for the second time.
The World’s #1 World Cup City is a Force of Nature
It seems every day, Vancouver is getting closer to proving out its official FIFA World Cup slogan.
I am in town this week for some of our son’s graduation from UBC and am squeezing in a few SponsorshipX prep meetings and feeling it on the ground. Industry media is also feeling it.
Canada Needs to Save the Caps
Last November, I attended the inaugural Northern Super League Final, game 1 (and 7 - boo) of the World Series, the Grey Cup, Vancouver Goldeneyes' home opener, and even a Steelers game in Ireland. But that wasn't the most exciting sports event of the year for me.
The NFL Draft was All Business
If you were one of the 805,000 record-setting fans who attended the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh last weekend, you experienced much more than a sporting milestone.
Put Your Business Hat On: Entrepreneurship Can Save the Arts
I spent two and a half days at the 2026 Canadian Arts Summit, organized by Business/Arts and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. I was a panellist and by default, an avid attendee. I love immersing myself in conferences. One delegate asked me why I stuck around after my talk. I said to learn!
Building Future Fans: What Girls Say They Need from the Industry
The last few years have been extraordinary for women's sport. From record‑breaking attendances to soaring broadcast numbers, we've seen proof that when visibility and investment align, audiences respond.
Pittsburgh Distilled
We've gathered on a beach in the South of France, where the Mediterranean made everyone braver, and the conversations ran long past sunset.
Building a Team is Like Building a Sponsorship Portfolio
There is no question that, as business leaders, we use an overwhelming amount of sports analogies.
Is that because so many business leaders come to their roles after occupying similar positions in their playing career, even if it was their high school team?
Super Bowl LXROI
I am risking massive trademark issues by adding the ROI acronym to the Roman numerals representing the 2026 Super Bowl.
Hopefully, the event's patrons, who likely generated something in the neighbourhood of US$600 million for the Bay Area, will forgive me.
If ROI is under scrutiny, this room matters
This April in Pittsburgh, we’re bringing together leaders who are being asked harder questions, and who want better answers.
The SponsorshipX ROI Forum is a focused experience designed to help you make smarter sponsorship decisions, communicate value more clearly, and build confidence around ROI in a landscape that’s evolving fast.
SponsorshipX ROI Forum 2026
I’ve been thinking a lot about ROI lately.
Not ROI as a metric on a slide, but ROI as a feeling, the quiet confidence you have when you know an investment made sense. Or the knot in your stomach when you’re preparing to explain one that didn’t.