VIP Lounge Setup

I've been asked a lot recently on podcasts how to evaluate and think about large sponsorships. At ClickUp, we had a strategic partnership with the San Diego Padres that was extremely beneficial from an activation perspective. Here are some key points on how it worked/ was structured: 1. Embedded Partnership: It was important for us to be as integrated into their ecosystem as they were in ours. Our agreement included them using ClickUp as their primary work management tool across several departments. This integration was beneficial in many ways, helping them to speak our language when building out assets and discussing different aspects of our sponsorship. 2. High-Quality Content: We brought our team on board and ensured we had almost unlimited access to tell their story alongside ours. Baseball has a rich history and underwent significant transformations during the pandemic and when everything reopened. We were alongside them for that journey and wanted to tell that story through high-quality content. 3. Fluidity: I dislike rigid agreements. Life and business are dynamic, and our agreements should reflect that. We structured our partnership to be as fluid as possible, allowing us to add assets ad-hoc and make real-time changes. This created a true two-way partnership where both parties were continually thinking about how to further utilize each other. In many ways, it was one of the best partnerships/sponsorships I've done in my career (and I've done a lot). When evaluating potential sponsorships, beyond market fit and target demographics, consider the type of relationship you want with your partners. Look for organizations that align with that vision—it will pay dividends.

A brand spends millions on an F1 sponsorship. Big announcement. Fancy press photos. And then? Silence. This is why most F1 sponsors fail. They make noise on Day 1 but by mid-season? No one remembers. It's just another logo in the background. The Forgettable Sponsor → Big splash, then disappears. → Thinks a logo & hospitality = a partnership. → No engagement with fans or business decision-makers. The Sponsors Who Get It Right ✅ McLaren Racing x Google → Google didn’t just put a Chrome logo on the car. They also provided cutting-edge AI and cloud computing tools to help McLaren process real-time race data, optimize performance, and improve pit stop efficiency. Their branding extended beyond the track, showcasing how Google’s ecosystem enhances speed and reliability—not just for F1 but also for businesses. ✅ Red Bull Racing & Red Bull Technology x Oracle → Oracle’s sponsorship goes beyond a logo—it’s deeply integrated into Red Bull’s race-winning strategy. Their cloud computing technology powers real-time analytics, helping Red Bull make faster strategic decisions on tyre management, pit stops, and race simulations. Oracle also created personalized fan engagement platforms using data to tailor content for different audiences, keeping them engaged beyond race weekends. ✅ Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team x WhatsApp → WhatsApp turned their F1 partnership into an inside look at team communications. They showcased real-time messages between engineers and drivers, highlighting how instant and secure communication is critical in high-pressure race environments. This wasn’t just a sponsorship—it was a storytelling strategy, giving fans exclusive access to how decisions are made within the team. 💡 The difference? Forgettable sponsors chase hype. Smart sponsors create impact. If your sponsorship disappears after the press release… what was the point? Who’s doing it right in F1? Drop your thoughts below. Video Graphic by Formula Addict (Efe Akçay)

76% of marketers can't prove ROI on their sports sponsorships. The market is set to double anyway. The global sports sponsorship market is projected to grow from £97 billion in 2023 to £190 billion by 2030. And three-quarters of sponsors can't prove what they're getting from the biggest line item in their marketing budget. This is the Emperor's New Clothes of sports business. On this week's The Attention Shift Podcast, Jo Redfern made the point that we're stuck in a loop where everyone's pretending the old metrics still work. Logo appearances. Time on screen. Impressions. These tell you nothing about whether anyone actually cared, bought anything, or remembered your brand. Most sponsorship deals are still built on passive logo placement. Pay money, get visibility, job done. Except visibility doesn't equal value anymore. What actually works? Look at what Maybelline did with Olivia Mahr at the New York Marathon. Natural. Authentic. Connected to the athlete's existing brand. Or Spotify's content-led approach with FC Barcelona - creating cultural moments through artist collaborations rather than just slapping a logo on a shirt. These aren't traditional sponsorships. They're partnerships where both sides understand the audience and create something worth paying attention to. Lee Radbourne put it well: The sponsorship market won't double because the current model works. It'll double if brands stop renting eyeballs and start building actual relationships through athletes and properties that genuinely connect. Full episode with Jo Redfern and Lee Radbourne is live now https://lnkd.in/eszKhjNJ

Do you TRULY care what your guests think? All the best hotels have a solid guest feedback acquisition process and they usually count with a system that aggregates the information and provides synthethized feedback for the leaders to review. Whether it’s Medallia, Customer Alliance, Revinate, or others, guest feedback tools are incredibly important to drive excellence in a hotel operation. In my experience across different brands, many times the focus is on the score rather than the actual feedback. “Ouch, we received a 75.” “That guest gave us a 3 out of 5.” “We’re at an 83 for the month”. Although the scores are a reflection of the performance of the team, they don’t always tell the whole story. Rather, it’s important to read the actual comments that the guests provide, for they leave you with important clues of where your team needs to focus their attention. “The lighting in the room was too dark, not allowing us to properly put make up on before our dinner.” “Every time we went to the restaurant, it took a long time for the waiter to approach our table.” “There was always a loud noise near the Spa, not ideal for a calming massage.” As a Hotel General Manager, you should make sure that your team focuses on the actual guest feedback, and that they take the comments and action on them, when relevant. If you’re seeing trends come up with the comments your guests give you, it’s a clear indication that the experience is negatively affected. The best hotels aren’t the ones chasing the score. The score will come. Rather, chase the information garnered and create a process of diligent follow up to ensure the experience is polished on a daily basis. We are, after all, in this business for our guests, aren’t we? #hospitality #conscioushospitality #thinktolearntolead #hotels #generalmanager #leadwithintention #leadership #feedback #guests

The Voice of the Customer (VoC) can be your secret weapon in making smarter decisions. This valuable data is a treasure trove of insights that can help analysts truly understand what customers are thinking. Whether it comes from online reviews, social media posts, or survey responses, VoC data provides real-time feedback on what matters most to your target audience. But simply collecting this data isn't enough; it's important to analyze and make sense of it. This is where tools like Topic Models come into play. See the example below used to visualize three of the themes that emerged from a few thousand hotel reviews posted by customers to an online review site. These models categorize feedback into important themes such as pricing, customer service, or product quality, allowing you to uncover the driving forces behind customer sentiment by seeing the words they use when speaking about that theme. Topic Models can also be combined with quantitative data like star ratings or sentiment analysis, which measures the intensity of customer perception and emotions. By carefully analyzing VoC data, you can turn unstructured feedback into actionable insights that can improve your products, refine your marketing messages, and enhance your customer service based on what your customers are really saying. You’ll not only be listening to your customers — you’ll be learning from them, too. Art+Science Analytics Institute | University of Notre Dame | University of Notre Dame - Mendoza College of Business | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | University of Chicago | D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University | ELVTR | Grow with Google - Data Analytics #Analytics #DataStorytelling

NFL teams generated $2.5B in sponsorship revenue from over 2,000 brands—here are some of the things I unpacked that helped lead to this historic growth: 1️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨-𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 🏈 The Construction & Industrial sector has historically been a highly active internationally (especially the EPL) but relatively quiet in U.S. sports—until now. This year, we saw a significant jump within this sector. 🏈 Ready-to-drink (RTD) alcohol brands have surged, with 1/3rd of teams with deals working with more than one brand. 🏈 The NFL’s vast fan base means some brands can’t always afford to reach everyone—so the league has been smart in designing segmented audience strategies that allow brands to optimally engage specific audiences. 2️⃣ 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 NFL Players have more endorsements than any other sport, acting as a gateway for brands entering the league. This lowers the barrier to entry, allowing brands to A/B test content, iterate quickly, and refine messaging before committing to larger team deals. The result is a thriving ecosystem where athlete partnerships fuel more sponsorship opportunities. 3️⃣ 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 With international expansion, teams now offer a broader marketing platform for brands, opening the door to entirely new deals. This year alone, we saw 68 brands activate internationally, proving the model out. 4️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 & 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 Sponsorships are no longer just about logos on a stadium wall—they’re about embedding brands into the fan experience. Teams and brands are working together to create meaningful, culturally relevant activations, including: ✔ Player arrivals as branded moments ✔ Sustainability and causes ✔ Second-chance sweepstakes and games ✔ Social content and product integrations 5️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 The entire sponsorship industry is expanding, and the NFL benefited from the influx of new marketing dollars. In 4 years, the volume of teams, events and athlete deals has more than doubled. This means more sellers in the market, more conversations with brands, and more dollars reallocated into sponsorship as a critical marketing channel—benefiting not just the NFL, but the entire industry. I’ve spoken with multiple brand partners who feel that teams are treating them as true collaborators, rather than just sponsors—taking a first-principles approach to partnership design that is redefining the space. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐅𝐋 𝐈𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐚 365-𝐃𝐚𝐲, 360-𝐃𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 Over time, the NFL has evolved into a year-round, multi-dimensional commercial powerhouse, where brands engage fans across multiple platforms, markets, and moments—both in and out of the stadium.

I’ve been into hotel finance for almost 10+ years now. I’ve learned that what’s left unsaid by your guests often impacts your bottom line the most. Sure, you’ve got rave reviews from happy travelers, and yes, complaint-handling protocols are in place. But what about the guests who leave with a polite smile yet never return? 𝟭. 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘀: Returning guests are 60%-70% more profitable than new ones. But if their dissatisfaction remains unvoiced, you may never know why they didn’t come back. 𝟮. 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: A guest who doesn’t complain might not be angry—but they also aren’t recommending your property to friends or family. 𝟯. 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀: Issues like slow room service or poor amenities that go unreported stay unaddressed. Unsolved problems can cost more over time, both financially and reputationally. 𝟰. 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗲: A seemingly "happy" guest may quietly book elsewhere next time, even if your rates are competitive. 𝟱. 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗨𝗽𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Unspoken discomfort (like noisy rooms or bland food) can discourage guests from spending more on upgrades or F&B services. But how do you identify these silent signals? 𝟭. 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽-𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗚𝗼 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀 - Ask open-ended questions like: “𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧?” 𝟮. 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 - Patterns like short booking durations or lower in-house spending can signal dissatisfaction. 𝟯. 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳 - Train them to observe non-verbal cues and proactively check in: “𝙃𝙤𝙬’𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢? 𝙄𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚?” 𝟰. 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 - QR codes or anonymous forms allow shy guests to express concerns without confrontation. 𝟱. 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 - A lack of reviews could be as telling as negative ones. 𝟲. 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺—𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺. 𝗔 𝟱% 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝟮𝟱%-𝟵𝟱%. - Catching and resolving hidden pain points early reduces the cost of negative guest experiences and their long-term ripple effects. If you want to unlock your hotel’s full revenue potential, listen closely to what’s not being said. The best time to address silent dissatisfaction is before it leaves your property. Every smile, every stay, and every “thank you” has a story. Make sure you know all of it.

The most valuable real estate on Audi's new F1 car might be the empty space. Audi F1 Project is making a radical bet on "less is powerful." This is the philosophy driving the commercial strategy for their 2026 entry. Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley has made it clear: they will not have a car "covered in sponsor logos from top to bottom." Instead, they are building a "clean, clear, crisp outlook." This is a calculated move to create an exclusive, premium platform that stands apart on a crowded grid. With the agency Legends Global (the firm behind Real Madrid and the New York Yankees) co-leading the strategy, Audi is building a small, powerful, and deeply integrated partner ecosystem. Each partner tells a piece of the story: → The Title Partner (Revolut): Instead of a traditional bank, they chose a fintech "disruptor." The 75M−100M+ per year deal is a clear signal that Audi is targeting a younger, tech-savvy global audience. This is a technology alliance, not just a branding exercise. → The Cultural Partner (adidas): This ~$30M per year deal is a statement of national pride. It unites two German icons under the banner of "Four Rings and Three Stripes," creating a powerful narrative around shared values of engineering, performance, and heritage. → The Technical Foundation (bp /Castrol ): This is a co-engineering partnership. BP and Castrol are not just providing fluids; they are embedded in the process of creating the heart of the car—the 2026 power unit—from a blank sheet of paper. This approach transforms the idea of sponsorship. It moves from selling ad space to building a premium brand alliance, where each partner's value is amplified by the exclusivity of the platform. It's a model built on the belief that a few, deep relationships are infinitely more powerful than a collage of shallow ones. It leaves every brand with a critical question: Is your partnership just another sticker in the crowd, or are you one of the few, select partners that defines the entire platform? 👇 #Sponsorship #F1 #Audi #Marketing #SportsBiz #FalconHQ #Partnerships

One of my favorite partner marketing frameworks was one I learned from Shanna Wagnor: Partner marketing has 3 pillars: Marketing TO partners Marketing THROUGH partners Marketing WITH partners Marketing TO partners: This is about attracting and engaging the partner themselves as the customer. Goal: Convince a potential partner to start a new partnership OR to eengage an existing partners through enablement and value add offers. Tactics: Education campaigns, incentive programs, newsletters, or exclusive offers targeted directly at the partners. Example: An AI B2B Company running a targeted outbound email campaign to recruit AI consulting firms by showcasing the potential business model and joint value proposition of a partnership. Marketing THROUGH partners: Through enablement and experiential learning, the partner becomes self sufficient and runs marketing campaigns on your behalf: Goal: Leverage the partner’s reach, marketing capabilities and credibility to drive demand with their customer base, without needing your help. Tactics: Co-branded collateral, MDF (market development funds), joint campaigns, sales enablement tools, and plug-and-play marketing assets for the partner to use. Example: A cybersecurity SaaS company providing turnkey webinar kits to its MSPs so they can run customer-facing events under their own brand. Marketing WITH partners: This is the most collaborative approach: Joint marketing efforts to amplify the results. Goal: Create and execute campaigns and customer experiences together that benefit both brands. Tactics: Joint webinars, CxO dinner roundtables, thought leadership content featuring both parties, bundled offerings, integrated campaigns, or shared sponsorships at conferences. Example: ISV #1 partners with ISV #2 to host a webinar and features a customer that is leveraging their integration to drive business outcomes. Both ISVs work together to build the content and promote the webinar, and likely end up getting more then 2X return on their efforts in top of funnel.

Guest Experience Metrics in Hotels (GRI - NPS - RPS - OSAT) In luxury hospitality, numbers are more than statistics—they are reflections of how guests perceive, experience, and remember their stay. Among the most common metrics used to evaluate quality and guest experience are GRI, NPS, RPS, and OSAT. While they may seem interchangeable, each one serves a distinct purpose: GRI (Global Review Index™) – An industry benchmark developed by ReviewPro. It consolidates reviews from multiple platforms (TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Google, etc.) into one score (0–100), offering a clear view of your online reputation and how you compare to competitors. NPS (Net Promoter Score) – A measure of guest loyalty. By asking “How likely are you to recommend us?”, hotels can identify promoters, passives, and detractors. The resulting score (–100 to +100) shows the strength of guest advocacy and repeat business potential. RPS (Reputation Performance Score) – A performance score that tracks overall online reputation across OTAs and review sites. Often used as a key KPI by hotel groups, it helps managers monitor service impact on reputation and drive accountability across departments. OSAT (Overall Satisfaction Score) – A straightforward question: “Overall, how satisfied were you with your stay?” This provides a simple snapshot of guest satisfaction, though it is less diagnostic than other metrics. In practice: • GRI = Reputation Benchmark • NPS = Loyalty and Advocacy • RPS = Performance Accountability • OSAT = Overall Sentiment Together, these metrics give hoteliers a 360° understanding of guest experience—balancing reputation, satisfaction, and loyalty to guide both strategic and daily decisions.