The All-Stars are Coming
We have an amazing lineup of speakers, featuring marketing experts, sports personalities, entrepreneurs, and academics - all coming together for one exclusive night. Join us and learn from the industry’s best and get key takeaways to help you perform at the top of your game in 2019.
Get to know our Speaker Lineup a little more in depth before coming to the All-Stars of Marketing of February 12th at the NASCAR Hall of Fame :
Mike Pacheco, Co-Host, Pepsi Wrap Show, Carolina Panthers Radio Network
With over 27-years of broadcast experience, Mike is an experienced Radio/TV play by play announcer, talk show host, reporter, studio host, sports anchor, consultant, event emcee and writer.
Currently, Mike is co-host and producer for both the CPI Security Postgame Show and Pepsi Wrap Show on the Carolina Panthers Radio Network. In addition to airing on the network and WBT Radio, the shows are streamed live on the team’s website: www.Panthers.com. Mike is also is a freelance sports producer for NBC News Channel located in Charlotte, NC.
During the late fall and winter months, Mike is the TV play by play announcer for all Winthrop University men's and women's home basketball games and color analyst for the men's basketball road games and post season play.
Entering his 15th season, Mike is also number 2 play by play announcer for all Charlotte Knights home games and select road games on ESPN Charlotte. Along with Matt Swierad he also handles play-by-play for Knights TV broadcasts on Charlotte's My12 and NBC Sports Chicago. Mike also hosts "The Charlotte Knights Pregame Show" broadcast on the video board and on the in-house channel at BB&T BallPark.
Seth Bennett, SVP Marketing, Entertainment, and Media, Charlotte Hornets
In his 13th season with the organization, Seth Bennett is Senior Vice President of Marketing for Hornets Sports & Entertainment. In this role, he is responsible for departments including marketing and advertising, event and game presentation, technical operations, the Hornets Fan Shop and team ambassadors. Bennett is also responsible for supervising the business operations of the Greensboro Swarm, the organization’s NBA G League franchise that began play in 2016.
Bennett initially joined the franchise in September 2006, overseeing corporate partnerships and grassroots marketing. Since then, his responsibilities have included managing the team’s broadcast relationships with TV partner FOX Sports Southeast and flagship radio network WFNZ, the selection and scheduling of regional preseason games across North and South Carolina and the revamping of the team’s game presentation, as well as the redesign of the team store and the introduction of exclusive co-branded Jordan Brand apparel into the store’s inventory. Bennett served as one of the franchise’s primary leaders in the rebranding to the Charlotte Hornets, managing all aspects of the process on a day-to-day basis.
Bennett has more than 25 years of experience in a variety of areas across sports and entertainment. As owner and founding principal of The Event Authority, he produced over 400 live events for various college and high school athletic programs and entertainment entities. That list includes nine HBCU Football Classics, the Jordan Brand Classic high school basketball all-star game and the HoopTee Celebrity Golf Classic, as well as the corporate entertainment for the PGA Tour FBR Open in Phoenix. He also spent eight years working in NCAA Division I athletics.
Bennett earned his bachelor’s degree in public relations in 1993 from North Carolina A&T State University, where he played football for the Aggies. He currently serves on the North Carolina A&T State University Board of Visitors. He and his wife, Michelle, have one son, Seth Michael.
Mike Boykin, CEO Bespoke Sports and Entertainment
Mike is recognized as an industry leader in sports and entertainment marketing. For more than 30 years, he’s led brand strategy, consultation, property negotiation, event marketing, account team management and activation platforms across the entire sports landscape. At the agency level, he’s managed award-winning teams of marketers representing dozens of marquee brands.
Mike’s experience and high-level sports industry relationships led him to launch Bespoke Sports & Entertainment, a new agency model that provides thoughtful senior-level counsel and custom marketing solutions specifically tailored for individual brands. As CEO of Bespoke Sports & Entertainment, Mike plays a lead role in business development, client consultations, leading negotiations, and building industry relationships. Bespoke has been recognized on the Chief Marketer Top 200 and the PROMO Top Shops listings of top marketing agencies.
Mike consistently volunteers to lead industry associations, most recently founding the Charlotte Sports+Business networking group. He’s also worked with National Sports Forum founder Ron Seaver and longtime sports executive Andy Dolich to launch the NSF Diversity and Cohort Programs. In addition to mentoring countless individuals, Mike has served as a speaker at various conferences and universities. He is also a published writer and regularly provides commentary on marketing trends for trade and consumer media.
Prior to Bespoke, Mike helped build GMR Marketing into an internationally recognized sports marketing agency over a 15-year span. Under his leadership, GMR received numerous industry awards, including being recognized by SportsBusiness Journal as Agency of the Year in both the Consulting and Event categories – one of the few agencies to have that distinction. Prior to GMR, Mike held leadership positions at ESPN Regional, Host Communications and the Checkerdome.
Mike is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and the Ohio University Sports Administration program. He is also a recipient of the Charles R. Higgins Distinguished Alum Award from Ohio University.
Dr. BerNadette Lawson-Williams, Online Sport Management Program Coordinator & Associate Professor at Johnson C. Smith University/ Blossom Sports & Consulting
Dr. BerNadette Lawson-Williams is a "Pracademician" who currently serves as an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the online Sport Management program at Johnson C. Smith University. She possesses extensive experiences working in a variety of marketing, customer-service, event management, recruiting, game operations, and hospitality capacities for numerous sport events, including, but not limited to the: NFL SuperBowl, NFL Pro Bowl, CIAA Basketball Tournament, Dr. Pepper ACC Football Championship, NASCAR Pit Crew Combine, NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Regional Championships, and the UCI BMX World Championship, among many others. Dr. Lawson-Williams is also the Founder and CEO of Blossom Sports & Consulting, LLC, as well as the author of two books: "Blossom Bee's Golf Adventures," and "I Don't Mean to Smash Your Tomatoes, Honey!"
Dan Schaefer, Director of Sports Product Marketing / Sports Cable TV at Spectrum
Dan Schaefer is an 18-year veteran of the television and sports industries. He is a graduate of the Sports Management program from the University of Massachusetts and began his career at the Atlantic 10 Conference office in Philadelphia, where he coordinated broadcasts of games and conferences for the A-10 TV Network.
He spent nine years at ESPN in the Programming, Customer Marketing and Sales departments, creating multimedia sponsorship packages and serving as the marketing solutions expert between sales and production for Tennis, Golf, NBA and motorsports. Additionally, Dan programmed over 400 annual hours of sports programming and negotiated outside programming packages worth more than $5MM in annual revenue for ESPN & ABC.
Currently Dan resides in Los Angeles, California and is Spectrum Reach’s Director of Product Marketing, for Sports and Entertainment. He oversees the creation of sports programming educational collateral, manages cable TV network partnerships and develops unique client experiences through cross-channel network promotions.
DeAndrae Watson, Group Director and VP, Octagon Sports
Career history: Octagon, 2007-present in various roles; Montgomery Biscuits, marketing assistant/director of entertainment, 2004-07, sales and marketing intern, 2003-04
Family: Wife, Elizabeth
Neighborhood: Belmont neighborhoodGreatest business accomplishment of the past year: Being part of an initial work summit and ongoing initiative that’s transforming how my company is embracing diversity and inclusion as a fundamental fabric of our ethos.
Greatest civic accomplishment of the past year: I am proud of becoming more invested locally through church and mentoring students and young people entering the sports marketing industry.
Current civic/volunteer activities: Winning Edge Leadership Academy; Johnson & Wales Sports, Entertainment and Event Management Program; Watershed Social Justice
What you like best about living in the Charlotte region: First, it feels like a cosmopolitan city in the sense that most people I’ve met have chosen Charlotte as a destination. Secondly, Charlotte truly has a lot — from restaurants and breweries to sports and entertainment, it has the appeal of a big city without many of the challenges/frustrations.
The most important issue facing the region: How Charlotte balances growth and development while preserving its charm/history and advancing its cultural identity
Hobbies: Watching sports, listening to podcasts and music, working out, reading, watching movies and TV with my wife
Hero: This used to be a simple answer — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was my childhood hero and President Barack Obama had a transformative impact on my life. But my wife has truly become my real, everyday hero. After battling breast cancer and having open-heart surgery during the past 18 months, she continues to personify love, grace, courage and selflessness.
Fantasy job: Commissioner of the SEC
One-word description of self: Unfinished
