SPEAKERS
We are pleased to present the following speakers, panelists and instructors.
BRANDI PICKERING
Sponsorship Development Officer, Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville
Brandi Pickering is the Sponsorship Development Officer for the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, where she oversees the sponsorship, grants and naming rights portfolios for the Community Services Commission. With over 20 years of experience in sponsorship, Brandi focuses on building strategic partnerships, strengthening community relationships, and growing non-tax revenue.
Over the past three years, she has helped increase sponsorship revenues by more than 52% while maintaining a 73% retention rate. She also supports fundraising for the Stouffville Legacy Fund, which has distributed over $1.5 million in grants to local organizations since 2019. Outside of work, Brandi is a busy mom of two young boys and spends most evenings and weekends at the rink or baseball diamond.
BRENT BAROOTES
President and CEO, Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists
For over three and a half decades, Brent Barootes has been at the forefront of sponsorship and partnership marketing in Canada. As President and CEO of the Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists®, he has worked directly with municipalities for over 20 years to create and optimize their sponsorship strategies and revenues.
Brent's expertise is further underscored by his Amazon Canada best-selling book, "Reality Check – Straight Talk about Sponsorship Marketing." A seasoned speaker, Brent is known for his engaging style and has presented at numerous conferences, as well as delivered a compelling TEDx talk on "Busting the Work-Life Balance Myth." He currently resides in Nanaimo, BC.
CARL KARAMAOUN
President, AIDAPT
Carl Karamaoun is a passionate entrepreneur and President of AIDAPT.ca - a company that helps organizations integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their business operations. AIDAPT focuses on AI training, tool integration, and custom AI problem-solving, with clients across sectors including not-for-profit, government, hospitality, events, and more.
Carl is also the Founder of Latin Sparks Festival, one of Canada’s largest celebrations of Latin music, dance, food, and culture, and leads Level UP, a digital business and technology hub that empowers Canadian artists and arts organizations to thrive. When he’s not helping companies adapt to the future of work, you can find Carl traveling the world, hitting the gym, writing poetry, or mentoring youth in life and business skills at the Boys and Girls Club of Canada.
Fun Fact: Carl speaks five languages - English, French, Spanish, Polish, and Arabic - and that’s without the help of AI!
Feel free to connect with Carl on LinkedIn.
CHRIS REED
Advertising and Sponsorship Coordinator, Town of Whitby
Chris Reed is a recognized leader in municipal sponsorship strategy and corporate partnerships, bringing more than 30 years of experience advancing revenue growth, asset valuation, and community‑aligned partnerships across local government, professional sport, and financial services. He has held senior roles within municipal environments, leading advertising and sponsorship programs, negotiating naming rights agreements, and building scalable frameworks that balance commercial value with public accountability.
His career includes nearly two decades with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and senior leadership roles with BMO Financial Group and on the agency side with Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialist, provides him with a rare blend of public‑ and private‑sector expertise.
Currently serving as Advertising and Sponsorship Coordinator with the Town of Whitby, Chris aids in the development and execution of sponsorship initiatives that enhance municipal services, public spaces, and community experiences. He brings a strategic, governance‑aligned approach to partnership development, ensuring programs deliver measurable financial results while maintaining transparency and public trust.
Chris is widely respected for his ability to build strong stakeholder relationships and create sustainable sponsorship models that align commercial objectives with community benefit. A trusted advisor and collaborative leader, he remains committed to helping municipalities unlock long‑term value while preserving the integrity of public assets.
TROY SEDGWICK
President & CEO, Rec Media Inc.
Troy has over three decades of media industry experience, having founded Rec Media in 1995. Rec Media has grown to become the largest company of its kind in Canada, connecting brands with audiences in community and municipal recreational facilities coast‑to‑coast. With offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, Rec Media has placed campaigns in over 3000 venues nation‑wide, working with brands like McDonald’s, Esso, Toyota, Scotiabank, Chrysler, WestJet and Bell, among others.
Troy is a Dean’s List graduate of the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business, holding a Bachelor of Commerce degree, with distinction, and is a recipient of the Chancellor’s Club Academic Excellence Award. Prior to completing his studies at Haskayne, Troy spent a year at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management in Montreal, where he studied international business and French as a second language. Troy is also a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honour Society for Collegiate Schools of Business.
Troy is a past director with the Canadian Out-of-Home Marketing and Measurement Bureau (COMMB), a past Vice‑President and board member of the Canadian Marketing Association (Calgary chapter), and a past board member of the Calgary chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO).
Troy enjoys sharing what he has learned from others and is a past Mentor of the Year with the AMA Toronto Mentor Exchange, part of the Schulich School of Business at York University. Troy has also mentored with the BMO Mentorship Program at the Canadian Centre for Advanced Leadership, part of the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. Troy is a past winner of Leaders of Tomorrow, presented by Business in Calgary Magazine, a program recognizing individuals in the business community contributing to Calgary's entrepreneurial landscape through their personal integrity, values, business initiatives, community involvement, innovation, and philanthropic commitment.
Troy divides his time between the Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary offices. A self‑admitted foodie, Troy is known for his love of wine, food and international travel. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling, swimming, triathlons and auto-racing. Troy is actively involved in his local community and enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.
To learn more about Rec Media, visit www.recmedia.com.
JUDY HABER
Founder, Performance Sponsorship Group (PSG)
Judy Haber, Founder of Performance Sponsorship Group (PSG) brings extensive experience selling naming rights and corporate sponsorships.
Judy is considered to be a Municipal Sponsorship expert by her peers in the industry and has conducted audits, packaged and sold Naming Rights for clients including: City of Kitchener City (Cowan Recreation Centre), City of Thunder Bay (Tbaytel Multiplex), Town of Grimsby (Major Refrigeration Peach King Centre) , City of Kenora (Moncrief Construction Recreation Centre), King Township (Zancor Centre), Municipality of Leamington (Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre, Sunset Stadium), Municipality of Trent Hills (Sunny Life Recreation and Wellness Centre), Town of Bracebridge (Muskoka Lumber Community Centre), Municipality of Chatham-Kent, Municipality of West Perth, Township of North Wellington, Lindsay Park Sport Society (MNP Community and Sports Centre), Town of Devon (GFL Recreation Centre, Paragon Soil Ball Diamonds), City of Spruce Grove (TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre, Border Paving Athletic Centre, Heavy Metal Place), Shaw Centre, to name a few.
Judy has negotiated and sold sponsorship packages to companies that include: Agrium Inc., Air Canada, Canadian Tire, Chestnut Hills, Bell Canada, Border Paving, Can Pak Environmental, Co-operators, Cowan Insurance, Dairy Queen, Direct Energy, Enbridge, EPCOR, Fountain Tire, GFL, Leons, Lexus, McDonalds, MNP, New Balance, Panasonic, PepsiCo, Presidents Choice, RBC, Red Deer Freightliner, Remax, Rogers, Scott Builders, Scotia Bank, Shaw Communications, Shoppers Drug Mart, Sirius Satellite, Sobeys, TransAlta, TR Petroleum, TRX RV, Subaru, Subway Restaurants, Vale, and many more.
VICTORIA MAHONEY
Owner, Harmony Marketing
Victoria owns a boutique marketing agency in Toronto that specializes in marketing, partnerships and communications.
Named one of the top 40 under 40 for event professionals in North America, Victoria is the lead on all Harmony Marketing clients and is the co-producer of the Toronto Waterfront Festival and Sugar Shack TO in Toronto.
Victoria was instrumental in bringing the World’s Largest Rubber Duck to Toronto in both 2017 and 2023 which had a combined attendance of just under 1 million people. Victoria specializes in festival and event marketing and sponsorship and has extensive experience in media relations, event management, social media and government relations.
In her spare time, Victoria teaches tap dancing classes in the east end of Toronto. She also loves to travel and has visited all 7 continents and over 40 countries.
CRISTINA LIU
Supervisor of Economic Development and Tourism for the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville
Cristina Liu is an economic development professional with over nine years of experience advancing tourism development and placemaking in York Region. She spent eight years with the Town of Georgina, where she led the tourism development portfolio, launching the award-winning Field to Table Farm Tour and producing an award-winning short documentary Beyond the Fields by local filmmaker Quinn Corkal that highlighted the importance of supporting local farms and their contributions to the community. Cristina also led Georgina’s wayfinding strategy in partnership with Central Counties Tourism and launched the Town’s first business support program Business Bounce Back, in partnership with the Town of East Gwillimbury and YSpace, which helped establish a physical entrepreneurship hub YSpace North.
She’s currently the Supervisor of Economic Development and Tourism with the Town of Stouffville, where she’s launched the Town’s first Tourism Plan, led the rebrand of the Discover Stouffville tourism brand, and is currently co-leading the, first of its kind in York Region, Agritourism Strategy and Toolkit development project to support local farmers in developing on-farm tourism opportunities. Cristina sits on the Board of Directors for Central Counties Tourism and serves on the Culinary Tourism Alliance’s Education Committee. She is deeply passionate about tourism development, investment attraction and placemaking.
MAYOR IAIN LOVATT
Mayor, Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville
Mayor Lovatt was first elected to Whitchurch-Stouffville Council in 2014, representing Ward 5. He was elected Mayor in 2018, re-elected in 2022 and acclaimed in 2026. He looks forward to continuing to serve the residents of Whitchurch-Stouffville during his third term as Mayor.
In addition to his role as Mayor, Mayor Lovatt serves on York Regional Council. He is Vice-Chair of Housing York Inc. and York Region’s Transportation Committee and serves on the Region’s Audit Committee and the Board of Directors of YorkNet. He is also a member of the Rouge National Urban Park Advisory Committee.
TIM SULLIVAN
Manager, Marketing & Sponsorship, City of Mississauga
Tim Sullivan is the Manager of Business & Marketing Solutions for the City of Mississauga, where he leads sponsorship, advertising, corporate & event marketing, strategic partnerships, and revenue development initiatives. With more than 25 years of experience spanning municipal government, professional sports, sponsorship sales, and live event management, Tim has built a career focused on creating innovative marketing programs, developing strategic partnerships, and driving sustainable revenue growth.
In his current role, Tim is helping advance the City's approach to sponsorship, commercial partnerships, naming rights, advertising assets, and non-tax revenue generation. He works closely with corporate partners, internal stakeholders, and community organizations to create programs that generate measurable business results while enhancing resident and visitor experiences. His expertise includes sponsorship strategy, asset valuation, partnership development, revenue optimization, and the commercialization of public-sector assets.
Prior to joining the City of Mississauga, Tim held leadership positions with Canlan Ice Sports and spent more than a decade in professional sports and entertainment, including roles with the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays, as well work in the Arena Football League, Canadian Football League, and American Hockey League. Throughout his career, he has led marketing, sponsorship activation, event production, and fan engagement initiatives for major venues, events, and brands, gaining a unique perspective on how organizations can leverage partnerships and marketing to create both business and community impact.