NEW YORK—In the third year of the Retail Influencer CEO Forum, event host and specialty PR firm Berns Communications Group (BCG) curated programming that, as per usual, highlighted the intersection of entertainment, fashion, and culture. But new this year was the inclusion of sports—which took center stage as C-suite-level executives from the likes of American Eagle, True Religion, and Mansueto Ventures (the firm behind Fast Company and Inc. magazines) joined heavyweight sports industry leaders in a series of panel discussions hosted by The Daily Beast’s Joanna Coles.
With stunning views of the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty at the ritzy Danny Meyer restaurant Manhatta, programming took on the theme of “Icons: Inspiring the Future” this year, based on the trends the New York-based specialty PR firm BCG has taken note of so far this year.
Coles introduced the Sept. 10 evening event as one inspired by the confluence of sports, entertainment, and retail—using Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s romance (even questioning if it were more of a “showmance”) as an example of this intersection. The first panel, titled “Why Female Athletes Are Brands’ Best Storytellers,” highlighted the uptick in popularity among women's sports, as well as IRL, fan-centric sports experiences that have brands looking to athletes as ambassadors more than ever.
During a session titled “Why Female Athletes Are Brands’ Best Storytellers,” American Eagle CMO Craig Brommers spoke on the positive impact brand activations have had on engaging the apparel brand's customers.Photo: Courtesy of Berns Communications Group
Take it from panelist and American Eagle CMO Craig Brommers, who spoke on the apparel giant’s “Live Your Life” campaign featuring tennis icon Coco Gauff, whom Forbes pegged as the No. 3-highest-paid female athlete in 2023 with a staggering $21.7 million in yearly earnings. Brommers attributed Gauff’s presence in ads to a hefty chunk of sales, while another important driver of revenue, he said, has proved to be brand activations.
Thus, as part of the “Live Your Life” campaign, Brommers said that American Eagle sought to engage its primarily Gen Z demographic with a slate of surprise activations, such as the all-day disco dance party in Brooklyn’s Domino Park that took place in late August, helping American Eagle blow past last year’s back-to-school sales. And in June, the brand soft-launched its Halloween collection—items that have since become among the highest sellers in the latest quarter.
Ultimately, it’s all about the ROI. And all the proof company execs should need about the power of brand activations is in the numbers, noted Stacey Hawes, chief data and performance officer at integrated technology and marketing services provider MERGE, in another session titled “Gen Z Confessions: Why They Overspend on Brands They Love at Live Events.”
Music to an event professional’s ears, the discussion was all about MERGE’s recent survey highlighting the relationship between Gen Z consumers, ages 12 through 27, and live events. Perhaps the most insightful figure reported in "The Event Effect: Gen Z Retail Survey”: A staggering 85.8% of the 1,000 Gen Zers surveyed admitted to exceeding their budget when attending an event. 
Members of BCG's "Z-Suite"—an exclusive and diverse network of Gen Z movers and shakers—joined Stacey Hawes, chief data and performance officer at integrated technology and marketing service provider MERGE, for a discussion on why the generation overspends at live events.Photo: Courtesy of Berns Communications Group
Unsurprisingly, top spending categories included food and beverage (33.7%) and apparel and accessories (33.7%), with an impressive 64% of respondents reporting that brand advertising at an event alone drove their purchases.
Among the takeaways from the insightful survey: “Brand activations are a must,” “Males buy on impulse,” “Females overspend,” and—interestingly enough—"Sustainability is not a concern.” Though consumers are tuned in to the concept of “greenwashing,” where companies publish false claims about their environmentally friendly products or practices, MERGE found that sustainability ranked low overall as a concern for Gen Zers when deciding to attend or avoid an event.
Content aside, BCG President Stacy Berns then hosted a networking cocktail hour, where guests were ushered to Manhatta’s bar area with its floor-to-ceiling windows perched 60 stories above Lower Manhattan. The space was complete with an “activation room” with “the kind of unique activations that are drawing consumers at live sports, music, and entertainment events, including a luxury piercing experience and a kiosk where guests can have their bags customized,” Berns described.
The goal for the activation room was to fill it with “the kind of unique activations that are drawing consumers at live sports, music, and entertainment events," Berns told BizBash.Photo: Courtesy of Berns Communications Group
Mixing and mingling was followed by a VIP dinner for select CEOs, who dined while listening in on a conversation between Coles and celebrity businesswoman Martha Stewart. Berns told BizBash that including a dinner (which was new to this year’s format) proved to be “one of the best ways to bring executives together in person because they feel more authentic and exclusive than big industry conferences and sales events.”
“Executives at our dinners tend to feel more at ease and be more willing to honestly share their thoughts and engage with each other,” Berns added. “The more intimate settings are also great for fostering partnerships because they give people a way to get to know each other personally.”
Keep scrolling to see more inside the 2024 Retail Influencer CEO Forum...
Berns Communications Group President Stacy BernsPhoto: Courtesy of Berns Communications Group
After a slew of fireside chats, guests were invited to mix and mingle during a cocktail hour, which featured an "activation room."Photo: Courtesy of Berns Communications Group
In the activation room, NYC-based body piercing shop Wildlike was on site offering free piercings to the 125-plus executives, investors, analysts, and members of press in attendance.Photo: Courtesy of Berns Communications Group
Elsewhere in the activation room, women's luxury fashion brand Cuyana played host to a free personalization station.Photo: Courtesy of Berns Communications Group
As part of the forum's star-studded lineup, supermodel Ashley Graham (right) and Mindy Grossman, Consello Group's president and vice chair, spoke on a panel titled "What It Takes to Create Authentic Brand Partnerships."Photo: Courtesy of Berns Communications Group
