An audience isn’t the same as a community. You direct your efforts to an audience, hoping to gain their attention. Community is what happens when that attention translates into loyalty.
An exclusive event series for entrepreneurs, investors, and civic leaders in Connecticut. Attendance is intentionally limited to 80–100 participants to maintain a high-trust, high-caliber setting.
We are entering an era where intelligence is no longer scarce. AI can generate ideas, strategies, and outputs at scale.
The question is no longer access to intelligence. It’s what creates advantage. The Forum@535 is built around that shift. Designed as a closed-door environment, it brings together a select group of founders and executives to engage in candid, experience-driven conversations on building, scaling, and leading organizations.
The Forum explores how businesses create meaning, generate momentum, and translate both into sustained growth.
What Can Your Business Co-Opt from Sports? Sports offers a range of great use-case examples. Our workshops will put them to work, inviting leaders from across industries and sectors to apply one of the day’s examples to their specific challenges. Together, we’ll compare experiences, question assumptions, and leave with plays they can put right to work.
An audience isn’t the same as a community. You direct your efforts to an audience, hoping to gain their attention. Community is what happens when that attention translates into loyalty.
Nov 12
Sports places a premium on loyalty in countless ways, from tickets and premium experiences to merchandise and access. Fans will often spend more and buy deeper into something they love, but that loyalty has its limits.
Nov 12
Digital access has made almost everything available to everyone. But live experiences and human attention can command an even greater premium.
Nov 12
Teams and leagues share priceless fan relationships with platforms, broadcasters, sponsors, and other partners.
Nov 12
Athletes, creators, and other high-profile talent have been building influence far beyond the organizations they work with.
Nov 12
Check back as we continue to add new voices.
Carol Stiff
Founder/President, Stiff Sports Media Consulting
André Swanston
Co-Owner, CT United FC
Amanda Rodgerson Devitt
Vice President for Student and Campus Life, University of Saint Joseph
Bob Lynch
Founder & CEO, SponsorUnited
Christopher Salem
CEO & Co-Founder, EFA Movement
Freddie Vargas
CEO, Tater Baseball
Gordon Hay
Co-Founder, ALINE Systems
John Roe
Founder, Chairman, President, SportsBug
Steve Wasik
CEO, VKTRY Gear
George Stella
Founder & CEO, BIGtoken
Michael Dresner
Founder, Business and Corporate Development, Forward Media Partners
David Sternberg
Head of Media Consulting , Range Sports
Jeffrey Lizotte
Director of Operations, The Foundry Hospitality
Tim Restall
President, Hartford Yard Goats Baseball
Sports has a way of turning attention into something more valuable: loyalty, community, revenue, and more.
We’ll explore the value drivers across sports and how they can be applied to your business. We’ll discuss lessons learned from athletes building their own brands and audiences, shifts in live experiences, and direct fan relationships, and explore how they can build value in any business.
David Sternberg
Head of Media Consulting, Range Sports
Carol Stiff
Founder/President, Stiff Sports Media Consulting
Freddie Vargas
CEO, Tater Baseball
Amanda Rodgerson Devitt
Vice President for Student and Campus Life, University of Saint Joseph
Bob Lynch
Founder & CEO, SponsorUnited
Tim Restall
President, Hartford Yard Goats Baseball
At The Forum at 535, networking isn't left to chance.
Through our Key Connections platform, each attendee receives a personalized matchmaking experience designed to accelerate meaningful outcomes. Based on your goals—whether you're hiring talent, seeking investment, exploring partnerships, or advancing policy and workforce development initiatives—our system identifies the most relevant people in the room.
Before the event, you'll receive a curated list of high-value connections, complete with a suggested itinerary of five people you should meet. No guesswork. No missed opportunities.
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The leaders who made this event possible
Bryn Tindall
CEO & Owner, Rebellion Group
Nick Duda
Founder, Rootline Advisory
Cindy Cornell
Vistage Chair, Vistage Worldwide, Inc
Guy Ragault
CEO at Northern Lakes Sales Leadership, Sandler by Northern Lakes
Kris Kaplan
Partner/Sr. Consultant, Crews & co.
Neill Sachdev
Partner, Sachdev Real Estate Development
Eric Lopez
Chief Executive Officer, Arrowhead Leadership Consulting LLC
Seth Allen
Leadership Consultant, Arrowhead Leadership Consulting LLC
Partners who make this event possible
