Digital engagement in the sports industry: CFL examples from VPDigital.com

I recently spoke with VPDigital.com about life in the digital media industry and what we were doing at the Canadian Football League to engage our fans. 2011 was a great year for the CFL in the digital space, especially on Twitter, where the Grey Cup topped HootSuite’s 2011 Twitter trends list.

VPDigital.com is a project of Viafoura. Their Director of Marketing, Chris Advansun, and I chatted via Skype in January for about 15 minutes. I did my best to provide concrete examples of some of our engagement tactics – hopefully you will find them useful when planning your digital strategy.

Here is a link to the video interview:

For more engagement on our video discussion, visit the original post on VPDigital.com and join the conversation.

How Twitter made me cry: Thoughts from a ‘community manager’

I never thought Twitter would make me cry.

When I launched the CFL’s social media presence in 2009, I did so because I loved talking football with people. I never considered myself a ‘community manager’. I was just another CFL fan, engaged in another conversation – only my computer happened to be located inside the league headquarters in Toronto.

Fast forward three years later and I would have never imagined in a million years what kind of an impact I could have had on people while in this role. Based on the feedback I received Thursday on Twitter, it was a profound impact – hence the tears as I sat alone in a park outside my office reading each and every heartfelt reply.

“@jaimestein @CFL Wow, I don’t know what to say.. This is probably how I’ll feel if Fantuz doesn’t stay with the Riders I guess..” said @CreelmanKid (David Carnegie) on Twitter.

It took a bit of digging, but I discovered David’s sentiment (and comparison to the soon-to-be biggest CFL free agent) was based on a phone call we had a couple of years ago.

He had reached out to me on Twitter to learn more about working at the CFL and what it would take to land a job with his favourite league or team. I gave him my personal number and told him to give me a ring. He called and we spoke for a decent amount of time. That would be the first of many times I gave out my phone number to a fan who had a question.

At the time, I had no guidebook on how to “do” social media. I simply followed my instincts which were based loosely on what Four Seasons hotel pioneer Isadore Sharp calls the ‘Golden Rule’.

I would always try to do what I felt was right – like the time I sent Kent Ridley a CFL fact book and ate the cost of postage because the main bookstore in his city decided it wasn’t going to carry the book and Kent didn’t want to pay the shipping charges from the online store.

Kent was a big supporter of the CFL on Twitter in the early days (when you could do one-off gestures like this), so I mailed him the book and put my faith in him that he would mail a cheque back for the cost of the book. When the cheque arrived it was accompanied by a five dollar gift card to Tim Hortons and a note that read, “This is why the CFL is the best league in the country.” My colleague, Sean, would later scribble ‘community builder’ onto the card that still sits above my desk today as a reminder of the importance of fans to OUR league.

As far back as I can remember, my father always pressed upon me the importance of treating people equally and fairly. He was the ultimate consensus builder and I tried to improve on the lessons I learned from him before he passed away far too soon from leukemia in 2006. He remains my guiding spirit when I require strength to make difficult decisions – such as the one I made this week to leave the Canadian Football League after four seasons as the League’s Manager of Digital Media.

When you reach another turning point or milestone in your career, I think it is beneficial to look back and figure out why you are where you are.

I never planned on a career in social media. If it wasn’t for the urging of my wife’s two colleagues back in 2008 – Renee Mellow and Danielle Restivo – I don’t think I would have signed up for Twitter that winter. Both insisted that I try Twitter, because they felt that my personality would lend well to the medium. I guess they were right.

But no roadmap existed for acting as the head of social media for a large brand. Thankfully I was able to blaze my own trail with the support of the Commissioner, Mark Cohon, who had the foresight and vision to realize the important role that social media would play in growing the fan base of the Canadian Football League. He told us to, “put the fans at the centre of everything that we do,” so that’s exactly what our team did and we created CFL Twitter and CFL Facebook pages. The rest is history.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a few social media leaders to whom I also owe a huge debt of gratitude. They worked on brands similar to the CFL where they invented new models of engagement that served as a source of inspiration for my methods.

Greg Hounslow remains someone I look up to in the social media world. I learned a ton from watching him care for WestJet customers through the social space. The effervescent Jon Sinden, from MLSE, captured my attention the first time I met him, when we sat together on the SportsConnectTO panel. He is always a valuable resource for integrating partners into contests and promotions – not to mention he simply ‘gets’ people. Rob Jack from the Toronto Blue Jays also sat on that panel and his knowledge of in-stadium social activation is a source of pride within the City of Toronto and beyond.

Amber Turnau taught me a ton about location based marketing through Whistler Blackcomb’s outstanding Foursquare program while Nicole Van Zanten and Derek Jory have shown me the ins and outs of endless online-offline engagement programs that they run for the fans of the Vancouver Canucks.

Last, but certainly not least, is Gloria Chik, who is one of the reasons why ING Direct even came across my radar as a great place to work. I met her for the first time at an ING Direct Meet and Tweet at the Dark Horse Espresso Bar and subsequently became a huge fan of her live events. In fact, I would say that her work had the biggest impact on how the current Grey Cup TweetUps are structured.

I may not have told many of the aforementioned social stars how much impact they have had on my success, but it is important to recognize that in such a new and emerging field, one does not succeed on their own. The best recipe for success is to observe and learn about what works and then take the best pieces from each situation and create your own way of doing things.

It also helps when you are a part of an amazing team. I was fortunate to work with some outstanding people at the CFL, including my direct team, which played a huge role in the success of our online engagement. Geeps, JD, Joe Italy, Bobby, OP, Obrand, Murph, Ruth, Mitch and others helped drive the bus, all under the leadership of Matt, whom we affectionately called “dad” because of his fatherly wisdom and advice.

This leads me to the CFL way we created, which would not have been possible without the input of the greatest fans in the world.

CFL fans are passionate and they are not afraid to tell you what you are doing right or wrong. Just ask Janice Sutherland who built a reputation as one of the fiercest combatants on the CFL Facebook page. But I will never forget the moment at the 2010 Grey Cup in Edmonton when I heard someone yell, “Hey! Is that Jaime Stein,” from the other end of the hotel lobby.

Somewhat stunned, I turned to see a woman decked head-to-toe in Rider green running across room in my direction. She stopped two inches in front of me and extended her right hand.

“Jaime Stein,” she said. “I’m Janice Sutherland.”

I took one look at her and said, “I’m not shaking your hand. Give me a hug.”

We embraced like two family members reuniting for the first time in years. Only, we had never met in person – just through Facebook where I would have to send her direct messages to remind her about the CFL’s fan code of conduct on our page.

As I walked away following our conversation, my colleagues who were with me asked why I had family at the game in Edmonton. When I explained that that was the first time Janice and I had met, they were stunned. But in a way, we were family. Just not the kind where you are related by blood.

I will never forget what Janice said to me as I walked away: “If I had known your were this nice in person, I wouldn’t have caused so much trouble on the Facebook page.”

While I try not to play favourites, Janice holds a special place. As does Spitzka – follow his tweets to me and you’ll know why.

I could spend another 1,400 words going on about stories like this, about the people and the things I will miss most about my time at the CFL. Fans like Brian Wawryshyn who devotes countless hours to supporting his team and his league. The unexpected Christmas card from Cliffy D or the first-class tailgate experience from Connie, Tanya, Belinda and others in Calgary or the quest to find the origin of the watermelon helmet with Norm in Regina. But I think I have made my point.

The good news is that even though I’m moving to a new position with ING Direct in a role where I will continue to be able to make a positive contribution to the lives of Canadians, I will always be a part of the CFL family. As anyone in the know will tell you, it truly is a family – it is much more than just a community.

So this is not goodbye, but just a chance to explain to everyone why Twitter made me cry on a Thursday afternoon.

8 tips to help you find your dream job

Finding a job is never easy, especially if you are just coming out of school or if you are fresh off an internship at a company that doesn’t have the capacity to hire you on.

I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to mentor some rising stars over the past couple of years through the CFL’s internship program, which I led, and through general networking. As part of the mentoring process, I have been able to lend a hand with the job search process to many of these young mentees who are striving to break into tough industries.

I have also been on the hiring end of the process and this has given me a unique perspective on what hiring managers seek when they search for new talent. One thing I have noticed in recent years is that many job applicants make it too easy for companies to knock them out of the process as a result of simple mistakes, some of which I will outline below.

Here is some of the advice I provide to young people on the hunt for a first job or an early career transition:

1. Network – You cannot network enough. This means pounding the pavement and making sure you are out there getting face-to-face meetings with people in the industry where you want to work. But that doesn’t mean asking Brian Burke for an information interview because you want to work in sports. That will be a waste of time for both parties. You should make sure to network with people who are one or two steps ahead of where you are trying to enter the industry. These people can give you the most relevant information on the positions you are seeking. Plus, they are usually the first people to know when friends at similar companies are hiring. These connections can prove invaluable during the job hunt because the greatest chance of getting hired usually takes place in the hidden job market long before a job is posted to the masses.

2. Create an online presence – In this day and age it is important that you have a strong digital presence. If you are not on LinkedIn, abandon this blog right now and set up an account. Make sure to use a professional photo (no cropped photos from your Facebook page that were shot on vacation). Once you build your profile, make sure to get recommendations. If you are an intern, ask for these recommendations as soon as your internship ends so that you are still fresh in the minds of the people you worked for. Also set up a Twitter account. You shouldn’t feel obligated to post, but it is a good listening tool and a great place to meet people about potential opportunities. I have hired freelance writers for CFL.ca through conversations that were initiated on Twitter. Set up some lists to help you track the topics you are interested in. I have lists of top marketing people, top social people and top sports industry people that I follow. This helps me stay on top of what is going on in the industry and it helps me know who to connect with. I also have a list called ‘Jobs’ which follows the HR and/or job posting feeds from the companies that I would consider working for. A lot of times, this is the best and quickest way to keep an eye on what sorts of jobs are open in the industry.

3. Pay attention to detail – While sorting through resumes for a recent position where I was on the hiring committee we came across several cover letters that were addressed to a different company. Triple check your work and make sure you are sending the right letter and resume to the right company. You should also make sure your file names make sense when sending in a cover letter and resume. Using something like ‘Resume – Jaime Stein – CFL.doc‘ or ‘Cover Letter – Jaime Stein – CFL.doc‘ helps make it easier for the hiring manager to find your documents, plus this looks more professional than ‘currentresumejaimestein.doc‘. Along these lines, make sure that your resume and cover letter are laid out in a clean and consistent manner. This is the biggest mistake many people make – submitting resumes that are not clear, consistent or lined up; having a resume that is more than two pages long for a junior job, etc. can make for an easy exit from the hiring process. There are a ton of free templates available online – find one that works for you and your experience.

4. Stand out from the crowd – As a hiring manager, I have sat in front of a screen for hours going through hundreds of resumes. After a while, most resumes look the same. Add some colour to your resume since most people view them online (as opposed to printing them out). One cover letter I received had a link to a YouTube video – the video was a 1-minute personalized pitch from the candidate on why she was right for the job. This helped the application stick out from the crowd. In another instance, we received a cover letter set up as a CNW press release – it was an application for a PR job and it demonstrated that this candidate understood the proper style for writing a release in addition to having a bit of creativity. If you are on Twitter or LinkedIn, make sure to add the URLs of your accounts on the resume. If you write a blog, include the URL so that you can show off your depth.

5. Prepare for the interview – Too many people enter an interview unprepared. My strategy is to write out a list of 10-15 potential questions in advance and then answer them in a Word document. This helps me organize my thoughts and potential answers to the questions that I may be asked in the interview. The questions could range from skill specific questions to leadership questions to scenario based questions. I find that scenario based questions are the hardest to answer because you have to really dig deep to find good answers to demonstrate the skill the interviewer is trying to determine that you have. Over time you will be able to compile a list of common questions – either through research online, talking to fellow job seekers or by approaching your mentor who has been through these situations before. Practice, practice, practice before the interview so that you are able to answer questions with confidence.

6. Apply for the right job – Don’t waste a company’s time by applying for a job where you don’t have the right qualifications. Read the job description thoroughly and then read it again to make sure you are applying for a job where you are the right fit.

7. Have goals and a vision – In pretty much every interview you will be asked what your goals are or what your dream job would look like. Make sure you have some sort of vision for your own future. There is nothing more demoralizing than hearing a candidate say, “Well, I’m not sure what I want to do… I’ll just take it one step at a time.” This will ensure that you will not make it to the next round. A friend of mine is looking for a photography intern. If I were applying for her position and was asked this question I would likely respond, “My goal is to shoot cover photographs for Sports Illustrated.” This lets her know what I want to do and how she can help me in the short term to reach my goal. It also demonstrates that I’m motivated and not simply looking for a job for the sake of having a job.

8. Say thank you – You would be amazed at how few thank you notes I have received after conducting a job interview. Make sure to send an e-mail within 12-24 hours thanking the person for the interview. Also use this opportunity to reinforce why you are the right person for the job. Don’t make it a long note, two or three quick paragraphs will do. And make sure you reference #3 from this list – get the person’s name, title, etc. correct.

These are just a few key pieces of advice I like to share when helping people find a job. But at the end of the day, nothing beats hard work and a great attitude. Good Luck!

My somewhat attainable 2012 reading list

I had a great conversation on Twitter the other day with Aiden (@AidanNg) about books. I confessed that I was old school and still have piles and piles of books lined up that are waiting to be read. He was in a similar situation and asked what I was reading. I figured it might be helpful to share my 2012 reading list on my blog since I’m always interested in hearing what other people are reading, as well.

I’d say about two-thirds of my reading list is based upon recommendations from people I know, people I have heard speak or lists from people I follow on Twitter. The other third are books I grabbed off the shelf while perusing through a book store.

Presently, there are massive piles of books in my office and on my nightstand that I’m trying to get through. Having worked full-time while completing my MBA part-time over the past three years, the piles have grown and grown. I do not have a target completion date and below is not the order I plan on reading through these piles of books. It is simply a list aimed at sparking discussion and hopefully soliciting some feedback on which of these books are worth reading next – or which other books I should add to the list.

Here is my current reading list:

• Brandwashed by Martin Lindstrom
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
• Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales
• Affinity: Beyond Branding by Martin Goldfarb & Howard Aster
• Best Practices Are Stupid by Stephen M. Shapiro
• The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
• Engage by Brian Solis
• The End of Business as Usual by Brian Solis
• Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
• Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard P. Rumelt
• We First by Simon Mainwaring
• In the Plex by Steven Levy
• Tribes by Seth Godin
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
• The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma
• Playing with Fire by Theo Fleury
• MacroWikinomics by Don Tapscott & Anthony D. Williams
• AdLand by Mark Tungate
• Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul by Howard Schultz
• The Intangibles of Leadership by Richard A. Davis
• Scorecasting by Tobias J. Moskowitz
• Fixing the Game by Roger Martin
• The Design of Business by Roger Martin
• Diaminds by Mihnea Moldoveanu & Roger Martin
• How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer
• Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty by Harvey Mackay
• First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
• The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Buckingham
• As One by Mehrdad Baghai & James Quigley
• Decoded by Jay-Z
• Super Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
• Counter Clockwise by Ellen J. Langer
• Creating Healthy Organizations by Graham Lowe
• Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
• A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel
• Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabilities by Jeffrey S. Rosenthal
• Race Against Time: Searching for Hope in AIDS-Ravaged Africa by Stephen Lewis
• The In-Between World of Vikram Lall by MG Vassanji
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
• Made to Stick by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
• What Happy People Know by Dan Baker & Cameron Stauth
• Hell or High Water by Paul Martin
• Imagining India by Nandan Nilekani
• A Soldier First by General Rick Hillier
• Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow

Well typing out that list has made me realize just how daunting it will be to read 45 new books! About a year ago, I shared the idea of the ’50 in 50 club’ with one of my mentors – that is where you read 50 books in 50 weeks; it is like a mental marathon – and he took on the challenge. He actually completed it, so I do know that this is indeed possible.

What books on this list did you enjoy? What are some of the books you have read recently that you really liked? I believe only one of the 45 books on my list is fiction, so clearly I need to broaden my fiction horizons.

Happy Reading!

Why saying hello to social media in 2012 isn’t for everyone

Social media is a little bit like New Year’s Eve. No one can decide where they want to spend the night, but once someone picks a bar (or club), everyone quickly decides they want to go to that bar, too.

But why do they want to go to that bar? Because that is where everyone else is hanging out, so it makes sense, right?

Not really.

I’m often asked by individuals and brand representatives if they should be using social media. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on the situation. And not all social media tools will apply to every person or brand.

G Adventures just launched an Instagram feed. This is a perfect social media tool for G Adventures, because travelling is an emotional experience that can best be communicated visually. Since launching on Instagram, G Adventures has posted a stunning display of images from its destinations, including the “Door to Hell” in Uzbekistan.

For someone who has traveled to more than 40 countries, I must admit that I had never heard of the “Door to Hell” before this moment, but now I have this sudden urge to visit Uzbekistan and discover what this ‘door’ is all about.

This is an example of a brand recognizing a great social media channel to connect with its current and potential customers.

“But we need to be on social media.” – Anonymous

Too many people panic and feel that they have to be on social media because their competitors or friends are ‘playing in the space’. But it rarely makes strategic sense to do something just because other people are doing it.

If Nike – one of the biggest brands in the world – can wait until December 30, 2011 to launch a Twitter feed, then anyone can wait until the time is right. The time is right when it makes strategic sense to jump into social media. For some brands, it may never make strategic sense to start a Twitter feed or launch a Facebook page.

One of the biggest limiting factors for jumping into social media is cost (shockingly, social media IS NOT FREE). I repeat: Social media is not free. There is a high cost associated with keeping up with the demands that come from engaging through these channels. And the demands will only continue to grow.

I find it interesting that some companies will employ a call centre of 500+ to respond to customers, but only employ a team of one or two people to manage its social channels.

In my line of work, I’m often asked which partners integrate well with the CFL on social channels. Many partners want to extend the relationship from the traditional field templates and A-frame signs to the digital world so that they can engage with CFL fans. There are a couple of brands that stand out:

TELUS worked with us at our Grey Cup TweetUp in 2010 and 2011. In 2010, we were trying to increase the number of downloads for the TELUS CFL Mobile App. Any attendee of the TweetUp that downloaded the app on site or already had the app on their phone was rewarded with a TELUS toque. This was especially helpful given that we were in Edmonton and it was double-digits below zero.

At both editions of the TweetUp, TELUS gave away a pair of smartphones. Fans had to send out Tweets using #CFL and #TELUSVIP to enter. Specific criteria for the types of tweets we were looking for was provided.

Both of these integrations into the TweetUp led to increased value for the fans attending the TweetUp and the brands involved. In my opinion, this is a good example of a brand or partner integrating with the CFL.

A second example that I like is the Gibson’s Finest Fan competition, which encourages CFL fans to upload photos of their fandom to Facebook. Other fans then vote for the winners and the winning fans receive a trip to the Grey Cup and the full VIP treatment.

What is great about this contest is that it is simple – every hardcore fan has plenty of photos of himself or herself that they can upload for the contest. They are not being asked to create some fancy video that takes time and effort. Remember K.I.S.S.? Keep it simple and shareable!

All the fans had to do was reach out to their network and get their family and friends to vote in the contest on Facebook. Since most Canadians are on Facebook multiple times per day, this is a great channel for this contest to spread to a wider audience (as opposed to building an isolated microsite). The competitive nature of the contest also led to contestants reaching out on various other social networks to promote their candidacy to become the Finest Fan.

This social media activation worked because it was simple and shareable.

Unfortunately, for each good activation that exists, there is a pile of failed activations. Most of them follow the same script: “Can you tweet/post/share this link?” … The End.

That is not social. Social is a two-way conversation. Social involves some level of engagement.

At the end of the day, it is important to ask yourself which channels make the most sense for achieving the goals you have laid out. Very few brands have the budget or resources to do everything, so make sure you focus on the channels that will be most helpful for achieving your goals.

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Keek have made sense for the CFL. We looked at Foursquare, but for now, there doesn’t seem to be a fit. The same is true with running an Instagram feed from a league level; although, Instagram probably makes sense from a team level where they have exclusive access to players on a daily basis. Tying this back to the G Adventures example – the photos are submitted from an army of employees across the globe, which also makes it a good fit.

The bottom line with social media is indeed the bottom line – the more channels you add, the more it will cost financially or in human capital. Social media is a big commitment, so it is important to think it through before jumping into the fray.

Curiosity is King: Creating the digital autograph

One of the amazing things about having a 14-month old son is having the opportunity to witness his curiosity at the simple things in life – touching tree bark for the first time, smelling a raw onion or simply banging a cardboard box against the wall.

A lesson can be drawn from his actions and that is the fact that the older we get the less curious we become because there are far less new things for us to discover.

But we can change our fortunes – we can reignite our curiosity.

I try to do that with social media, by constantly seeking new and innovative ways to connect with people in a meaningful way.

This curiosity is what led to the partnership between the CFL and Keek in recent months.

I often sign up to be a beta tester for social platforms. Keek must have been another service I signed up for, because one day in late August I received an e-mail telling me that I could “keek on the go!”

Keek sounded interesting, so I turned to Twitter for some insights how it worked. That’s where I interacted with Justin Kozuch for the first time. He introduced me to Miranda McCurlie from Keek. After learning about the platform directly from Miranda, I realized that Keek could serve as a great way to connect CFL athletes with their fans.

We test drove the idea in mid-September when I was on the road in Calgary. Our first Keek was with CFL social media aficionado, Nik Lewis. Nik gave a simple shout out to the fans in a Keek and we tweeted the video from @CFL. We did a similar Keek later that day with BC Lions defensive back Tad Kornegay – another Twitter superstar – before taking our Keek-show on the road to Moncton for the CFL’s Touchdown Atlantic game.

It was in Moncton where we really started using Keek the way I had envisioned. We started soliciting questions from fans via the League’s Twitter account and posing the questions directly to our players. We would tweet the personalized video response back to the person who asked the question (and to our entire follower base) and they would be able to share the video throughout multiple social networks.

We had created the digital autograph!

As I explained in the Financial Post earlier this month, autographs have become a commodity. Fans are looking for new “can’t buy” experiences and a personalized Keek is one way that we can deliver that to them.

One of my favourite reactions to a personalized Keek was from a fan, @CliffyD, who said he was going to use the opening part of Montreal Alouettes lineman Anwar Stewart’s Keek as his new ring tone. Imagine Stewart saying, “Hey Cliffy D” each time Cliff’s phone rings. Outstanding.

We decided that we were getting enough traction from the test Keeks that we were going to dedicate a content team member – Richard Obrand – to handle Keek’ing during Grey Cup week. Rich would solicit questions from fans and then ask players for answers during media availability each day.

It was a great way for fans following the Grey Cup to get up-to-the-second insights on the two teams.

We also used Keek to showcase exclusive moments, like this Keek that shows confetti raining down onto the lens of an iPhone. We were able to take our fans right into the Grey Cup celebration from field level so that they could experience the raw emotion that the players and their families were feeling.

The lesson learned from this story is that in a day and age where people believe that bigger is better and that you have to spend to succeed, the real winning formula can sometimes be found through curiosity. With little cost to Keek’ing (just a person’s time and effort), the ROI on a simple program like this is limitless if you can provide fans with an experience that drives them towards brand advocacy.

For more on the CFL’s experience with Keek, tune into 49Pixels Live at 8pm EST on Tuesday, December 13th when I join Lindsay Munro and Justin Kozuch to talk about social media in sports.

• Visit Keek.com/CFL for a listing of all the CFL’s Keeks

TweetUp Tale: Why working with good people is important

Working with good people is important – this statement is pretty obvious. We don’t always have the opportunity to work with good people, but when the opportunity does arise, what a difference it makes.

This is a tale of a Grey Cup TweetUp – one that took place near the end of November in Vancouver.

For the third straight Grey Cup, the CFL hosted a Grey Cup TweetUp. The first-ever edition took place in the basement of a pub in Calgary in 2009. About 25 people attended along with the Commissioner and a couple of players.

A year later we were in a bar in Edmonton with our own private area. Molson served up some free beer and TELUS gave away a couple of smartphones. Around 70 people were in attendance along with players, the Commissioner and this time the Grey Cup.

Each year our goal is to throw a TweetUp better than the year before. This year, we moved our event from a bar to a hotel because we were expecting double the number of attendees (140 people attended). We printed custom t-shirts for the attendees and we had a record number of prizes to give away including two tickets to the 99th Grey Cup and four passes to stand on the field next to the stage for the Pepsi Max Halftime Show.

But this year the biggest difference was going to be location – for the first time we were moving away from a bar and into a hotel conference room.

At first blush, the thought of hosting a TweetUp in a hotel led many to shutter. However, the location was selected by one of our most influential bloggers in Vancouver based on his relationship with the hotel and its support for the BC Lions and all things CFL. It didn’t hurt that the hotel was two blocks from the Grey Cup Festival site.

From our first meeting with Kristina at the Rosedale on Robson Suite Hotel I knew it was going to be a great fit. She is a member of The Waterboys – an influential group of B.C. businesspeople who support the BC Lions – and the hotel has a suite in BC Place for all Lions games. She is also a HUGE Lions fan.

Over the course of a couple of months the hotel bent over backwards for our requirements to make the TweetUp successful. They installed extra screens so we could display tweets live on location. Their staff printed our name tags and stuffed lanyards for us. They held shipments of t-shirts for us. They adjusted last second when the rain prevented an outdoor BBQ. The list goes on.

Kristina is a good person and working with her and her team was outstanding – in fact, it is one the highlights of my Grey Cup week.

While anecdotal evidence suggested that attendees loved the venue, our post-event survey data showed that 92 per cent of respondents said that the TweetUp was held at a location suitable for a TweetUp. Without a doubt, these positive reactions are a result of the TLC put into the event by the folks at the Rosedale on Robson, led by Kristina.

When I started this blog over a year ago, my goal was to write about good people whom I came into contact with and what I was able to learn from them. The lessons learned from this experience are to be open, honest, up-front and cordial and things should work out well for everyone. Not once did we feel squeezed or duped (I’ve heard horror stories from friends who have had to deal with large venues). We were always treated with respect and Kristina and her team always presented solutions when challenges arose.

Too often people enter a situation focusing on how they can get a larger slice of the pie. Instead, they should consider how much bigger the pie would be for everyone if grown together – both parties get a larger slice.

The working relationship we had while producing the event turned into a win-win for both the CFL and the Rosedale on Robson and left everyone feeling energized at the end of the day.

• Watch a video of the Grey Cup TweetUp
• Browse photos from the Grey Cup TweetUp
• Read reactions from the Grey Cup TweetUp on Twitter at #GCTweetUp