Dallas Executive Luncheon – Marketing, Leveraging and Aligning with the DFW Brand

Marketing, Leveraging and Aligning with the DFW Brand

DFW’s brand equity is growing significantly not only locally but on the national and international stage as well.  Many organizations have recognized this and are using it as a strategic opportunity to leverage and align their brand with the DFW brand.

• Why and when to leverage and align with another brand
• Defining the DFW brand and differentiation
• How organizations can align and leverage the brand and what the benefits are
• Tactics that can align your brand with the DFW brand

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Panelists Include:

Darren Grubb
Senior Vice President, Communications and Events
Dallas Regional Chamber

Darren Grubb is the Senior Vice President of Communications and Events at the Dallas Regional Chamber, a role he has held since 2015. He is responsible for executing a holistic communications strategy to ensure effective engagement with all audiences in support of the DRC’s business and legislative priorities. He also oversees the execution of more than 200 annual events and provides strategic counsel to the DRC’s CEO, leadership team, and Board of Directors.

Previously, Darren worked in New York City as Chief of Staff for Communications and Government Relations at Bloomberg LP. In this role, he helped manage a global staff, served on the company’s Crisis Response Team, and led partner engagements with Google, the 2012 Republican and Democratic National Conventions, The Peterson Foundation, and the Tribeca Film Festival.

From 2006-2009, Darren worked at Citigroup as Director of Executive Communications and as Chief of Staff to the head of Global Communications. In his first role at Citi, Darren was the speechwriter for Chairman and CEO Charles Prince.

Before moving to New York City in 2006, Darren spent six years in Washington, DC, including at

The White House in the Office of Global Communications. He also served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he was a senior counselor to Secretary Donald L. Evans. Upon leaving government service in 2005, Darren joined the bipartisan government relations firm Bryan Cave Strategies supporting a roster of notable clients, including Anheuser-Busch, Northwest Airlines, Shell Oil, Union Pacific, TechNet and pro bonoclient The ONE Campaign, founded by Bono of U2.

Darren serves on the Board of Directors for VisitDallas, where he is the 2018 Chair of the Marketing Committee, and Wings for Warriors a charity that serves wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. He is married to Lindsay, an Emmy Award-winning television producer. They have two young children.

Neil Robinson
Executive Director, Marketing and Communications
Southern Methodist University

Neil Robinson is executive director of planning for the SMU Marketing and Communications team. He leads a group responsible for project management, analytics, photography and video that coordinates with Marketing and Communications colleagues and stakeholders across the University to bring to life the SMU brand message, “World Changers Shaped Here.” Their work increases recognition of SMU as a premier comprehensive research university, communicates the impact that alumni and North Texans make on Dallas through their investments in SMU, and describes to prospective students why SMU is an outstanding choice for their education. Neil came to SMU in 2014 as executive director of integrated marketing. Prior to joining SMU, Neil was vice president, marketing communications, for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas; and creative strategist at AvreaFoster, a branding and advertising firm. He earned a master’s degree in English from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in English from Rice University.

Frank Librio
SVP and Chief Marketing Officer
Visit Dallas

Frank Libriois the SVP and Chief Marketing Officer for VisitDallas working with his team to promote Dallas as a top travel, leisure, and meetings destination.

Prior to VisitDallas, Frank was the Director of the City of Dallas’ Communications / Media Relations and Public Information Office for eight years. In that role, he served asa member of the City’s senior management team providing communications, public affairs and media relations advice and counsel to the City Manager, the Mayor, members of the City Council and Department Directors.  Frank also served as the Chief of Staff for Dallas Mayor Laura Miller.

Prior to his transition into government communications, Frank was an award-winning broadcast news journalist for 17 years in Dallas, Boston and Hartford, CT.  For his work as an executive producer, he has won dozens of press awards including an Emmy, Dallas Press Club Katie Award and numerous Associated Press awards for his reporting and producing.

Frank is a graduate of Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.

Tracy Merzi
Publisher
Dallas Business Journal

Tracy Merzi has been with American City Business Journals for over 20 years in various sales and marketing positions at the Pittsburgh Business Times and the Washington Business Journal.  Tracy currently serves as the Market President and Publisher for the Dallas Business Journal.  She serves on various boards in the community including being Past Chairman of Junior Achievement, The Dallas Women’s Foundation Board, and several business industry association boards.  She and her husband Alan have two girls Sophia and Haley.

Clay Christopher
Senior Director of Corporate Sponsorships
Dallas Mavericks

Clay Christopher enters his 22^ndseason with the Dallas Mavericks as the Senior Director of Corporate Sponsorships, previously serving as a Corporate Account Executive when he joined the Dallas Mavericks in 1996.

Each season under his tenure he has contributed to the Corporate Sponsorship team’s growth and increased sponsorship revenue, negotiating contracts and managing brands that include Academy Sports and Outdoors, adidas, BBVA Compass, Dr Pepper, McDonalds, MillerCoors, Nike, Pizza Hut and UPS.

A graduate of Texas Christian University, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications and Human Relations, he worked on the Sponsorship Services team and as an Event Director for Streetball Partners (NBA Hoop It Up, NFL Air It Out,, Kick It Up, and AVP Spike It Up Tours) producing local and regional grass roots events across the United States and Mexico.  Christopher also played a role in the launch of the inaugural season of the MLS Dallas Burn, currently FC Dallas as Sponsorship and Promotions Manager, prior to joining the Don Carter owned Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Sidekicks.

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas and a graduate of Highland Park High School, he enjoys the outdoors, especially fishing and continues to be an avid cyclist, runner, and triathlete.  He and his wife, Kristen, have three children, Cole, Emma, and Briggs.

Moderated by:

Sean Donovan
Brand Management Principal
The Richards Group
Faculty Chair at SMU Digital Accelerator

You may not know Sean, but there’s a good chance you’ve heard his work. Before he embarked on a career in advertising, Sean was in a band called Calla. Their tunes are used for a variety of MTV shows, American Horror Story, and the remake of The Manchurian Candidate.

In his post-rock-star life, Sean moved into the advertising space with a focus on digital marketing where he has lead efforts for NERF, the U.S. Air Force, and Microsoft.

Now in his seventh year at The Richards Group, Sean puts his strategic know-how and digital expertise to create award winning work for clients such as Dr Pepper Snapple Group, TXU Energy, Schwab Trading Services, and MD Anderson Cancer Center.  He also serves as the Faculty Chair at SMU’s Digital Accelerator, a program geared towards helping senior thought leaders understand the ever-changing technology landscapes and customer expectations so that they can harness these changes and create growth.

When he’s not pushing the boundaries of the digital world, Sean enjoys listening to music, sipping wine, and spending time with his wife, Jennifer, and twin daughters, Tallulah and Cadence. He also likes cats. No specific ones. Any old cat will do.