The New York Experience: Inside Sports, Hospitality & Communications
Shopping, Networking, and Panels
March 26, 2026
2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Step inside the fast-paced world of New York’s most influential experience-makers at NY Experience: Inside Sports, Hospitality & Communications. Featuring female leaders from sports, culinary and hospitality communications teams, this dynamic event explores how high-performance organizations craft storytelling, build unforgettable audience experiences, and navigate real-time media demands. Join us for an inspiring conversation on strategy, leadership, and the future of fan and guest engagement—followed by networking with some of the city’s most innovative communicators. The event will also offer a shopping experience for attendees with must have accessories created by female business owners.
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Audience: Communications professionals, students, early-career talent, and industry leaders
Format: Panel discussion + interactive Q&A + networking + headshots + shopping
Being held at 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007
Member Price: $35 to attend - $10 each ticket to go to scholarship fund and entered into door prizes
Nonmember Price: $60 to attend - $10 each ticket to go to scholarship fund
Agenda:
2:00 – 2:30 pm Networking
2:30 – 2:45 pm Welcome Remarks
2:45 – 3:15 pm Fireside Chat
Featuring: Marissa Shorenstein, Chief Communications Officer, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment
Moderator: Maneet Ahuja, Forbes | Editor-at-Large, Founder, ICONOCLAST
3:15 – 3:30 pm Break
3:30 – 4:15 pm New York Unlocked: Sports, Travel & Experiences You Can’t Get Anywhere Else
Go behind the scenes of New York’s most iconic and immersive experiences. This panel brings together leaders from sports, travel, and experiential brands to explore how exclusive access, local storytelling, and real-time engagement turn moments into must-see experiences—and why New York continues to set the global standard.
Amanda Cohen, Chef & Owner, Dirt Candy
Serena Crutchfield, VP, Marketing & Communication, Restaurant Associates
Youmie Jean Francis, CEO, Flex & Fly
Sara Porritt, Chief Inclusion and Impact Officer, Omnicom Media
Moderator: Jess Feldman, Associate Director, Special Projects, Travel+Leisure
4:15 – 5:00 pm Master Storytellers: The Comms & Marketing Leaders to Know
Meet the communications and marketing leaders shaping some of the world’s leading experiences. From branding to crisis response and digital innovation, this panel dives into the strategies, narratives, and insights driving connection, loyalty, and trust in an ever-evolving communication landscape.
Rachel Carr, Executive Director, Dan Klores Communications
Lauren Kaufman, Managing Director, MMGY
Paula Ngon, Communications & Public Affairs, NFL Major Events, Music & Entertainment, NFL
Tiffany Townsend, EVP, Global Communications, NYC Tourism + Conventions
Moderator: Emily Graham, Chief Inclusion and Impact Officer, Omnicom
5:00 – 5:30 pm The Connector's Circle
Laura Ingle, Anchor of NewsNation Live
Rachel Reinhardt, Founder, Rachel Reinhardt Designs
Moderator: Beth Feldman, NYWICI President
5:30– 6:00 pm Networking, Headshots, & Local Shop
The Booth for Photo, Founder, Laura Londin
Headshots will be available throughout the duration of the event on a pre-registration basis
Flex & Fly
Youmie Jean Francis, CEO, Flex & Fly
Luxury anti-theft minimalist travel bags and “The Flex Mats”
Rachel Reinhardt Designs
Rachel Reinhardt, Founder, Rachel Reinhardt Designs
Assortment of beautiful jewelry
