We’re in Washington D.C. today for our news media conference, the BNM Summit, and have some news to share that just got revealed on stage regarding our 2025 BSM Summit.
We united the sports media industry in March and delivered another successful sports media conference. Thanks to strong industry support, we’ve been able to create six of these events so far. I can always find something to do better, but most who have attended our shows have found them to be valuable. I’ve said many times, as long as that remains the case, we’ll continue doing it. If it reaches a point where we’re just doing a show to do it, we’ll shut it down. Events only work if they’re attended, supported, and important.
The BSM Summit was born in 2018 in the windy city. We ran the event as a private affair for industry programmers, and a handful of execs/analysts. I had no idea if we could keep a show on time, design it to look good or create an agenda that’d attract 40-50 decision makers across the country to show up. Fortunately they did, and it gave me the confidence to turn it into a live event.
However, since that first private show, we haven’t returned to Chicago. I planned to but the pandemic changed our strategy, and the past few years have been spent rotating between New York City and Los Angeles. I love NYC and LA, but Chicago is awesome too, and it’s long overdue to host a live conference of ours. So in 2025, we’re finally making it happen.
Mark the date, Thursday May 8th and Friday May 9th. Our location will be the MCA’s Edlis Neeson Theater, which is a great venue. We’re nearing a deal already on our After Party venue, which I’m really excited about. By the time May 2025 arrives, we expect this show to be another big hit.
We’ve made one key change, and moved the Summit back from March to May. This is to take advantage of warmer weather, and capitalize on a better time of year for the show. Day 1 will run 9a-5p CT, and Day 2 right now is scheduled for 9a-1p. The plan for Day 2 could change, but we want to allow folks time to catch afternoon flights or get a head start on a three day vacation in one of America’s best cities.
Tickets for the show won’t go on sale until Black Friday. Sponsorships for our sports summit are always in demand, so though we’re not pursuing partnerships yet, you’re welcome to contact Stephanie Eads at Stephanie@BarrettMedia.com to begin conversations. Details in the future regarding speakers, partners, the event schedule, and more will be shared on BSMSummit.com. I’ll also announce later this year when we’re accepting speaker submissions.
We are really excited to return to Chicago in May 2025. As more details about the show become available, we’ll pass them along to you. I hope to see you there!
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
