COMMUNITY

I've been in SVP/C-level jobs since 2004, but nothing prepared me for the overwhelming amount of unsolicited email and voice traffic I get from technology vendors I get as a CIO. On a daily basis, I receive over 200 unsolicited emails; these are the emails that get through our filters. I'm even getting them now on my personal email accounts. I also get another 6-10 voice messages/day. Additionally, a subset of these unsolicited emails are invitations to attend lunches/dinners as 'educational' and 'peer learning' events, which is really just another twist on trying to get me in front of a sales representative. After attending 2 or 3 of these events, I've declined all of the rest as they are just not a good use of my time. I almost declined the Mid Ohio event for the same reasons, but it was intriguing enough that I decided to give it a shot.

The event you hosted at Mid Ohio was very special in that I learned a lot! In addition, a few of the attendees and I did discuss work and our particular solution sets, and as result, would have actually been open to a dialogue on potential solutions at that point.

Yesterday, we had a truly remarkable and memorable experience at the Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle, Michigan. Gary Megennis of RKM Racing, LLC, served as a wonderful host for the day. The tour of the cars was enlightening and fantastic. The technical overview of Robert Megennis’s Number 27 car was tremendous. The race itself was compelling and interesting. After the race, we were treated to a beautiful and satisfying lunch by Andretti Autosport. There was a wide selection of entrees, accompaniments, desserts, and beverages. Overall, the experience demonstrated the highest level of professionalism by Gary and RKM Racing. He, his driver and son Robert, the team, RKM Racing and Andretti Autosport, and the sponsors, SailPoint, Sirius Computer Solutions, DataRobot, Cybereason, and Juniper Networks were truly first class. We are forever thankful for yesterday and look forward to next year.

Thank you so much for hosting us at the speedway yesterday. As race first-timers it was so insightful to get your and Robert’s expertise both before and during the race. We loved experiencing it from both the box and the stands. Of course, the up-close tour of the pit area was super cool too. The whole afternoon was top-notch.

WOW! What a fantastic experience! I was blown away by the Megennis Motorsport experience I had before and during my visit to Road America. All of the touchpoints were world class. Gary Megennis, Robert Megennis, and even George are BRILLIANT and nailing customer experiences! I think SailPoint, Sirius Computer Solutions, DataRobot, Juniper Networks, and Cybereason are strategically brilliant for supporting Robert (a truly talented, bright, classy, and approachable young man). I feel extremely excited about the future for the Megennis family and their sponsors, and I'm honored to have been their guest for the day.

You have crafted a unique VIP experience. We loved learning about all that goes into the sport of professional racing. It was inspiring to learn about Robert's story and how you've developed a unique model to support his passion. Taj and I could not stop talking about the "behind the scenes" experience with our family and friends.

This was an amazing experience at the track. You did an outstanding job including all the guests throughout the day. The race day insider commentary made the experience very immersive. Visibility into team operations was very interesting. It was great to see Robert’s talent on track and then be able to ask questions about it later. Overall this event exceeded my expectations!

I’ve been to literally hundreds of track events over the years. What made this one special was all the behind the scenes info you were able to share. This made it more intimate and informative than other events.

Thank you all for the wonderful experience I enjoyed at the IndyCar racing at Laguna Seca. Helen and Gary were, once again, the ultimate hosts; Robert and George were amazing as always; and the experience itself – along with the access, the VIP treatment, and the superb hospitality made for a truly unforgettable weekend.
 
I am aware that none of this happens without the generous sponsorship of companies like Sailpoint, Optiv, CyberArk, and Palo Alto Networks. I thank you all for supporting this incredibly talented driver and giving we customers the opportunity to – however briefly – join their stories.
 
I couldn’t be more grateful to everyone involved. Thank you all so much for the chances I’ve had this year to join in Robert’s successes. I can’t wait for next season!

This is one of the most effective and synergistic sponsorship efforts I have come across in all my years in tech.

The tie in to the thoughtful use of data and feedback to the driver was fascinating and in a world of emerging IOT would be very relevant to techies and non techies alike. Palo Alto Networks fits the mold beautifully as a team sponsor in a high tech sport like this and I imagine that it provides lots of opportunities throughout the season to bring clients and friends to experience racing from a whole new perspective thanks to Rob and Gary and the way they open up and explain the inner workings of the sport.

We seem to get so many requests to meet with people and it is still very hard to do as almost all of my days have been full with meetings since COVID hit – and you can only go to so many bourbon, wine, fly fish tying, virtual golf, cooking classes from 5-7p after a full day of work. Being in the open and out with real people and at such a nice venue with perfect weather and great hosts made it a very enjoyable outing. Being there all day made it really easy to talk both business and about general topics. Thank you!

Thank you for the memorable weekend!  When your toddler sleeps with Matchbox cars next to his head in a bed shaped liked a race car, we knew this would be his version of Disneyworld. Days later, he’s still treasuring his new toy car and telling everyone about “riding in my race car.” Thanks Gary and everyone who helped put this event together!

I’ll be honest, I came to the event because I knew my son would love it, but I had little exposure and was doing it for him. I left a fan. The entire experience was one that I appreciated...from the behind the scenes tour of the paddock, talking to various experts, the pits, watching the races (and at the perfect spots I might add), and getting insight into the discipline behind the training and progression of the drivers. Being in the tech industry, your presentation on the data and science behind the racing definitely caught my attention as well. You can be sure I’ve already reached out to Optiv and applauded them for their part in the sponsorship. They need to keep this going…

As I said to Helen, I’m not sure how you do it. So many races…parent, race crew, world class hosts. You must go home after the weekends exhausted. But the bonus is that with the family completely committed you can’t help but be drawn closer together. Back when my kids were a bit younger, my wife and I travelled all over for their hockey teams. When the season seemed to be dragging on, the travel was long, and I was getting tired, my Dad would always offer this insight … “soak it up, savor the moment, have some fun, don’t take it all too seriously, and realize that one day you’ll look back and actually miss all this." As is typical, Dad was right. They’re done with travel sports and I do miss it. Best years as a parent so far. Hot Tim Hortons coffee at the rink (after all we are Canadian eh?), three of us standing side by side at the boards and cheering on the one on the ice. They were the best family moments.