2026 Desert Cactus ICLA Winter Symposium
Key Takeaways
- 1
Strong reception overall — 89.6% said the Symposium was Helpful or Very Helpful in meeting their goals.
- 2
Top-rated sessions were small-format breakouts: Licensing 101 (4.67), Enforcement DIY (4.56), and Managing Internal Licensing (4.50).
- 3
Co-locating with SLATS is a clear win — 79.2% were "Very Satisfied" with the shared venue and 66.7% visited the ICLA booth.
- 4
54.2% plan to return for the June Vegas Convention, but "Vegas fatigue" surfaced in comments.
Executive Snapshot
Overall Sentiment
Helpfulness in meeting goals
Programming amount (pre + during SLATS)
Venue convenience (co-located w/ SLATS)
Attendee Profile
Organization type
Years in collegiate licensing
Session Ratings
Full 1–5 rating distribution per session (Poor → Excellent), ranked by average among respondents who attended.
| Session | Day | Avg. | n | Top-Box (5) | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakout – Licensing 101 (Blackmon, Boeke, Hill) | Mon | 4.67 | 15 | 10 (66.7%) | |
| Breakout – Enforcement DIY (Edwards, Shaver, Siegal) | Mon | 4.56 | 18 | 10 (55.6%) | |
| Breakout – Managing Your Internal Licensing Program (Adams, Haley, Kirby, Middendorf) | Mon | 4.50 | 26 | 16 (61.5%) | |
| CFP National Championship Watch Party / Networking Event | Mon | 4.47 | 40 | 23 (57.5%) | |
| Mentorship Program Meet-Up | Mon | 4.46 | 13 | 7 (53.8%) | |
| General Session – Landscape of Retail / Fashion Show (Hale, Biven) | Tue | 4.38 | 40 | 17 (42.5%) | |
| Breakout – Dr. Jen Fry: Leadership Through Licensing | Mon | 4.35 | 23 | 14 (60.9%) | |
| Featured Speaker – Bomani Jones | Tue | 4.28 | 46 | 22 (47.8%) | |
| ICLA Reception at Play Playground! | Tue | 4.28 | 39 | 17 (43.6%) | |
| Breakout – Tiff Crooks: Launched to Lead in Licensing | Mon | 4.25 | 16 | 9 (56.3%) | |
| General Session – Luxe Licensing: Collegiate Edition (Alarid, Crawford, Tyree) | Tue | 4.17 | 46 | 16 (34.8%) | |
| Keynote – LaChina Robinson | Wed | 4.03 | 31 | 15 (48.4%) | |
| Breakout – Co-Branding: Pro Edition (Diamond Baseball Holdings) | Tue | 3.88 | 26 | 9 (34.6%) | |
| Keynote – Beth Hagey (Victoria's Secret): Reaching & Engaging Gen Z | Tue | 3.83 | 46 | 8 (17.4%) | |
| General Session – When AI Meets IP (Gormley, Shanadi, Skipworth) | Tue | 3.80 | 45 | 10 (22.2%) |
Sports Licensing & Tailgate Show
Co-location with SLATS is a major attendance driver. ICLA booth traffic was strong.
SLATS attendance
Visited ICLA Booth at SLATS
ICLA Convention · June 7–10 · Las Vegas
Intent to attend the June Convention, plus reasons cited by attendees who said No.
Planning to attend
Why "No"
- "Budget reasons / family travels."
- "Budget constraints."
- "Not in the budget."
- "Winter convention has more to offer."
- "I only attend 1 ICLA event per year."
- "I don't know much about it."
Theme Summary
Co-Location with SLATS
Pairing the Symposium with the Sports Licensing & Tailgate Show is a clear win — 79% were very satisfied with the venue convenience.
- "Makes for a couple days of great learning and fellowship combined."
- "Having it in conjunction with Tailgate makes sense."
More Breakouts, Fewer Mega-Keynotes
Attendees consistently asked for a 'Licensing 201' level, smaller breakouts by school size, and fewer paid outside-industry keynotes.
- "Only needs one keynote / featured speaker and more breakout sessions."
- "Licensing 201 for people who aren't brand new, but 2–3 years in."
Speaker Variety & Industry Fit
Outside-industry speakers landed flat for some — strong preference for speakers who know collegiate licensing.
- "Speakers should be well versed on the audience and the industry."
- "More variety in presenters — same people all the time."
Logistics: Hotel, Monorail, Snack Bags
Sahara + monorail combo, snack bags, and same-hotel evening events were called out repeatedly as wins worth keeping.
- "Snack bag was genius. Location, schedule and programming were great this year."
- "Evening events in the same hotel greatly increases my odds of attending."
Vegas Fatigue
A vocal minority feels Las Vegas as the recurring host city has run its course, even as most still plan to attend the June Convention.
- "Vegas ALL the time is getting to be a bit much."
- "It's hard to keep everyone happy and Vegas gets old."
Programming Pace & Breaks
Tuesday felt crammed; multiple attendees asked for more breathing room and an earlier Monday start.
- "There should be some time in-between the programs. Exhausting back-to-back."
- "Please always start programming first thing in the morning."
Future Topic Interest
Clustered from open-ended Help-Me-Help-You / topic suggestions.
| Topic | Mentions | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| NIL × Licensing × Co-Branding | 5 | Intersection of NIL and university trademarks · Co-branding business / legal considerations · NIL influencer marketing |
| Small / Mid-Major Programs | 4 | Breakouts for non-football schools · Pitching brands as an I-AAA institution · 1:1 sharing for smaller schools |
| Retail & Bookstore Strategy | 3 | Working with outsourced bookstores · Retail-focused breakouts · Promoting licensed over unlicensed via AI shopping |
| Brand Stewardship & CSR | 3 | Brand guideline adoption across departments · CSR and supply-chain risk to brand |
| Revenue & Partnership Growth | 3 | Revenue growth strategies · Greater alliance with sponsorship offices · MMR collaboration case studies |
| Award-Winner Deep Dives | 2 | Synergy winners walking through what they did · Lumberjacks / UC Davis Egg Heads style |
Raw Comments