2026 NACMA Revenue Generation Summit

Key Takeaways

  1. 1

    Strong reception overall — 100.0% said the Summit met or exceeded expectations and 96.6% liked the one-day format.

  2. 2

    Brett Yormark's keynote and the AD panel were the highest-rated sessions (4.72 and 4.62 avg on a 1–5 scale).

  3. 3

    Monday at Billy Bob's was a clear hit (93.1% enjoyed it). Attendees consistently asked for more structured networking and interactive formats.

  4. 4

    34.5% of respondents paid for the trip personally or in part — keep travel cost and airport access top of mind when picking next year's city.

Executive Snapshot

Rated "Very Helpful"
75.9%22/29
Liked the Format
96.6%28/29
Met or Exceeded Expectations
100.0%29/29
4 said exceeded
Monday Reception – Enjoyed
93.1%27/29
Total Responses
100.0%29/29
Completed evaluations
First-Time Attendees
34.5%10/29
Sunday Reception – Enjoyed
86.2%25/29
Self-Funded (Full / Partial)
34.5%10/29
Travel cost matters

Overall Sentiment

Helpfulness in meeting goals

Very Helpful22 · 75.9%
Somewhat Helpful7 · 24.1%
Not Helpful0 · 0.0%

Like the Summit format

Yes28 · 96.6%
No1 · 3.4%

Met expectations

It exceeded my expectations4 · 13.8%
Yes25 · 86.2%
No0 · 0.0%

Attendee Profile

Attendance history

First-time Attendee10 · 34.5%
2-time Attendee4 · 13.8%
3-time Attendee4 · 13.8%
4-time Attendee4 · 13.8%
5+-time Attendee5 · 17.2%
Sponsor / Third-Party Panelist1 · 3.4%
Other1 · 3.4%

Trip funding source

Institution pays for all19 · 65.5%
Institution helps, not all2 · 6.9%
I pay personally8 · 27.6%

Session Ratings

Full 1–5 rating distribution per session, ranked by average. Hover any bar to see exact counts.

Rating12345
Keynote – Brett Yormark (Big 12)4.72 avg · 76% gave 5
Athletics Director Panel4.62 avg · 66% gave 5
Modern Revenue Stack4.36 avg · 41% gave 5
Leading Through the Noise3.93 avg · 24% gave 5
Fireside Chat – Joe Castiglione3.86 avg · 28% gave 5
Closing the Gap – NIL Roundtable3.85 avg · 34% gave 5
Monetizing Outside of Games3.65 avg · 24% gave 5
SessionAvg.Top-Box (5)DistributionLabel
Keynote Session – Brett Yormark (Big 12)4.7222 (75.9%)
Highest Rated
Athletics Director Panel – Buddie, Evans, Fagg, Mosley4.6219 (65.5%)
Highest Rated
Modern Revenue Stack – Beverly, Clayton, Gibson4.3612 (41.4%)
Strong
Leading Through the Noise – Overshown, McCowan, Tafolla-Voetsch3.937 (24.1%)
More Mixed
Fireside Chat – Joe Castiglione (OU)3.868 (27.6%)
More Mixed
Closing the Gap – NIL Roundtable – Peck, Belisle3.8510 (34.5%)
More Mixed
Monetizing Outside of Games – Penix, Potts, Foley3.657 (24.1%)
More Mixed

Reception Enjoyment

Did attendees enjoy each evening reception? Bars show Yes / No / Did Not Attend.

Sunday reception – The Worthington Renaissance

Yes25 · 86.2%
No0 · 0.0%
Did Not Attend4 · 13.8%

Monday reception – Billy Bob's

Yes27 · 93.1%
No0 · 0.0%
Did Not Attend2 · 6.9%

Theme Summary

Worked WellMixedRoom to Improve

Receptions & Social Events

Worked Well18

Both receptions were well received; Billy Bob's drew especially enthusiastic feedback for being authentic to the host city.

  • "Loved that it was authentic to the location of the summit!"
  • "The most valuable 120 Minutes of the Summit for us!"

Networking & Interaction

Room to Improve12

Attendees valued peer connection and consistently asked for more structured networking and interactive moments.

  • "I would like more 'forced' interactions with others at the Summit."
  • "As a first time attendee, it would have been nice to have a more structured way to connect."

Session Content & Speakers

Worked Well11

Sessions were rated strongly overall, with the keynote and AD panel singled out as standouts.

  • "Brett Yormark's session was a standout - rare and incredibly valuable."
  • "I thought all of the sessions were very strong."

Actionable Takeaways

Worked Well9

Many attendees came to bring back tangible ideas and felt the Summit delivered on that goal.

  • "To get tangible ideas to take back to my school to drive new or optimized revenue streams."
  • "Strategic takeaways I can bring back to my campus."

Format & Pacing

Mixed7

Format was praised but several wanted more breaks, round-tables and breakout time vs back-to-back panels.

  • "There needs to be some more breaks - we went one to the next all day."
  • "More round-table discussion would be great!"

Small School / Mid-Major Relevance

Room to Improve5

Several respondents wanted more representation and examples from non-Power-Four programs.

  • "Many of the speakers came from larger institutions or the professional level."
  • "The Cowboys panel didn't relate to my school's capabilities."

Location & Travel Cost

Mixed5

Cost-efficient, easy-to-reach airport-hub cities were a common preference.

  • "Going places that are easy to get to while not being overly expensive are always positives."
  • "An airport hub to keep flights down."

AI, CRM, Data & Technology

Room to Improve4

Multiple respondents flagged AI and data/CRM as gaps and as priority topics for next year.

  • "I thought AI was a noticeable gap this year considering its prevalent use."
  • "Data, CRM & Personalization that drives revenue."

NIL

Mixed4

NIL surfaced as both a session highlight and a recurring future-topic request.

  • "Best practices for NIL revenue streams."
  • "NIL as a Revenue Engine - how to build a sustainable NIL marketplace internally."

Corporate Partnerships & Lead Gen

Room to Improve4

Requests for deeper content on partnerships, lead generation and non-transactional sponsor models.

  • "Unique partnership agreement models - more than transactional."
  • "Corporate Partnerships: selling when inventory is saturated."

Future Topic Interest

TopicMentionsExamples
AI, Data, CRM & Technology4Business development, technology innovation, and AI. · Data, CRM & Personalization that drives revenue. · AI was a noticeable gap this year.
NIL Strategy & Monetization3NIL as a Revenue Engine - sustainable internal marketplace. · Working with MMR partners on NIL/Rev Gen.
Mid-Major / Small School Revenue3Mid-Major & Small School Revenue Strategies. · Real-world examples from schools with limited budgets.
Corporate Partnerships & Lead Gen3Corporate Partnerships: selling when inventory is saturated. · Unique partnership models - more than transactional.
Stadium / Venue Monetization Beyond Gamedays2Schools that have monetized their stadium outside of gamedays.
Brand Valuation & Revenue1Intersection of brand valuation and revenue generation.
Org Structure & Staffing for Revenue1How to structure a revenue team in 2026.
Customer Lifecycle & External Alignment1Single-game buyer to annual fund donor; aligning external team.
Selling Up to Leadership1How to present new revenue ideas to leadership.

Location Interest

Tied for #1South
Nashville
811% of mentions
Tied for #1South
Atlanta
811% of mentions
Runner-upSouth
Charlotte
68% of mentions
South · 30Midwest · 19West · 13Northeast · 9
Also mentioned
Denver
5
Chicago
4
Washington, D.C.
4
Indianapolis
4
San Diego
3
Miami
3
Minneapolis / Minnesota
3
Philadelphia
2
St. Louis
2
Louisville
2
Detroit
2
Milwaukee
2
Phoenix
2
New York
1
Seattle
1
Austin
1
New Orleans
1
Pittsburgh
1
Salt Lake City
1
Kansas City
1
Cleveland
1
Fort Worth
1
Newport, RI
1
Los Angeles
1

Speaker & Invitee Suggestions

RM
Reginald McIntyre
KD
Kathryn Dillin
Virginia Tech
BS
Brian Simorka
NC State (NAATSO/NAADD)
PB
Phil Buttafuocco
Army
EW
Erika Wallace
AD, Wayne State University
MH
Matt Herold
Exec Sr. Assoc. AD, Ticketing, Michigan State
RZ
Ricky Zum Mallen
Colorado
SB
Shelby Burnett
SMU
KF
Karl Feak
UNLV
BD
Brandy Dixon
ULR
RP
Rebecca Plescia
SM
Stephen Morrison
Robert Morris University
KO
Kevin Olivett
The Citadel
TM
Tyson McHatten
University of Maine
MV
Mitch VanSumeren
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
JW
Josh Ward
Belmont University
LM
Lenny Mathis
USC Upstate
NB
Nate Burton
Furman University
RK
Richard Kilwien
Stetson University
JB
Jack "Bull" Slavin
AV
Alyson VanderSteen
(returning to Athletics)
SN
Scott Nelsen
JD
Jacob Dye
BR
Brad Reynolds

Raw Comments

79 comments across 7 sections