Bringing valuable Festival and Event industry education right to you, we're pleased to host our Online IFEA Webinar Series, presented by:

Be proactive and protect your event with Haas & Wilkerson Insurance. With more than 80 years of experience and access to exceptional markets, we’re able to provide quality solutions that are cost-effective and event-specific.
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Cassie Dispenza is the Senior Director of Marketing & Partnerships at Saffire. She has extensive experience with online marketing and event planning and has planned strategic events with many companies including the Austin Sports Commission and the United States Olympic Committee. She started working with Saffire in 2011 and since then, the company has grown from supporting a few great organizations in Texas to partnering with hundreds of unique events, venues and destinations across the country. Cassie loves traveling to conferences to share strategic online planning tactics and doesn’t mind getting her boots dirty if you see her and need an extra volunteer.

Jason Minsky has been involved with the San Jose community since 1993 when he was working in the Community Development department for the San Jose Sharks. Originally from South San Francisco, Minsky is a graduate of San Francisco State University. Having previously served on the Board of Directors for Christmas in the Park, he became the non-profit’s first Executive Director in 2012. Prior to that he served as a Vice President for the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce and was also Chairman for the Silicon Valley Invitational and Courageous Kids Programs for the American Cancer Society. Jason is married and has a daughter studying in college.

Laura Grunfeld is the owner and founder of Everyone’s Invited, LLC a consulting, training, and production company specializing in helping producers make their events more accessible to people with disabilities. Laura has worked with festivals large and small, and was the main architect of the award-winning Access Program at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in the late 1990s. Her program, “Everyone’s Invited to Bonnaroo,” has won the 2018 and 2019 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Gold Award for “Best Accessibility Program.” Laura has consulted with, designed and implemented Access Programs for events across the nation including Bonnaroo, Music Midtown, Governors Ball, Outside Lands, The Meadows, TomorrowWorld, Firefly, Life is Good, Rothbury, Electric Forest, Phish, and many more. She has sourced American Sign Language interpreters skilled in interpreting music for Neil Young’s performance at the MusicCares Grammy Event, the First Lady’s College Signing event in Harlem, the New York City Disability Pride Day, and numerous music festivals. She has delivered countless service-animal-screening training sessions to event security teams across the country. Producers of outdoor festivals have their own set of obstacles to overcome when working to improve access for patrons with disabilities: temporary facilities, little infrastructure, rough terrain, unpredictable weather, limited budgets, and large numbers of untrained temporary staff. Laura Grunfeld understands these difficulties and can help make a festival as accessible as possible with the resources available.

Tavi Fulkerson, the founder of The Fulkerson Group, is well recognized as a sponsorship sales expert with an extensive marketing and public relations background. For more than three decades, The Detroit-based Fulkerson Group (TFG) has built its reputation as a strategic partner of notable, world-class events through a combination of proven success, unmatched relationships and a track record of results. Today, the company occupies a uniquely prominent space in the world of major event sponsorship, raising nearly $20 million annually for events they represent. TFG’s portfolio includes The North American International Auto Show; Motor Bella; The Parade Company, producers of America’s Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Gardner-White and the Ford Fireworks; The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear; The Detroit Jazz Festival presented by Rocket Mortgage; and the Downtown Detroit Partnership.

David G. Olivares joined Kaliff in 2012 as a producer and was appointed as Vice President of Sales and Marketing in 2016, and program underwriter. David’s expertise is Festivals, Fairs, Rodeos and Outdoor Music and Event Venues. A native of San Antonio, David received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the Incarnate Word where he excelled in Academics and Track in Field. David was the Team Captain of the University’s Track and Field Team and was ranked 19th in the nation for javelin in 2008. David gives back to his community by volunteering at various San Antonio Fiesta Events as well as organizing the Fiesta Castle Hills 5K run. He currently serves on the Board of Texas Festivals and Events Association. David, his wife, and three children are all an exemplary part of the ever-expanding family unit of Kaliff Insurance’s commitment to community-based participation and values. David’s professional background, infused with his passion for sports and entertainment, offer the perfect blend of talent that ensures proper coverage and implementation to protect Kaliff clients.

Geoff Hinds has over 15 years of diverse experience in Live Event and Event Venue management, and serves as the Director of the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center in Redmond Oregon. Prior to Joining the Deschutes County Fair & Expo in 2019, Geoff held the roll as Chief Executive Officer at SBC Fair in Southern California, which has overseen operations of both the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds as well as Adelanto Stadium.
Geoff has shared his knowledge and expertise through work on or at many large festivals and events throughout the United States, and has successfully transformed multiple previously struggling into financially viable community centers, through the reduction of expenses and the building of strong teams. In addition, Hinds has served on numerous Fair and Event industry associations and committees including as a current treasurer for the Oregon Fairs Association, and prior roles on the boards of the Western Fairs Association, California Fairs Alliance, and the California Association of Racing Fairs. He was a founding member for the International Association of Fairs and Expositions Young Professional Initiative, and YPI West and has served as a board member for the Tulare Chamber of Commerce, California Association of Racing Fairs, California Fairs Alliance and more. A graduate of Whitter College, Hinds currently lives in Terrebonne Oregon.

Robert Baird is President of BAM! Baird Artists Management Consulting in Toronto, and an acknowledged expert in international touring including visas, withholding and taxation. He is former President of NAPAMA (North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents), and served on the Executive Board as VP of Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO). Mr. Baird is Past- President of OAPN (Ohio Arts Professionals Network) and serves as APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals) Showcase Coordinator and a Director of The King’s Singers Global Foundation. Mr. Baird is an A.F.M. Booking Agent and an Acceptance Agent for the I.R.S. and is well-known for his columns on “Crossing Borders” in International Musician and “Festivals Without Borders” in IFEA’s “ie” magazine.

My name is Warwick Hall and I am based in New Zealand with work here and around the world, at least I used to. I am an Operational Risk Consultant operating two business entities, www.safetysetconsulting.com and www.S646.com. Green relates to managing routine (if indeed there is such a thing) risks and Red which relates to counter threat operations (terrorism).

Green. I have worked my way up from the trenches dreaming up, developing, creating and operating all manner of festivals and events from community based to world level. I have had some successes and I have had some unmitigated disasters. It’s the disasters that allowed for the greatest learning and I unashamedly relate some of these experiences to the Webinar content.

Red. Beyond that, I have developed the operational documentation for a Royal visit to New Zealand and worked operationally during. Current engagement is along similar lines with an upcoming remembrance event of the terror attack that killed 51 people here in New Zealand also having worked the original event post attack.

This practical experience is augmented by formal qualifications and professional development to ensure ongoing currency and applicability in an ever changing industry.

Carol Porter has been a Producer in the Recreation division of Haas & Wilkerson Insurance for 20 years. She works on all types of Fair and Festival accounts ranging from the small county fair to some of the largest events in the nation, in which she provides insurance and risk management consultation. Carol was born and raised in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. She earned her Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation in 1997. She conducts insurance and risk management sessions at Fair/Festival national and regional meetings throughout the year.

Andrew Vandepopulier is a Producer in the Programs division at Haas & Wilkerson Insurance. With over a decade of insurance experience and a background in claims and sales, Andrew supports clients representing Fairs, Festivals, Rodeos, and other Special Events around the country, helping them build great programs and mitigating large exposures. He serves on committees and boards to facilitate the continued expansion of strong risk management practices. He’s an active participant in the IAFE Young Professionals Initiative as well as an annual contributor to the Fair and Festival speakers’ panels. Andrew also serves as sponsorship chair for the American Royal Rodeo committee and assists with the annual rodeo. He’s completed the Institute of Fair Management through the IAFE and is wrapping up his CFE through the IFEA. Andrew graduated from the University of Central Missouri with a degree in Business Education. He played three years of college baseball at Maple Woods Community College and Truman State, and continues to be active in all outdoor sports.

Insuring Your Success Since 1939.

Be proactive and protect your event with Haas & Wilkerson Insurance. With more than 80 years of experience and access to exceptional markets, we’re able to provide quality solutions that are cost-effective and event-specific.
Learn More