Ivey Sports Leadership Conference 2026

This year’s Ivey Sports Leadership Conference (ISLC) brought a record-breaking 450 delegates to the largest sports and entertainment conference in Canada. Attendees from across the country gathered at Ivey for a weekend of conversation with over 25 top executives, athletes, and entrepreneurs at the forefront of Canadian sports business. Western was pleased to welcome back many notable alumni, such as Rogers Executive Chair Edward Rogers, Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum, and Canadian Tire Senior Vice President of Marketing and Branding Eva Salem ((who also attended the “Ivey of the South” at Harvard).

But what does it take to run the nation's largest sports and entertainment conference? For co-chairs Oliver Rebanks and Matt Rosati, HBA Class of 2026 candidates, planning began ten months ago.

“We would not be in the same place today if we hadn’t started ten months earlier,” Rosati said. “For an event like this, everything needs to be prepared well in advance.”

This sentiment was echoed by Rebanks, who said, “From hiring execs and recruiting speakers and sponsors, to booking rooms, ordering staging, and coordinating with facilities ... it doesn’t stop.”

But they didn’t do it alone. Their detailed vision of the conference was supported by a team of 20 fellow students.

Team leadership

For Rosati and Rebanks, leading a time of this size was uncharted territory. Rosati explains this worry, saying, “you have 20 people working under you that you need to manage while also working through everything else.”

These initial worries were soon subsided as their team’s willingness and skills helped support the two’s vision for the conference. Together, the team pulled off a wonderful event. Their careful attention to detail allowed for a smooth event that highlighted the best of Canadian sports and entertainment innovation.

Community and culture

But for Rosati and Rebanks, the most rewarding part of the conference was seeing the team succeed. “Walking into the auditorium and seeing everything set up — knowing how much work went into it — that’s when it really hits,” explains Rebanks.

The team rallied behind their shared passion for sports, a passion reflected in their intense drive and dedication to the conference. Through ISLC, the team has experienced immense growth and opportunities for future involvement in the field.

Getting involved

Neither Rebanks nor Rosati began their ISLC journeys in leadership roles. Rebanks first joined the conference as a Logistics Director in his second year, returned as a Sponsorships Director, and later co-chaired the event. Rosati similarly served as a Logistics Director before stepping into the role of Co-Chair this year.

Along the way, both gained professional experience with MLSE, a key partner of the conference, while Rebanks also spent a summer working with Golf Canada. Both leaders point to the conference as a meaningful part of their development.

“[ISLC] definitely helped me get my foot in the door,” Rebanks said. Rosati added that through his involvement in the conference, he made connections that went a long way in securing his MLSE internship. “I learned how to interview at that company, how to recruit.”

Their advice to students is simple: get involved. “It’s just about throwing yourself at the wall,” Rosati said. “Take risks.”

Both co-chairs emphasized that some of their strongest internal contributors were second-year students – highlighting that getting involved does not require a wealth of experience or knowledge, but rather an eagerness to contribute and be part of the team.