Hugh Wakeham is a seasoned entrepreneur who has been President & CEO of sponsorship marketing agencies in Canada and the US for over twenty years.  Hugh has led his companies in working with many of the world’s most significant brands and rights holders, specializing in arts and entertainment properties; amateur and professional sports; and venue naming rights.  Hugh’s companies have generated tens of millions of dollars in sponsorship marketing revenue for their blue-chip clients.  

Prior to launching his companies, Hugh spent over seven years with a major New York- and Toronto-based theatrical producer and concert presenter as Senior Vice President, Sponsorship and Promotions.  He was responsible for securing naming rights partners, sponsors and official suppliers for theatrical venues in Canada and the US; dozens of theatrical productions and over 125 concert presentations annually.  Hugh represented programming and theater properties in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.  

In addition to his marketing and sponsorship work, Hugh has managed cultural programming, event planning and production for international festivals, world’s fairs and high-level government and corporate events.  

Hugh taught the sponsorship marketing program at Toronto’s Schulich School of Business at York University for six years and has been a contributor to four publications on sponsorship, marketing and event planning.

Hugh served on the board of the Architecture and Design Council of the Palm Springs Art Museum for six years.  He was on the events committee throughout and served as Vice Chair of Membership as well as Treasurer.    

Hugh has a BA in Urban Studies from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver where he focused on courses in geography, urban planning and architecture.  Hugh’s first job out of college was as a Heritage Planner with the Real Estate Services division of the government of Canada, where he competed an inventory of government heritage structures in the prairie region of Canada.

Hugh has lived in Palm Springs since 2007 and visited the city with his family every year from 1968 to 1980.  He is passionate about architecture, particularly the preservation of the wealth of mid-century structures in Palm Springs.