Doug Lindsay
Head of Strategic Engagement
$160,000
2027 budget
Excludes video (separate budget).
2027 annual total
$1,048,000
Events don't win on cost per signup. The case is trust, access to leaders, and advertiser relationships, with signups as the measurable floor.
Compare against the $10K Military Pro paid signup test before treating events as an acquisition channel.
Doug Lindsay
Head of Strategic Engagement
$160,000
Strategic Engagement Director
New hire
$150,000
Travel for Doug and the Strategic Engagement Director
$48,000
12 trips a year each, $2,000 per trip for 24 trips (flight, hotel and ground). This is separate from travel already included in some event lines (AUSA, VFW, MIC).
Military Con, media partner
San Antonio Jun 4–6 and San Diego Sep 4–6, 2027
$80,000
Founding media partner of a new franchise in two base markets; unproven in year one.
$40K per city. Ask whether we can pay part of this in ad inventory.
AUSA Annual Meeting
Oct 11–13, 2027, Washington DC
$50,000
Army leadership and defense advertisers in one hall.
Published 20×20 booth is $24,800, plus about $25K for build and travel.
MCON Las Vegas, media partner
Oct 2027, dates to be announced
$40,000
Veteran-founded; GovX sponsors it; creator zone.
Military World Games
Jun 25–Jul 4, 2027, Charlotte
$40,000
One-time national story with DoD involvement.
Supporting-tier estimate. The anchor sponsor paid $1M.
VFW National Convention
Jul 31–Aug 4, 2027, Milwaukee
$30,000
Older, benefits-focused veterans; builds on Doug's VFW tie.
Published Health Fair supporting sponsor is $25K, plus about $5K travel.
MOAA TotalForce+
Feb 1–3, 2027, National Harbor, MD
$25,000
Officers and leadership; USAA in the room.
Decision needed now; the event is Feb 1–3, 2027.
Military Influencer Conference (MIC), Transition & Hiring track sponsor
Sep 22–25, 2027, Tampa
$25,000
Close-up look at the business we're evaluating to buy.
Published 2026 track sponsor was $20K, plus about $5K travel. Check with Hassan before sponsoring, since we're evaluating a purchase.
Military.com Gives Back
Monthly nonprofit spotlight with advertiser matches
$60,000
New sponsorship product for sales.
$5K a month.
NYC Veterans Day Parade
Nov 11, 2027, Fifth Avenue
$25,000
Our name on the largest Veterans Day parade in the US.
Army Ten-Miler expo
Oct 2027 (race Oct 10)
$15,000
Every runner walks through the expo to pick up their race packet.
Navy Ten-Miler
Feb 28, 2027, Chula Vista / San Diego
$15,000
Tests San Diego as a pilot market.
GovX sponsors this event.
Michael Quinn transition webinar
Monthly, about 400 attendees
$12,000
Transitioning members, our best segment.
$1K a month.
On-base Exchange digital signage test
2–3 installation markets vs control
$40,000
Seen almost only by service members and families on base.
Built from the 2018 rate card at $3,200 a week × 12 weeks, plus creative. Needs current rates.
Ambassador pilot (3)
Veteran, spouse or Gold Star faces at our events
$36,000
Recognized veterans and spouses vouch for us in person.
$12K each for 3 ambassadors.
Benefits and transition help desk kit
Reusable booth, QR landing pages, merch
$35,000
People get answers on benefits and transition at our booth, not a sales pitch.
Hosted Military.com happy hours (3)
At Military Con, AUSA and MCON
$30,000
A room of our own with advertisers and partners at each event.
$10K each for 3 events, before any sponsor offset.
HomeFront Grant
Veteran- and spouse-led projects
$100,000
Each recipient gives editorial a veteran story to cover.
$25K a quarter. Already running.
Brand awareness baseline survey
Aided and unaided awareness, now and at 6 months
$15,000
Sets the baseline we measure awareness and trust against.
Contingency
$17,000
Held for new asks.
We'll judge this budget on four things: trust and awareness, real-world community, advertiser relationships, and event signups.
| KPI | 2027 target |
|---|---|
| Trust and awareness | |
| Net sentiment | At least +20 points from the January baseline, and net positive by year‑end |
| Share of voice vs Military Times, Task & Purpose, We Are The Mighty and Stars and Stripes | +5 to 10 points from the January baseline |
| Real-world community | |
| People who see or engage with the brand in person | 25,000 |
| Advertiser relationships | |
| Military.com advertisers who book a campaign | 100 |
| Event signups | |
| Direct signups (new Military.com accounts from this program) | 50,000 |