Real Conversation
Small-group discussions, peer insight, and direct access to sales and marketing experts and experienced advisers.
Where Brands meet
the right conversation
ASCEND brings innovative healthcare solution providers into the room with independent benefits advisers who are actively looking for better ways to serve employers, grow their businesses, and transform healthcare.
X
ASCEND has been
REIMAGINED for sponsors
Conference-Within-A-Conference
PracticalStrategies
Programming sessions built around the real issues solution providers are facing in marketing, sales, AI and leadership.
BetterConnections
More opportunities to meet your peers, top advisers and sales and marketing experts who can help you think differently and move faster.
BusinessGrowth
Actionable ideas your team can take back and apply inside your company, not theory that dies in a notebook. Leave ASCEND with valuable leads and sharpened skills.
For more information on engaging
NextGen Community
ASCEND by Numbers
Independent Advisers
200+
Agency Owners
63%
Employers Represented
16,000+
Employees Lives Impacted
$1.4M+
Total Agency Benefits Revenue
$740M+
Do Business with 3+ ASCEND Sponsors
94%
ASCEND is designed for building relationships
Built for Conversation,
Not Clutter.
Open-Architecture Exhibit Hall
Say goodbye to the tired rows of pipe-and-drape booths. The ASCEND Exhibit Hall is reimagined with sleek, six-table pods designed for openness and interaction.
THE RESULTS
The format makes it easy for you to:
- An environment engineered for maximum engagement
- More meaningful conversations in a dynamic, inviting space
- High-energy engagement that ensures almost every attendee hears and knows your company and your value proposition
Guided Tours of the
Exhibit Hall
DISCOVER
During breakout sessions, guided groups of advisers rotate through the Exhibit Hall, and every table is a stop on the tour. At each rotation, you’ll get a focused two-minute window to showcase your solutions, innovations, or services directly to the group.
CONNECT
The format makes it easy for you to:
- Put your name and offering in front of every group, not just the ones who happen to find your table
- Reach advisers who might otherwise walk right past you
LEARN
You will engage every rotating group with a clear, consistent pitch, rather than hoping the right people find their way to you. It’s efficient, high-visibility, and ensures you get maximum exposure from the Exhibit Hall.
Expert Roundtables
“Speed Networking” for ADVISERS
HOW IT WORKS
Think of it as speed dating with the advisers who matter most to your business. Over the course of two structured sessions, you’ll host rotating groups across nine Roundtables, briefing them on your key solutions and strategies.
YOU WILL GET
At your Roundtable, you’ll
- Get direct, uninterrupted access to advisers and agency decision-makers
- Field real questions and hear the real challenges advisers are facing
- Deliver fresh perspectives and practical takeaways that stick with them
THE RESULTS
In an engaging, high-energy format, you’ll expand your network, sharpen how you position your solution, and walk away with warm conversations and qualified leads you can follow up on immediately.
Meet the Architect
behind the Movement
The benefits advisory industry is built on volume, not value. Advisors compete on price, manage renewals, and watch premiums rise and margins compress.
We will continue to give advisers the tools to compete at the level they deserve.
In 2016, we chose a different path, building a community and framework to help advisers compete as healthcare strategists instead of plan sellers. Through training, mentorship, and a network of high-performers, we’ve helped hundreds of advisers win mid-market deals and build independent practices that thrive.
And now, with the vendor growth summit, we are giving our sponsors the training and tools they need to grow their business.
Most conferences provide educational content for attendees and exhibit space for sponsors.
The Vendor Growth Summit is a conference-within-a-conference built exclusively for sponsor growth.
Grow
THROUGH ASCEND
Build relationships with influential advisers who can introduce your solution to hundreds of employer groups and thousands of covered lives.
Two Distinct
Growth Opportunities
Grow
AT ASCEND
Strengthen the sales, marketing, messaging, and leadership capabilities that make your entire company more successful – long after ASCEND adjourns.
MASTERMIND PARTNERSHIP
The Industry’s Only Structured Peer-Exchange Program for Agency Leaders
Led by Nelson Griswold, the Mastermind Partnership is an intimate, invitation-only community of independent benefits agency owners. Where ASCEND reaches the broader movement, the Mastermind is where NextGen builds its deepest, most durable sponsor relationships sustained access to the same 25–30 elite agency leaders, twice a year, in a room built for trust rather than transactions
The NextGen Vision Statement
The highest-quality health care, accessible and affordable for all Americans, starting with the employees of our clients.
28%
Mastermind Partner agencies’ average organic annual growth
more than triple the industry average.
25+
LEADING BENEFITS FIRM
6,400+
EMPLOYER CLIENTS
432,000+
COVERED EMPLOYEES
$71M+
AGENCY REVENUE
THE PARTNER COMMUNITY
ASCEND sponsors represent an ecosystem of innovative healthcare organizations across pharmacy, benefits, analytics, navigation, cost containment, technology, and other areas of healthcare transformation.
For more information on engaging
NextGen Community
Ready to Get Started?
Choose the exact level of adviser engagement
you want at ASCEND.
01
02
03
04
05
06
Pinnacle
$45,000Value $78,500 · Only 1 available
- Event Title Sponsor recognition with special signage
- Featured Main Stage Keynote Interview (20 minutes)
- Speaking opportunity at the Gala Reception (5 minutes)
- Edited video of your keynote for post-event use
- Post-ASCEND LiveCast Event (webinar)
- 30-second sponsor-provided video shown during the conference
- Premium presence (not limited to a table) in the Innovation Showcase Exhibit Hall
- Host an Expert Roundtable
- Branding & visibility program across all channels
- Pre-ASCEND social media campaign
- Attendee list (including all contact info)
- Up to 6 sponsor passes
Index
Sponsorship Levels
Choose Your Level
of Elevation
Choose the exact level of adviser engagement you want at ASCEND.
Pinnacle
$45,000
01
- Event Title Sponsor recognition with special signage
- Featured Main Stage Keynote Interview (20 minutes)
- Speaking opportunity at the Gala Reception (5 minutes)
- Edited video of your keynote for post-event use
- Post-ASCEND LiveCast Event (webinar)
- 30-second sponsor-provided video shown during the conference
- Premium presence (not limited to a table) in the Innovation Showcase Exhibit Hall
- Host an Expert Roundtable
- Branding & visibility program across all channels
- Pre-ASCEND social media campaign
- Attendee list (including all contact info)
- Up to 6 sponsor passes
Summit
$28,500
02
- Featured Keynote Innovator Interview on Main Stage (20 minutes)
- 30-second sponsor-provided video shown during conference
- Attendee list (name, firm, phone, email)
- Host an Expert Roundtable
- Exhibit table — Innovation Showcase
- Branding & Visibility Program
- Up to 4 sponsor passes
- Pre-ASCEND social media graphic
- Vendor Growth Summit included
Peak
$18,500
03
- NextGen Talk OR Panel Expert on Main Stage
- Host an Expert Roundtable
- Exhibit table in the Innovation Showcase
- Branding & Visibility Program
- Attendee list (name, firm)
- Up to 3 sponsor passes
- Pre-ASCEND social media graphic
- Vendor Growth Summit included
Elevation
$13,000
04
- Host an Expert Roundtable
- Exhibit table in the Innovation Showcase
- Branding & Visibility Program
- Attendee list (name, firm)
- Up to 3 sponsor passes
- Pre-ASCEND social media graphic
- Vendor Growth Summit included
Base Camp
$9,500
05
- Choice of any $2,500 sponsorship option
- Exhibit table in the Innovation Showcase
- Branding & Visibility Program
- Attendee list (name, firm)
- Up to 2 sponsor passes
- Pre-ASCEND social media graphic
- Vendor Growth Summit included
Trailhead
$7,500
06
- Exhibit table in the Innovation Showcase
- Branding & Visibility Program
- Attendee list (name, firm)
- Up to 2 sponsor passes
- Pre-ASCEND social media graphic
- Vendor Growth Summit included