Jeff Aylen - Live from SocialWest 2026

Recorded live at SocialWest 2026 in Calgary, Jeff Aylen, Vice President of Marketing and Brand for the Vancouver Whitecaps, joins host Lindsay Smith to talk about what it really takes to build a fanbase that sticks around long after the final whistle.

Jeff shares how the Whitecaps went from struggling to fill 12,000 seats in 2021 to selling out 50,000-person stadiums in 2024, and why that turnaround had as much to do with a strategic pivot toward relationship building as it did with what was happening on the pitch.

He breaks down how the team uses data and performance marketing to amplify emotional moments, how they scenario plan for seasons when the results aren't going their way, what FIFA 2026 means for the long-term growth of soccer in Canada, and why building mini-pitches across BC matters more to the Whitecaps than any single World Cup bump.

Because fans aren't acquired. They're built.

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Follow Jeff Aylen on LinkedIn and learn more about the Vancouver Whitecaps at whitecapsfc.com.

Follow guest host and Takt CEO, Lindsay Smith on LinkedIn.

Thanks to our Editors and Producers at TAKT.

This episode was recorded live in Calgary during SocialWest 2026, Western Canada's largest marketing conference, bringing together over 600 professionals for two days of actionable insights, expert speakers, and high-value networking.

SocialWest is part of the SocialNext series, Canada's leading platform for marketing conferences, media, and community.