Continuing from yesterday, here is the a glimpse into the thought process of deciding to sponsor an event earlier this year.
What is the purpose of event?

A community cookout to have fun, be entertained, and hang out.

When and where is the event(could be a big factor if event is outdoors)?

July at a local park beach.  There was a rain day scheduled for the next day.

How many attendees are expected?

Over 3,000.

What is the general demographic of attendees?

African-Americans of all ages, concentrating between 21 and 40.

What are the listed benefits? (copied directly from email)

“Participating organizations benefit from the exposure received from having their name and/or logo prominently displayed in all email blasts as well as on web pages created for the event, the Cookout T-Shirts and the 10ft event Banner.
 
Additional benefits arise from the good will and appreciation received from your organization’s supporters, members and/or constituency.
 
Participating organizations have the opportunity to set up information tables to disseminate and/or collect information from cookout attendees.
 
Participating organizations benefit from having brief information regarding their organization and/or events they are hosting publicized throughout the event.”

How many other sponsors will there be?

Twenty five (approximation made by organizers).

How does this fit into our company’s branding strategy?

The desired audience for the website and newsletters are people of color in Boston.  The desired audience for the mixer series is professionals of color in MA.  Sponsorship adds credibility to our comapny being plugged into the life of the community.

How much time would have to be devoted to the event?

A couple hours including creating sign-up sheets and flyers to have at the table.

Who is the event’s point person in managing sponsor relations?

There was clear point person for the event listed in the sponsor packet.

And of course, what is the cost of sponsoring the event?

$300, which was affordable. 

One question that I forgot to add yesterday was how long the event has been going on. Extremely important. If this is the first time the event is being produced, odds are something will go wrong.  And if the event is terrible, people may associate your company with that event for a long time.  The cookout event was in its 8th year so I felt comfortable that the organizers knew what they were doing. You also want to know when is the deadline.  If the benefit includes your name on the program, flyer, banner etc you need to make sure your logo, ad, and other materials are sent with enough time AND that they are recieved.  Never assume that since you emailed or mailed something off in a timely manner that the other party received it.  Mail gets lost whether in route or in the recepient’s office (say a large agency hosting the event with 30 volunteers running around).  Email gets caught in the server.  Always call to confirm.

 Final notes

What clinched the decision was the sheer volume of people that would attend and the other sponsors who were a part of it.   At the outset, having 25 other sponsors may sound bad.  Who’s gonna  remember my name when there are so many other names?  Yet when you have a chance to put your name in the same area as some of the most well known organizations and event promoters in Boston, it becomes a no brainer.

Success or failure from sponsoring an event depends on carefully pondering the questions above as well as what you do at the event, in case you have a booth or table.

One thing did bother me.  The Cookout T-shirts were nowhere to be found.

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