Here are some notes I took from the Digital Media workshop (see previous post).

I came 20 minutes into the presentation given by Chris Charron due to tough parking around the building.  It was based upon 7 rules.  In order they are:

1. Pick the right spot: Device, Platform, Aggregation, Programming or Marketing
2. All roads lead to advertising
3. Single function devices-and focused simplicity-rule
4. Enable network value creation (examples: kiva.com, ether.com)
5. Give up control-to users (example: meetup.com)
6. Leverage users for content creation and marketing (examples: tripconnect.com, weedshare.com)
7. User experience is the best sustainable competitive advantage

Other notes: (more…)

Over the next three days I will give a daily report about the workshops I attend at Entrepreneurship Week at Northeastern: Digital Media and Web 2.0 on Tuesday, the Networking Event on Wednesday and Raising Money on Thursday.

Technorati Tags: entrepreneur, entrepreneurship

I was unaware (but not suprised) an annual Entrepreneurship Week existed until a recent Google search of “city of boston minority business.”  It is going to be held February 24 to March 3.  The Digital Media and Web 2.0 workshops along with the Minority Entrepreneurs Networking Event will definately draw me out from the cold weather.
Local link: http://www.eweek.neu.edu/2007/index.html

National link: http://www.entrepreneurshipweekusa.com 

Technorati Tags: entrepreneurship, boston networking, digital media, web 2.0

One of the best (not to mention first and most important) things to do after any event is to write down everything that was good, ok, and could be improved.

For example, the good included the venue, decor and number of attendees.

Ok was the networking.  Most took intiative to meet new people while a few stuck to talking only with the friends they came with.

Could be improved is the female to male ratio, particularly as this was a Valentine’s affair.  Not sure what can be done to change that as woman tend to attend these type of events more than men.

I make notes like these about each event Boston Offline Media is a part of to know what to repeat, what to avoid and what to improve for the next time.

Technorati Tags: event planning

Do you hate wearing a suit too?

Dog beer: a real niche market.

Funny ads not funny.

Technorati Tags: advertising, suits, beer, dogs

You’re fired! But before you go, here’s a small token of our appreciation, $210 million dollars.  It’s not much but hopefully it’ll tide you over before your next job.

Home Depot’s Nardelli out after year of criticism [Yahoo News]

Technorati Tags: home depot, ceo compensation

Another year, another set of goals.  What will make me happy on January 1 of 2008 is

1. A mailing list increase of 200%
2. A mixer attendance increase of 30%
3. A web visitor increase of 900%

Actually achieving that is a different story.

Continuing from the last post, here is breakdown of a sponsorship opportunity for a late February event.

What is the purpose of the event?

A play celebrating Black history.

When and where?

John Hancock Hall and Dorothy Quincy Suite, last Sunday in Feb.

How many attendees?

1000 expected (up from 200 last year)

What is the attendee general demographic?

“Sponsoring businesses will reach out to upscale urban professionals
from Boston, and surrounding areas. This is a mature, young-adult
audience ranging in age from 18 to 55 years old. This section of the
demographic represents those most likely to make purchases in
consumer goods, financial services, mortgages, legal, and other
professional services.”

What are the listed benefits? 

Like many events, there are different levels of sponsorhip so I’ll just list the levels in line with the advertising budget.

Show Vendor $150

1. Six Foot Vending Table
2. Listing in Program Booklet

Full page color ad $165 Full page b+w $125; 1/4 page ad $75; Honorable mention $40

How many other sponsors will there be?

(more…)

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.  (more…)

As a company that continuously seeks to attract sponsorship for our mixer series, it is always interesting when we are on the other side of the fence receiving solicitations to sponsor events produced by others.  Even if the prices are way out of our range, the soliciation is carefully scrutinized for language/terminology used and benefits offered.  It just may happen that a benefit they offer is something we can include in our own sponsorship packages to our prospective clients.

Big business can throw away 10K on a whim because the VP’s son-in-law’s cousin is the co-chair of some event.  As a small business, 10K is NOT something that can be thrown away let alone even be affordable in terms of sponsorsing an event.  And let’s not forget, affordability does not equal worthiness.

Many factors should go into consideration such as:

• What is the purpose of event?
• When and where is the event(could be a big factor if event is outdoors)?
• How many attendees are expected?
• What is the general demographic of attendees?
• What are the listed benefits?
• How many other sponsors will there be?
• How does this fit into our company’s branding strategy?
• How much time would have to be devoted to the event?
• Who is the event’s point person in managing sponsor relations?
• And of course, what is the cost of sponsoring the event?

Tomorrow, I’ll talk about how these questions affected our decision to sponsor an event earlier this year and how they are impacting a potential sponsorship for an upcoming event.  Feel free to add any questions I may have left out.

Technorati Tags: sponsorship, event sponsor