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Is it worth my company's time and money to sponsor conference expos and events?
I want to start engaging in conferences next year. Our company is small, but growing relatively fast given the current economy. I've done research and noticed bronze, silver, gold, and platinum packages available for sponsorship opportunities, but I don't know if we have the extra income to afford those packages. Is there another way to sponsor conferences without spending the extra cash? Are there mutual sponsorship opportunities available for small companies without buying those packages?
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2 Answers
I do think there is value in sponsoring at conference expos and events, only if the conference or event is tied to the industry your company is in. I know that the company I work (disaster restoration) for attends insurance conferences because they are our clients or potential clients. It is about networking opportunity.
People do notice, but if you do not have the funds, I wouldn't. There isn't an immediate gratitude to sponsor those events. It takes time before you get your brand/company out there to that industry's world. Since our company is fairly established, in my opinion these conferences are maintenance program. Don't forget, even if you sponsor, you want to be there and also host a table. In addition, you can't just have a table, you need a banner, free giveaways, travel cost, meal cost, salary etc. All those little things add up and become very expensive.
If you are looking into sponsoring opportunities as a PR program, find a charity that ties in with your company. For example, as a disaster restoration company, we donate to Red Cross, since the money you donate also disperses across local Red Cross locations (this is the reason why Habitat for Humanity was not chosen as they are centralized to one pot). Also charitable sponsorships are tax deductible.
As for mutual sponsorship, I do not know of any, and I wouldn't really recommend it. Keep your ventures separate to distinguish yourself against competitors.
You could potentially contact the head of the conference committee and ask if you could offer to serve and pay for the hors d'oeuvres. Great way to mingle, low cost and still be part of the conference. Try serving food, buy printed napkins with your company logo on it. Works great, and you can serve them yourself and with some employees (or hire volunteers or get interns...every student is looking to gain some experience. Post a job description or speak to a college co-op coordinator at a college).
I definitely think there is a benefit to sponsoring at conferences and expos, but it is true that budget is a huge consideration. I have several clients who do utilize conferences as a means of getting the word out about their business. They choose several options that are not nearly as expensive as a full sponsorship package.
1) You could appear on a panel. Believe it or not, those conferences sometimes have a hard time putting together those panels. If you have somebody in your company who would be appropriate on a panel, you could submit their background information and ask if there are any panels in the area of expertise where they are looking for panelists.
2) You could sponsor a session. It's often much less to sponsor one particular session rather than buying a full sponsorship package. When sponsoring a session usually the sponsoring company provides the moderator for the sessions and assists in securing panelists (i.e. uses their connections to convince panelists to participate). Your logo will also appear in the conference directory and any signage pertaining to that session.
3) You could do a belly band on a trade magazine. There are always trade magazines at these conferences, and they give their publications out for free. Doing a belly band around the magazine is much less expensive than doing an ad, and you get from cover exposure. Some trades will do this and others won't so you should investigate which ones will.
4) Find out who is doing PR for the conference and ask them if there are any interview opportunities. There's one company I work with that does pre-conference interviews that they post on their website to get people excited about the conference. They have to seek out the people to be interviewed, so calling them makes it easier. During the conference they do interviews on the floor then post them to the website for people who aren't at the conference to see.
5) Put a giveaway in the conference bag. All conferences have a bag, and sometimes they provide an opportunity for companies to include brochures or freebies. Pick something that people will keep and use which gets your name out there.
6) Sponsor an evening party at a local establishment. While this one might be a bit more expensive, people are often looking for something to do at night. Having a party is a great way to align positive energy with your company. You can make it an exclusive party and only invite the people you feel would be of benefit to your company, then network like crazy.
Except for being on a panel, I can't think of any totally free ways to get exposure at a conference itself. But if you go and do some business there, turning that into a press release and distributing it widely could get you some attention. Often the trades will cover a conference if it is important to the industry, and a good PR person could be invaluable in getting your news into those publications.
Hope this information help.
Bonnie
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