Part 2: Sponsorship Anyone?

I have been reading about a lot of traditional businesses (large ones at that) who are turning to sponsorships, new advertising and product placement as new sources of revenue.

The biggest ones which caught my eye were some of the major airlines. Way before the economic crisis really kicked in this fall, we heard about the airline industry losing money, cutting flights, canceling orders for new planes, laying off staff, and raising ticket prices to boot! This industry is in serious need of a cash injection; sounds like a small business owner or a new event.

Here's a good example. If you have flown recently, you have noticed the ad on the tray table. The first one for me was a Verizon ad on my last flight to New York. As I folded down the table and noticed the ad, I wasn't shocked at first, but as the flight continued, I thought about it a little more. Just as we look for places to generate revenue with our events (t-shirts, banners, posters, give-aways, etc) the major airlines are also looking for additional places to slap a logo!

It makes perfect sense for a couple of reasons; you have a captive audience for an extended period of time, demographics are easy to grasp, theres lots of eyeballs, you know where your audience is going to, and in a lot of cases, the consumer can purchase the minute they land in the airport.

These advertisers are seeing this as new, uncharted territory for them to gain more market share. As an event planner who is looking for sponsorship, you have to be that airline. Why does your sponsorship make perfect sense? Your event is the opportunity for them to get more market share, what are your hot points and which companies would be a good fit? Durning flights, I've seen a couple of Verizon ads now, a few for cough syrup/cold remedies, car rentals, hotels, etc. Sounds like everything you would need on your trip. So what would every one attending your event need? That's where we start, keep it broad, and land those sponsors!