bizMe

Sponsorship Marketing and Community Affairs Specialist
By Cally, Minneapolis

As a sponsorship marketing and community affairs specialist for a top ten financial firm, I have the best of many worlds. The sponsorship marketing and community affairs business line allows me to be creative, interactive, strategic, and on the front lines of business development events all while giving back to the community.

We believe that sponsorships are the best avenues to raise brand awareness, support communities and increase business development opportunities.

The sponsorship process begins with regional directors and my senior manager choosing sponsorships that meets the business and community needs of each region; whether the need is recruiting, diversity, or brand awareness.

An example of a visible sponsorship is a high level art exhibit such as Picasso at the San Francisco Modern Museum of Art (SFMOMA). The exhibit itself is highly visible and as the main sponsor our company name and logo will be attached to each print and promotional piece.

Once the sponsorship is decided, the project is turned over to me for implementation. The first step is determining which executive will host the event.

With the example above, my next step is to contact each branch in the San Francisco area and present the sponsorship opportunities and benefits. The branch is then responsible to use the talking points that I provide them and communicate with all the employees in the branch, as well as the clients to be invited.

Following the conversation with the branch I begin working with the SFMOMA on the event; contacting caterers, florist, musicians, lighting, valet etc.

The San Francisco branches are responsible for the tracking form to collect information about participating clients, employees and prospects.

Once the major decisions have been made, I begin the invitation process. I provide our designers with all the text and copy but they are responsible for the design.

Four to six weeks prior to the event; invitations are mailed, vendor proposals are reviewed and approved, and parting gifts are selected.

Event week nametags are printed, final headcounts are submitted, wine is selected, talking points are written, executive itineraries are confirmed, and event supplies are packed and shipped.
Prior to the event; I and at least one colleague travel to the event. The day before event day consists of a final meeting with the vendors for an on-site event walk through and tying up any loose ends in the branch office.

Event day is quite fulfilling. There are last minute changes, requests and decisions to be tended to. The first hour is the most exhilarating. Right before guests show up, I need to do a quick check-in with my vendors to be sure that the food and beverages are all ready to go and that my musicians are set up and that the florists have transformed the venue. From the moment the guest arrives, we have to be on our game until the last guest departs. We are the guest’s first and last impressions. My goal is to make the employees of the firm shine, to ensure that clients have a great time and that everyone’s needs are met and people are pleased.

Masses of people crowd the registration table for the first hour and then it is speech time. I check the sound system and podium placement and then I hunt down the branch director, executive host and the museum curator to be sure that they are ready.

After the speeches are finished, the guests are given a private viewing of the exhibit. This is about the time when I get to have a little something to eat and start getting ready for the guests departure. We transition the registration table into a gift table. When the guests depart, we collect their nametags and hand them a gift and thank them for coming.

By collecting the nametags we are able to submit a list of attendees following the event. Our work doesn’t end when the event does, we do a series of follow-up with all the attendees and the branches involved. This will help us perfect any sponsorship we do in that area in the future.