Sponsors are an integral part of so many events, but their exposure to attendees and their overall impact at the conferences could be so much bigger. What do sponsors really want? To make a splash. To be relevant. To share information. To increase their name and brand. To launch a new product or service. What do they dread? They dread sending one or more of their people to your conference, to invest in your convention only to be more-or-less ignored at a small table in the back. Oh, and that banner with their logo? It’s nice, but what they really want is to be the star of the convention.
My idea can help the sponsors achieve these goals in a way that is more powerful than a placard, a note by the door, or a logo or banner behind me while I’m on stage.
Here’s the other problem you have: your audience will not sit still for a commercial. If the speaker feels like a commercial for your sponsor, nobody wins. So how can we promote your sponsor in a way that they will WANT to pay you for, while keeping the audience happy? You’re gonna love this concept.
So what’s the big idea? I begin by mentioning the sponsor multiple times while on stage. Not as an ad… I’ll insert their name, their selling points and their unique selling proposition into humor. I’m great at making small jokes about the sponsor in a way that the sponsor LOVES… and makes the audience laugh. It’s fun. It’s tongue-in-cheek. It’s successful.
This is in no way a commercial. Instead, it’s a clever idea to entertain the audience while promoting the sponsor. It’s something so fun that every OTHER sponsor will be jealous of the keynote sponsor. And again, your audience will think it’s clever and fun.
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