When I twisted Derek’s arm last summer to convince him to go after sponsors for our fall event, I had to pretend I was full of confidence. “Of course we’ll get people to sponsor this. We’re cool, we’re hip, we’re trendy, and besides, people like us.” Once I set aside the Stuart Smalley routine (random Saturday Night Live reference), I had to admit the truth. I really didn’t know. The few other people I told about the plan to try to sell sponsorships were dubious, even if they didn’t come right out to say it.
But then one sponsor signed on. And another. And another. We ended up with 10 sponsors and even came up with a few wrinkles along the way to add value to each sponsorship. There was information on our website, regular mentions on social media, and then brief shout-outs prior to the start of each of the live CMEpalooza Fall sessions (still archived for viewing here, by the way).
When we talked to our sponsors after the fall event ended, they all seemed pleased with the value they received. I’m not even sure they knew what to expect, but the traffic we were able to generate to the CMEpalooza website and the eyes and ears we had on our event hopefully meant a valuable trickle down to our sponsors. And it’s not like we were charging a king’s ransom either.
So we’re trying again in 2015, and adding in a few new wrinkles from the get-go. You can check out our Sponsorship prospectus on the Sponsor tab. You can also check out a cool infographic (from infograph-ed) that was produced to illustrate some of the key data points from the fall event.
Derek and I will be trolling the hallways in Dallas, er, Grapevine, during the upcoming ACEHP meeting and we’ll of course be happy to answer any questions about anything CMEpalooza. Derek will be writing in the next few days to whet your appetite for our Thursday afternoon session, Hangin’ with Mr. Google, which will certainly touch on CMEpalooza (along with other things).
But you don’t even have to wait until then if your company is interested in sponsoring CMEpalooza Spring, Fall, or both. You can be a sponsor today by filing out the form at the back of the prospectus. The earlier you sign up, the sooner and the more you’ll be recognized via our various social media channels. Maybe we’ll even create a secret hallway handshake for our early-bird sponsors. Because we’re cool, we’re hip, and… well, you know the rest.
CMEPALOOZA 