I was recently interviewed on the role of sponsorships in events by SponsorsWin, an ongoing discussion, online roundtable and showcase for the new trend in online promotion: sponsorships instead of ads. In this interview, I discuss the role of sponsors, how to make sponsorships more effective and various other issues and solutions in the world of event sponsorships. Below is an excerpt of the interview:
“Sponsors pay a pretty important role in a number of facets. From an organizational standpoint, we run events under our name, Do It In Person, and our main sponsor for those events is American Airlines, who plays a huge role. First of all, they help us get from city to city to run our events through their sponsorship, and additionally, they give real credibility to our organization. If people see that your sponsor is Jack on the street, people don’t look at your event as a serious event, but when American Airlines is the sponsor, in people’s minds, that event just took a step up because there must be something there. On this corporate level, they’re great for giving our events some credibility.
On a smaller scale, on a per-event basis, sponsors add a lot of value in a number of different ways. We have a networking event coming up, and one of our sponsors is Uber. Uber is a transportation company that sends black cars on demand. They’re giving event attendees $20 off their first ride. This not only adds value to the event, but it’s something meaningful and relevant.”
You can read the full interview at http://sponsorswin.squidoo.com/case-studies/aron-schoenfeld-on-a-great-sponsor-by-providence
While networking events generally have a business angle to them, they really are no different than a singles mixer. Everyone in attendance is there looking to meet others to make connections and start some type of business relationship. The relationship starts at the event, there is a follow up “date” and if the business relationship progresses past the first meeting, the individuals can tell people that they met at that event. Obviously most networking events are not about finding the most attractive person or how many numbers you are going to get (for most people), but it is still about meeting and interacting with some great people that can help you find what you need for your business.
Like anything else that you do, first impressions will often make or break a meeting or conversation. And when being thrown into a room with 100+ other people to network, whether it be happy hour, speed dating or pitching format, that first thing you say will often determine whether or not the person you met will want to continue the conversation and if there will be a follow up email and meeting. Some people are just naturally comfortable walking over to others and Read more…
On any given night in New York City, there are 3 to 4 events that seem to be appropriate for me to attend. I can only imagine that for others, the number is either about the same, or even greater. Over the past few years, sites like Meetup and Eventbrite have made it easier than ever before for people to create events. Regardless of the content, the goal for most attendees is to network and meet others that share their interests. The challenge is, with the cost of the events and the time commitment to attend, how do you pick the right event to attend so that you meet the right people.
Advertising is always deceptive, especially when it comes to events. Organizers claim to have groups of 11,000 members or show a list of attendees, many of which they added themselves. While this gives you a feel for the community or event, it doesn’t tell you what you really need to know: how meaningful and relevant is to you. Just like each event has a specific purpose, you should be going in with a specific purpose and a goal to achieve it. These goals can be as broad as meeting the most people to meeting a specific person. They could be focused on hearing a particular speaker or trying to learn about an industry. Based on these goals, which may vary from event to event, you will be able to get an idea of which events you should attend.
I recently posted on Gplus asking people what they look for when searching for an event to attend. A few people commented that it is based upon who is going to be there and recommendations from friends. While I agree with these wholeheartedly, my question is more about how do you evaluate the attendees or recommendations since no two people have the same goals. Unfortunately, you often have to find out the hard way that an event isn’t for you. But even then, making the best of it can turn it into a productive night.
Three of the things I think are essential to picking an event to attend are:
Price – I am always wary of free events for two reasons. The first is that everyone signs up but not everyone attends so you never know who will actually be there. Secondly, it doesn’t create a filter where someone who shouldn’t be attending says that they aren’t going to pay to go since it’s the wrong events. A small Read more…
Networking is an essential function of any entrepreneur. It is one of the factors that make entrepreneurs not just people with ideas but part of a larger community that is always willing to help each other, make introductions and create partnerships. Investors realize this as well and are very active in the networking space either through attending events, participating by speaking or being on a panel at an event or even by sponsoring events. While networking events have evolved over the years, at the end of the day, most people are there to meet others and build their network.
As more and more groups pop up in a city via Meetup, LinkedIn, Facebook or their own websites, many of these organizers realize that they need to create events to bring their groups together so it is not just another social forum, but rather a real community. Over the last three years, we have seen an abundance of Read more…
There is a big misconception that entrepreneurs run around, hang out all the time, go to events around the country and don’t have any structure to their life. People think that the entrepreneurial lifestyle is doing what you want, when you want. While there is some truth to it in the sense that entrepreneurs are always on the go, hustling to make things happen; successful entrepreneurs will tell you that structure is an essential part of the success for your company.
Will Corrente, a successful entrepreneur from S. Florida, once told me that a good entrepreneur doesn’t need to pull all-nighters constantly or work 23-hour days. Yes, there will be long days when things have to get done, but with an organized plan, you can work 9-5 and be successful. While most entrepreneurs say that they work 24/7, it is worth noting that they spend those hours caught up in the entrepreneurial lifestyle of running from event to event, constant meetings and various conferences, which causes them to have those crazy hours. But no matter how many events you attend or meetings you run to, creating structure in your business will not only help you manage and grow your company, but provide structure for your team.
Here are some tips that can help you give your startup structure even while you are running around being an entrepreneur:
- Set daily, weekly and monthly goals: It is very easy to get caught up in projects, ideas and meetings. By setting goals for yourself, you give yourself Read more…
One of the biggest challenges facing an entrepreneur, especially those first timers, is balancing their job that pays the bills with their desire to start a company or business. Unfortunately the reality is that starting a company costs money and bills need to be paid. This is why most people never actually get their idea beyond the idea stage. But for those who do, many need to continue in their nine to five job to support the development of their idea. The biggest question with this is not if you should do it, but how you can work both 9 to 5 and 5 to 9 and balance the two.
Starting a company is difficult. It requires a lot of research, dedication and hard work. Most people feel like they are married to their company, at least for the first few years. But when working at an office, it is very hard to keep that passion alive without causing any issues. Below are a few of the issues and suggestions for dealing with this.
Don’t bring your work to work – Most people have an initial reaction that they will bring the work from their startup to the other office and do it in their downtime. While this may be a great way to get work done and stay entertained, it is also a great way to get fired. Reality is that most startups don’t make it so Read more…
Most startups, at least in their really early stages, do not have the infrastructure or even an office in which to build a team. It is often too early to go out and hire staff because much of the required work is research related and there is no money to pay employees. Research, social media postings and data entry generally don’t require much experience and can easily be outsourced on sites like Odesk.com or with services like NoonDalton. However we are seeing more and more people look for interns for their startup, specifically for social media.
One of the key reasons for this is that many students can’t find jobs and are desperate to do anything that gives them experience and may lead to a job. Another key reason is that there is such a push towards entrepreneurship that everyone wants to be part of the next Facebook. With this mindset, there is tremendous opportunity for companies and interns if done correctly.
Finding an intern is easier than it has ever been. There are incredible internship website such as Urban Interns that not only make it easy to find interns, but they allow you to get a feel for the interns’ schedule and talents and communicate with them in a formal yet informal nature. Additionally with the abundance Read more…
One theme that you will probably see recurring in all of my posts is the importance of building a cohesive team that compliments each other. Each company will have its own process for this such as attending “find a co-founder” events, asking your network, posting on entrepreneurial job boards or even just emailing people whose profiles match your needs on LinkedIn. But the big challenge for a startup is putting a team together or hiring staff with little to no capital. In the regular business world, hiring with no money is unheard of. But as all entrepreneurs can tell you, not only is it the norm in the entrepreneurial community, but an accepted practice.
The first step in the process is identifying your essential needs as a company. This may be your developer to build the website or a CEO type, both roles that will shape the vision of the company. Once you have moved beyond the essential parties, the ideas guy and the developer, it gets a bit tricky. There are many services that a startup will need in advance of or immediately after the launch which are essential to the company. These include legal work, marketing/PR and social media amongst others. The management team must decide what is worth bringing in house vs. hiring a company to do on a per project basis. I recently heard Justin Smith, VP at Zillow.com, talk about how having a marketing plan may be the most essential part of launching a startup. But it is up to the team to determine if they need a marketing person or they can hire a marketing firm for strategy.
Building a team around your needs as a company is essential to your success. If you don’t have any cash flow for 3 months, there is no need to hire an Read more…
Linsanity has taken over New York and slowly spread across the nation. Jeremy Lin has saved the Knicks, who had become a laughingstock, and the NBA, which never fully recovered from the lockout. His rise from last man on the bench to the savior of the Knicks is an extremely inspirational story and while everyone tries to paint this story as the American dream, there are a lot of real life lessons that can be learned from his story. Below are some of the ones that came to my mind.
Be prepared – You never know when your shot will come. You can get passed up, beat down and even sent packing, but all it takes is one call to get things started. But it is what you do in advance of that call that will often determine your success. As entrepreneurs, we are always one phone call away from something great happening. But we need to be prepared for that call. Have your elevator pitch perfected, work on your slide deck, and most importantly, have a plan to get people excited about your product and more importantly, yourself. Research your competition, know the industry and be able to take a call and give over the information needed at a moment’s notice. You never know when the opportunity will present itself. But as the saying goes, failure to prepare is preparing to fail. But now, once you have prepared, seize the day!
Seize the day – It is not every day that you get an opportunity that can change your career or business. Jeremy Lin was a guy who was passed over, passed around and was the 5th choice for point guard for the Knicks. Various things all happened at the same time and he found himself as the starting point guard for the Knicks. It is a matter of him being in the right place at the right time and getting the opportunity of a lifetime, and he seized it. He worked hard to prepare for that moment and gave it all that he had and he has since turned that simple opportunity into a worldwide phenomenon.
As entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves trying to connect with angel investors, VCs, media outlets like TechCrunch, Mashable and Tech Cocktail to get Read more…
“Money you can lose many times, but you can only lose your reputation once.” – Mukesh Ambani
Your reputation and how others perceive you will play an important role in all of your business dealings. Whether it is for partnership opportunities, investments or just networking, your reputation will precede you and others will often have an expectation. Whether it is from social media, online background checks or asking around your circles, information is very easy to come by and will play a big part in determining whether or not you succeed.
Let’s be honest, before meeting someone for the first time, whether for a date or business meeting, most people Google and Facebook search the person they are going to meet. You want to know what they look like, see some of the more recent things that they have done, see their interests, all for the sake of “knowing” who you are about to meet. While there is nothing wrong with this, it makes it even more imperative for people to make sure their reputation is kept in check.
First impressions often make or break a relationship. When someone googles you, what do they see? Is it the picture of you with your family on vacation or the party of you drinking and smoking up at some party (yes, I have actually seen pictures like this). Will they see posts from you or articles using foul language Read more…
