1. Media exposure (dollar value/ratings/readership, etc.);
2. Marketing/merchandising/sales opportunities;
3. Hospitality rights including tickets, VIP parking, etc.;
4. Product exclusivity issue;
5. Signage, on-site exposure (audio billboards, banners, etc.).;
6. Sales opportunities;
7. Listing of other participating sponsors;
8. Brief history of the event/sport/venue/facility;
9. Testimonial letters from previous sponsors.

All of that information should be typed, double spaced, and not be more than eight pages. Remember that the person receiving your proposal gets hundreds, if not thousands, of these proposals annually. The time spent on each one will be minimal and your proposal must stand out if it is to be noticed.
If it is brief, and well-written, with the sponsor's objectives in mind, you will quickly get to the next step meeting and discussion. Prior to that meeting learn all you can about your potential sponsors.
What sponsorships have they done in the past? What are their corporate mission statements? If they are a public company, read their annual report. Do a data search at the library to discover:

1. How this organization approaches their market.
2. What is their advertising strategy?
3. Who are their customers?
4. What is their product line?

In short, you want to be as knowledgeable as the person you will be meeting with so you can discuss how your sponsorship program is so well-suited to their organization.
Make sure you send a written summary after each meeting that outlines your discussion and reiterates how the sponsorship opportunity presented is appropriate. Be thorough in your follow-through and be consistent in your presentation of facts and figures.
When you get a sponsorship commitment, write a contract that clearly, and carefully, outlines the terms of the contract and how each party benefits. This is your implementation road map and needs to be as accurate as possible. Then, deliver 110% and renewal will be hard to pass up!

GUARANTEED SPONSORS FOR ANY EVENT
Sometimes it's hard to know where to start when soliciting sponsorships. Here is a list of the top 20 potential sponsors you can approach for almost any event.

1. Local electronics retailer;
2. Local beer bottler;
3. Local soft drink bottler;
4. Local banks (Community Reinvestment Act requires them to "give back" to the community);
5. Local restaurant association;
6. Local retailers' association;
7. Car dealers;
8. Automobile after-market;
9. Long distance carriers;
10. Mobile telephone companies;
11. Network marketing companies (Amway, Nu Skin, Mary Kaye, etc.);
12. Craftspeople;
13. Antique dealers;
14. Fresh produce dealers (mini-Farmer's Markets);
15. Local radio;
16. Local cable;
17. Local newspapers;
18. Food vendors;
19. T-Shirt vendors;
20. Flea market vendors.

Happy hunting!

EVALUATING YOUR PROPERTY FOR SPONSORSHIP
In order to be effective at sponsorship sales, you have to ask yourself some questions before you can prepare a good inventory of "salable" items. These questions will help you develop sound sponsorship offerings. In many instances these are the same questions your sponsor will ask so going through this exercise will help you be better prepared during the sales call.

1. What are the basics ... where is the event being held, when is it being held, what are the times/dates, what is the estimated attendance? Basically, answer the who-what-when-where-why questions.
2. Is it inside or outside?
3. What are the restrictions of the site/venue?
For example, if your event were being held at the PNC Bank Center you wouldn't be able to bring in another bank as a sponsor. We recently held a concert that was sponsored by Original Coors; the band came with a Budweiser sponsor but had failed to note that in the contract; they were prohibited from hanging the Budweiser banner.)
4. Who are your media partners and what portion of that media can be allocated to sponsors (radio, cable, TV, print, billboard, coupons, etc.)?
5. What are the signage capabilities (on-site ... where and how many; horizontal and vertical street banners ... where and how many; other points of visibility ... stage, exhibit area, etc.)?
6. Do you have a retail partner(s)? Who is it? What is the relationship and can they be used for cross promotion?
7. Is the event free or paid admission?
8. Is it a ticketed event? Can the sponsor be on the ticket?
9. What collateral material is planned (posters, flyers, parking passes, etc.)? What visibility will the sponsor have on the collateral material?
10. What are the on-site benefits (audio announcements, banners, signs, posters, booth space, sales space, etc.)?
11. What are the promotional rights (couponing, bouncebacks, register-to-win, product demos, product sampling, etc.)?
12. Are there naming rights (the SPONSOR children's area, the SPONSOR petting zoo, etc.)?
13. Do you have a database of names that can be released to the sponsor?
14. What are the VIP or hospitality opportunities?
15. Will admission tickets be part of the sponsorship offering?
16. If there is celebrity involvement, will the sponsor have access to the celebrity?
17. Do you have insurance coverage for the sponsors?
18. What is the sponsor history of the event (good, bad, nonexistent, etc.) ?
19. Do you have a crisis PR plan in place (particularly necessary for dangerous sports such as offshore powerboat racing, NASCAR racing, etc.)?
20. Is there category exclusivity?
21. If beverage company, can they have pouring rights?

These are the basics. I'm sure you can come up with more that are specifically related to your event. However, if you get these 21 questions answered you are well on your way to being able to prepare good, quality sponsorship offerings that will be attractive to corporations who could invest in your event.

TAKING INVENTORY:
FIRST STEP IN THE SPONSORSHIP SALES PROCESS
... A PRIMER FOR MEDIA SALESPEOPLE!
What is your event? What do you have to sell? Some of the items in your "inventory" include the following:

1. Street banners (horizontal)... the large ones across major roads;
2. Street banners (vertical) ... the small ones on lamp posts to define community areas;
3. Posters and flyers ... promotional materials designed to promote the event and distributed throughout the community where the event is being held;
4. Category exclusivity ... this can be beverages, banks, food companies, supermarkets, drugstores ... any one specific organization that wants to block the competition from the event;
5. Media ... radio, of course, but also cable or local television, local newspapers, local magazines, billboards; you will have negotiated sponsorship contracts that carry valuable media coverage for your sponsors;
6. Priority parking ... depending on your event;
7. Hospitality options ... important for business-to-business sponsorships as well as employee relations;
8. Ticket exposure ... if a ticketed event, the backs of the tickets have true value for sponsors to use for bouncebacks after the event (allows them to measure impact of the sponsorship);
9. Cross promotions ... think about how your various sponsors can be tied together into a promotion that enhances their sponsorship participation;
10. Opportunity for product sales or displays ... this has value for companies introducing a new product or offering a product extension of an old product (e.g., how many ways can you use Arm and Hammer Baking Soda!?);
11. On-site signage ... again, what are all the opportunities? Stage? Entrances/exits? Flagpole? Where?
12. Priority seating/viewing ... reserved seats for the sponsors, quantity contingent on the sponsorship level;
13. Anything else that you can think of that will have value to sponsors and will enhance their participation in the event! This includes leader boards at golf tournaments, net identification at a tennis tournament, scoreboard exposure at a sporting event ... use your imagination!

YOUR INVENTORY ASSESSMENT
The next step is to determine how many of each of these items you have. For example, on the large street banners, what is your limit on sponsors? 8 - 10 - 12? How many flyers and posters will be produced? how many radio spots are included; newspaper ads; TV commercials, etc.?
Develop a matrix where you list all the inventory components down the left hand side with the second column indicating quantity and the third column the value of these components.
The media value is easy; some of the other components are not as easily valuated. For the street banners, call the local Department of Transportation and get the traffic count.
Then, call a local billboard company ... ask them what a billboard, with that traffic, would be worth. A good rule of thumb? $1.50 CPM. For the direct marketing components (posters, flyers, brochures, etc.) use a CPM of $50. And, for on-site exposure value (sampling, signage, audio announcements) use a CPM of $100.

Tickets and other components that have a face value are also included in this valuation.

Then extend them out on the matrix. For example:

SPONSORSHIP SALES FACT SHEET
When preparing your material for submission to potential sponsors, keep in mind that they are overworked and understaffed. And, if they are a Fortune 500 company they are deluged with sponsorship requests. The total can be intimidating ... as many as 2,000 a year!
How do you cut through the clutter? How do you get, and keep, their attention? Simply, make your material easy to read and understand. The simple form below can be used for events from 100 to 1,000,000 people. We are also showing you a COMPLETED form for an ACTUAL EVENT!
This provides an easy way to summarize the highlights of your sponsorship opportunity, offers the potential sponsor a simple, easy-to-read overview, and facilitates the decision making process. Try it, ... it works!

l. FACT SHEET FORMAT (Sample)

TITLE OF EVENT ___ (this is the name of your event)
DATE OF EVENT ___ (when is it being held ... dates and days)
HOURS OF EVENT ___ (when does it start, when does it end)
EVENT LOCATION ___ (where is it being held -- city, state, location)
ATTENDANCE/ AUDIENCE ------ (how many people, what types of people seniors? children?)

ACTIVITIES (Put in the activities that would be attractive to your sponsors for participation)

Fireworks
Entertainment
Arts and Crafts
Food
3 on 3 Basketball
Beauty contest
Parade
etc.

MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES
Signage
Posters, banners
Database development
Media (radio, television, cable, print ... spell it out clearly and concisely; e.g., you will get 50 :30 spots, one full page, etc.)
Product sales
Couponing/bouncebacks
Branded/licensed merchandise Contest, promotion, register to win Pouring rights etc.
What else? (Use your imagination to enhance this list of marketing opportunities so they get excited about the prospect of participating in your event)

SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE RANGING UP TO $____________

Then, put in approximately three lines of good "sell" copy. Summarize key points, conclude with value, and ask them to seriously consider this marketing opportunity for their particular
product or service.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:
-NAME- -TELE #- -EMAIL

ll. FACT SHEET FOR AN EVENT (Actual)

OCEANFEST '99 - FACT SHEET

LOCATION: Oceanfront, promenade and beach area at The Ocean Place Conference Center & Resort, Long Branch, NJ

DATES/TIMES: Saturday, July 3rd, 1999 ... 12n to 5:00 pm,
Sunday, July 4th, 1999 ... 10 am to 10 pm

ATTENDANCE: 250,000+

AUDIENCE: Attendees average 30-45 years old, professional, married with children. Visitors come from all over New Jersey and metro New York.

SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES:

Spectacular fireworks display
VIP reception and priority viewing ..."Evening Under the Stars"
Master sandsculpting championship
3-on-3 basketball tournament
Professional soccer clinic
Parade With 75-80 floats
Amusements and kiddy rides
Entertainment ...bands, dancing, singing, performance art
Wide range of food selections
Quality arts and crafts

MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES:
Radio, TV, and print coverage
Three large street banners on Broadway, Joline, Norwood Ave.
Inclusion on posters, flyers, etc. (100,000+)
On-site signage
Booth space
Hospitality

PROMOTION IDEAS:
Product sales
Product sampling
Database development (register to win)
Contest/promotions
Premium incentives
Couponing/bouncebacks
Cross-promotions/partnerships

A terrific opportunity to become involved in a community event that attracts over 250,000+ people each year from all areas of New Jersey and the metropolitan area of New York City. One of the premiere events on the Jersey Shore. Allen Consulting, Inc. Phone:732-946-2711 Email: sylvia@allenconsulting

WHERE TO FIND YOUR SPONSORSHIP DOLLARS
If you are involved in sponsorship sales, you often feel like you are looking for a needle in a haystack. Many times you don't have a contact name nor do you know what department has responsibility for sponsorship, so you start cold calling. Don't despair. You can find sponsorship dollars if you are persistent and consistent.
Sponsorship dollars can be found in a variety of departments within a company and under a range of corporate titles. Of course, when you initially contact a company, the first person you will ask to speak to is the person in charge of sponsorship for that organization.
And, if they have a sponsorship department (and more companies are adding them daily), you are quickly and easily connected to the right department. Now, do you talk to the Director, Vice President, or Manager of that department? It depends upon the corporate culture and how responsibilities are assigned to different titles.

PREPARE FOR YOUR CALL
Hopefully, before calling, you will have done your homework and determined the culture and know the appropriate person to talk to. Other calls you make won't be that easy. Sometimes sponsorship dollars reside in the marketing budget; other times in public relations.
With consumer goods, you will often find sponsorship money in brand or product management; other companies may have funds available through human relations or sales. In today's world of highly automated telephone systems, you may have to make several calls to any specific organization before you are able to find the appropriate person.
To make your initial calling easier, read the trade publications addressed to event marketers. You should really keep back issues of these publications and use them as resource material when researching who is spending sponsorship dollars on what.
Of course, with the Internet, data retrieval has become much easier. At least you now have a name for your initial contact and, even if they are no longer involved, they can refer you to the proper contact person.

USE MULTI-DEPARTMENTAL APPROACH
Also keep in mind that more than one person can be involved in sponsorships and that more than one department participates in sponsorship. If you have approached the marketing department and, in spite of the quality of your presentation and appropriateness of the event, they have still turned you down, that doesn't mean you can't go back to that very same company. Just select another department. If the match of sponsor and event is right, you may be successful going through other channels.
If you are a nonprofit organization or have a cause-related affiliation with your event, you can go to the grant administration or charitable contributions department. Keep in mind that these decisions are always made a year in advance, so don't expect short-term moneys from these departments.
Also, considering that major corporations are bombarded with requests for funding, sponsorship and otherwise, you may not get the sponsorship dollars you want. However, some money is better than none! In addition to reading the trade publications to find out who is spending what and where, use your professional trade association affiliations as a resource too.

NETWORKING ORGANIZATIONS FOR YOU
Organizations that could help you in your networking to determine which companies are doing sponsorship are local advertising clubs, International Special Events Society (ISES) chapters, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and Product Marketing Association of America (PMAA), to name just a few. Attend the meetings, take advantage of networking opportunities and you will be surprised at how much information you can get.

HELPFUL PUBLICATIONS
There are also directories that list the various people involved in sponsorship including IEG Directory of Sponsorship Marketing, Franklin Covey's Sports Marketplace, Alan Friedman's Team Marketing Sourcebook, ADWEEK'S Agency Directory and Consumer Products Directory, the advertising agency's Bible -- The Red Book, and EPM's Licensing Business Sourcebook.
(Note: The Licensing Business Sourcebook contains the names of people who are responsible for the licensing activities at particular companies and properties. In many instances they are also involved in sponsorship). These publications average $200-300 each, but are well worth the investment compared against five-, six-and seven-figure sponsorship sales.

REGIONAL vs. NATIONAL APPROACH
In many instances, the size and type of event determines where you might find sponsorship dollars. For example, if you have a local event that only impacts your local area, you can go to the local distributors or field offices. Often they have discretionary dollars that can be allocated to local sponsorships. So, too, with regional events.
Within the last couple of years, Miller Brewing has gone to regional offices where each office can make sponsorship decisions themselves for events within their region. Of course, if your event is national or international, you will still have to go through corporate headquarters for your solicitation.
Whatever channels you go through -- local, regional, national -- start your sponsorship sales process early. Budgets are planned annually; the more lead time you have, the better chance you have of getting your event considered for sponsorship.
Don't wait until three months or, worse, three weeks, before the event to start soliciting sponsors. Remember, the greater the lead time, the greater the success rate.

PROPOSAL WRITING/PROPOSAL ASSESSING
Proposals are very individual documents. They are individual to the sponsorship seeking organization; they are individual to the specific corporation to be approached. For sponsorship investments over $1,000 there is no such thing as a generic proposal.
That said, proposals come in all sizes and shapes. Some very successful organizations never send more than a single page the first time they contact a prospect in writing. Others never send out a written proposal of fewer than ten pages.

COMMON FEATURES IN PROPOSALS
At the most basic level, there is no excuse for anything less than absolute accuracy in corporate names, addresses, titles and the like. Beyond that, successful proposals are designed to be read quickly or skimmed easily for the key points: what is the event; what does it offer the sponsor in terms of value; what does it cost. If this information is buried, the prospect may not dig. Years ago, sponsorship proposals might have been read by anyone in a corporation from a summer student helping out the CEO's secretary to a junior in accounting. Today, in most corporations, the individual reading sponsorship proposals is a thoroughgoing professional. Smart sponsorship seekers recognize this fact.
Rhetoric about the organization to be sponsored is kept to a minimum. Similarly, a review of the prospect's corporate history and sponsorship profile is not required. (The reader has this information.)
The best proposals avoid vague promises. If, for example, increased sales are promised there must be an indication that the proposal writer understands what motivates sales. The same goes for promises to enhance corporate image or to improve community relations.
Sponsorship professionals have cautioned against putting faith in high-priced, over-packaged proposals. These individuals agree that it's the offer that makes the difference. This is not to say that an attention-getting device doesn't have its place, but it should be chosen with care and underpinned with solid business rationale.

TIMING
The larger the sponsorship fee, the more highly leveraged the sponsorship is likely to be and the more lead time sponsorship seekers need to allow for corporate decision-making and subsequent development of the sponsorship. For sponsorships above $10,000 in fee alone, the proposal process should get underway (initial contact made) a minimum of six months in advance of the event. One year in advance is typical for larger investments.
The timing for presentation of the full proposal -- a separate consideration -- depends on the financial cycle of the corporation (available from annual reports). As a guideline, sponsorship proposals for events of some financial magnitude are submitted a minimum of three to six months before the corporate prospect's fiscal year-end.
Putting both timing requirements together (number of months prior to the event and number of months prior to corporate year-end) can result in a lead-time of eighteen months or more for a significant sponsorship. In this discussion, what constitutes "significant" depends on the corporation, not on the sponsorship seeker.

PROPOSAL ASSESSING
For corporate sponsors, the link between the definition of corporate objectives -- whether related to sales targets, corporate image, product introduction, community relations, or any other purpose -- and the assessment of any individual proposal, is very direct.
In many situations, a given proposal clearly fits or does not fit with corporate objectives. Demographics of event attendees either do or do not match target. Sampling opportunities either do or do not match requirements. The client hospitality opportunity either is or is not in line with what's required.
The challenge comes when an event offers some of the requirements -- but not others. For example, when an airline sets as a specific corporate objective the exploitation of particular air routes, sponsorships which contribute to the accomplishment of that objective no doubt get special consideration.
To continue the example, assume that development of existing Caribbean routes is high on the corporate agenda. Sponsorships of festivals, sports teams, cultural exhibitions, and culinary competitions with a Caribbean focus will be particularly well received and conscientiously evaluated.

WHO LEADS? WHO FOLLOWS?
But what happens when demographics of event attendees are correct, but media coverage or sheer size of the event is out of line? These are the proposals -- and the occasions -- when the corporation may want to take the lead in shaping the direction and scope of the event behind the proposal. The objectives of sponsorship seeker and corporation may come into full alignment with the corporate sponsor taking the lead.
Those assessing sponsorship proposals need to be especially aware of the needs of a variety of their internal colleagues, at a variety of levels within the corporation. If a corporation seeks to position itself as a youthful, high energy organization -- an enormous variety of sponsorship opportunities might well contribute to the image.
But thinking must go beyond image to the very specific objectives to be accomplished. Is the youth/energy image important primarily as an appeal to potential shareholders? to the marketplace? To the attraction of new employees?
Sponsorships exist which can contribute to the accomplishment of the whole spectrum of goals. The challenge to those assessing sponsorship proposals is to match corporate objectives to the benefits available from the sponsorship seeker.

RELATED THINKING
Sponsorship? Charitable contribution? Corporate philanthropy? Does it matter what we call it? Of course it does ... enormously. All those who seek funding had best know which corporate pocket they're applying to. The request for a donation is vastly different from the proposal for a sponsorship relationship. The contact point is different; the goals are different; the language is different.
It matters, too, on the corporate side because of the widely differing goals of the donations committee, for example, and the brand management team. The opportunity for leverage is the single largest loss that comes from corporate confusion about the differences between sponsorship and charity.

ARE THERE HYBRIDS?
Of course there are. Especially where large sums or complex funding requirements are involved. Or where a corporation continues under the leadership of a founding entrepreneur who is likely to make personal decisions on both sponsorships and charitable contributions.
Below is a chart comparing sponsorship and charitable contributions.

l. SPONSORSHIP

PUBLICITY
Highly public

SOURCE
Typically from marketing, advertising or communications budgets

ACCOUNTING
Written off as a full business expense, like promotional printing expenses or media from placement expenses.

OBJECTIVES
To sell more products/services; to increase positive awareness in markets and amongst distant stakeholders (customers, potential customers, geographic community).

PARTNER/RECIPIENT
Events; teams, arts or cultural organizations; projects; programs. A cause is sometimes associated with the undertaking.

WHERE THE FUNDING GOES
Sports get the lion's share of sponsorship dollars...around 65%

ll. CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION

PUBLICITY
Usually little widespread fanfare.

SOURCE
From charitable donations or philanthropy budgets

ACCOUNTING
Write-off is limited to 75% of net income. This limit was increased 20% earlier this year. As a result, accounting/tax considerations are less likely to influence the way a corporation designates funding of a not-for-profit organization.

OBJECTIVES
To be a good corporate citizen; to enhance the corporate image with closest stakeholders (employees, shareholders, suppliers).

PARTNER/RECIPIENT
Larger donations are typically cause-related (education, health, diseases, disasters, environmental), but can also be cultural, artistic or sports related. At times funding is specifically designated for a project or programs; at times it is provided for operating budgets.

WHERE THE FUNDING GOES
Education, social services, and the health sector get 75% of charitable donations

WHERE TO PLACE SPONSORSHIP DOLLARS
Whether investing in local, regional, national or global markets, sponsors have some basic questions that need answering before they can make a decision on their participation.

Here are nine questions that can help narrow the choices of where to place sponsorship dollars:

1. Will the sponsorship drive sales?
2. Will it enhance or reinforce brand image?
3. Will it increase awareness of the company's product, brand, or service?
4. Will it provide retail and trade tie-ins?
5. Will it drive volume and long-term profitability?
6. Will it increase share of the market?
7. Will it provide a vehicle for entertaining clients
8. Can it differentiate the product or brand from a competitor's?
9. Will it give the company a competitive edge. I.e., exposure in a market the competition is not in?

Then, once these questions have been asked, screen and grade the choices to make a selection by using the following seven questions:

1. Is the objective corporate or brand specific?
2. Is it a one-time event or a long-term commitment?
3. Do the locations and dates fit company needs?
4. How many attendees can be expected (total exposure of brand/product)?
5. Will there be cosponsors?
6. Will the company be lost in a crowd of other sponsors?
7. What is the cost relative to the expected return?

When developing your sponsorship proposals, keep the sponsor in mind and remember that these questions will be part of the consideration process. Understanding the company and these questions before making a sponsorship solicitation will pave the way for a more effective, and more successful, sponsorship presentation.

BARTER AS PART OF THE SPONSORSHIP MIX
When considering sponsorship, the focus is on dollars -- what can be generated and what value the sponsor will receive. Barter, however, is an important element in the sponsorship mix and a good way to offset expenses, particularly in the areas of promotion
and media.

WHAT IS BARTER?
Years ago, neighbors bargained over backyard fences -- swapping quilts for homemade preserves, child care for slipcovers. Manhattan was part of a barter deal of land for beads. Today, barter is big business, with more than $1 billion in goods and services exchanged last year in North America alone. Barter can be an important element in your sponsorship mix.
According to Webster's dictionary, barter is "to trade (e.g., goods, services) without the exchange of money." In sponsorship, barter can be an effective way of offsetting bottom-line expenses and enhancing your event with value added elements.
The first step in determining barter should be to look at your event budget, line by line, to see which elements are "barter-able." Two of the most common areas in barter are media and promotion.

HOW BARTER WORKS
A barter relationship is approached like any other sponsorship agreement. The property sales representative approaches a potential sponsor with a benefits package (it's the same package they would present to a sponsor if looking for a cash commitment). Depending upon the level of sponsorship and the desired participation, the sale is negotiated like any other sponsorship except that no cash changes hands.
For example, if doing a barter deal with a radio station, the station would receive all the sponsor benefits associated with their sponsorship level. Then, the value of that sponsorship would be paid in air time -- radio spots. Now, as the event, you have not only offset the advertising expense in your budget, you have valuable media time that can be incorporated into your sponsorship packages.
In addition to bartering the tangibles -- line items that are actual event expenses -- you can also barter for intangibles, items that are "nice to have" and enhance your event but were not part of the initial budgeting process.

HOW TO DO I
Barter dollars should be exchanged at retail. Don't ask your barter partner to "cut prices" or "sell it to me wholesale." Be prepared, as with any other sponsor, to demonstrate the retail value of your sponsorship package and how the benefits of your event have intrinsic value, whether the relationship is cash or barter.
Another good barter relationship can be with a supermarket or drug store chain. You can generate positive exposure for your event, the retailer's media and in-store marketing efforts, and you'll also have a retail outlet for other sponsorships.
For example, if your sponsorship is with XYZ drug chain and you have a sponsorship opportunity with Polaroid, the retail relationship enhances your sponsorship package by giving Polaroid a retail outlet that is already involved with your event. The synergies of the event, the retailer and the individual brands enhance the sponsorship participation for everyone.
Keep in mind, too, that some sponsorships can be part barter and part cash. For example, some media partners are willing to give part cash with the balance in trade. Or vendors, such as tent suppliers and other on-site facilities providers, might be willing to barter for 20% of their total billing to the event. Food and beverage people are also viable barter partners.

TREAT BARTER THE SAME AS SPONSORSHIP
Other elements to consider? Treat your barter partner as you would any other sponsor. Enter into a contractual relationship with sponsorship benefits and responsibilities clearly spelled out. Maintain the confidentiality of the sponsorship relationship and follow through on all promised benefits. Provide your barter sponsors with the same post-event analysis you would provide to cash sponsors.
Demonstrate the value of their sponsorship participation in audience exposure and media impact. Acknowledge them in the same manner as sponsors. The reality is they have helped you either offset a line item expense or enhanced the value of your event with value-added products and/or services. In either case, the relationship has had value. And, you may want to have the same relationship again.
As more event organizers become experienced in barter arrangements, they will enjoy the positive results of these relationships, including decreased expenses and value-added products and services.

THE ANNUAL REPORT... A POWERFUL SALES TOOL
READING THE ANNUAL REPORT
Annual reports showcase a company to its customers and stockholders. The introduction sets up the rest of the report by making a good first impression. It often features a letter from the chairman to the stockholders describing the previous year and plans for the future.
By reading this section closely, you can generally figure out what the company considers important, what is happening that's exciting and what problems the company expects to face. Look for a company overview as well as important information about the company's structure, markets, products and customers.
Finally, just before the financial information, you'll find a more objective explanation of operating results. A word of caution: Companies want to use the introduction to paint as flattering a picture of the company as possible.

HERE'S WHAT TO LOOK FOR
As you read, look for the following information.

1. Vision or mission statement - Mission statements can help galvanize and unify employees for a common goal. Also, if the company makes purchasing decisions with its mission in mind, you need to know what that mission is.
2. Strategies for achieving the mission - These plans should tell you a little about the economic constraints of the business environment and describe how the company will use its resources to gain a competitive edge and reach its goals.
Most companies list between three and five specific business strategies. Analyze them carefully and decide how your sponsorship offering can make each one more effective.
3. Principal lines of business - Many large companies actually comprise several businesses rolled into one. The more you know about the different businesses they're in, the more selling opportunities you may find.
Pay close attention to recent acquisitions to find out where the company is headed and what new markets it holds for your sponsorship.
4. Customers/target market - Your sponsorship will be much more appealing if it helps the company's customers in a cost effective, measurable way. Annual reports often illustrate how the company has served its customers. Studying this helps you understand how the company adds value for its customers.
5. Challenges and problems - Focus on any mention of current or future competition, industry or economic trends or how the company's target market perceives its products and services. Presenting yourself as a problem solver gives your prospect one more good reason to buy.
6. Measurements of success - Although some measurements of success are consistent from company to company, individual businesses measure achievement in different ways.
Present the benefits of your sponsorship in terms that are meaningful to your prospects, and they'll recognize the value of what you offer -- and that your selling approach is truly customer-oriented.
7. Sources of competitive advantage - In some industries, a business gains a competitive edge from being a low-cost producer. In others, it might be more important for a company to develop new products faster or make deliveries promptly.

CONCENTRATE ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
To sell your customers on competitive advantage, you'll need to know what your customer must do to gain that advantage. In this section, pay closest attention to the company's income statement. To help you understand what you're reading and what the figures mean, remember

1) The numbers acquire meaning only in comparison with a company's past performance and to other companies in the industry.
2) Percentages are more important than absolutely numbers.
3) Numbers only offer clues as to a company's performance -- they tell you the final score, but not how the game was played.

YOUR 4-STEP PLAN
If contemplating your prospect's income statement leaves you wondering where to begin, follow this four-step plan:

1. Analyze your prospect company's top line or total revenues.
Did sales increase or decrease and why? How did revenue growth compare to industry trends? Was growth attributable to volume increases or price increases?
2. Skip down to the bottom line.
Compare profit increases or decreases with revenue increases or decreases. How did profits compare to their peer group?
3. Analyze the operating income figures.
Also shown as earnings before interest and taxes, these figures should appear several lines about the net income figure. Operating income numbers are the best measure of how well company managers run the company's day-to-day operations.
These figures factor out decisions about company finances and taxes and extraordinary events, where your products will have no impact anyway.
4. Take a look at gross profit margins.
A company's gross profits are a valuable measure of its effectiveness and ability to add value for its customers. Large revenue increases accompanied by lower gross profit margins, for example, may mean that the company can attract more business only through lower prices.

WHY USE ANNUAL REPORTS?
Since customers and prospects don't come with directions or an owner's manual explaining how to sell to them, why not take advantage of the next best thing?
Competitive salespeople need to use all the resources at their disposal, and an annual report provides fast, easy access to valuable customer information.
It's impossible to know much about your prospects and customers. Annual reports are a gold mine of information and serve as a how-to guide for selling to any company that publishes one.
Here are three good reasons to make annual reports part of your selling strategy:

1. To be more than just a vendor.
Professionals want salespeople to know their business and industry, their sources of competitive advantage, challenges and opportunities -- information you can find in many companies' annual reports.
2. To earn the right to an appointment.
You can use the information in an annual report to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of your customer's business that will help you get an appointment. The annual report can also familiarize you with the customer-specific jargon, financial measurements and current trends that will help you "speak the language" when you do get an appointment.
3. To find out how you can help.
Consider a company's annual report the scorecard of its performance. Careful analysis can tell you how you and your sponsorship might be able to enhance that performance -- ideas you can then present to your customer in a persuasive presentation.

12 STEPS TO SPONSORSHIP SUCCESS
It is a SUMMARY of the 10-article series we ran during the last months.
Selling sponsorships is not a matter of buying a mailing list of potential buyers, writing a direct mail letter, putting together a "package," mailing everything out and waiting for the telephone to ring with people offering you money. It's a nice dream but the reality is much more complicated (and time consuming) than that.
Before getting started you should have a definition of sponsorship. The following definition is by no means perfect; however, there are some choice words that help you purse your sponsorship sales with a good foundation.

SPONSORSHIP IS AN INVESTMENT, IN CASH OR IN KIND, IN RETURN FOR ACCESS TO EXPLOITABLE BUSINESS POTENTIAL ASSOCIATED WITH AN EVENT, PARADE, FESTIVAL, OR HIGHLY PUBLICIZED ENTITY.

The key words in this definition are "investment," "access to," and "exploitable." First, investment. By constantly looking at sponsorship as an investment opportunity, where there is a viable payback, no longer are you talking to someone about a payment of cash or money. Rather, use the word investment which automatically implies that value will be returned to the investor.
Second, access to which means they ability to be associated with a particular offering (event, sport, festival, fair you name it). Lastly, exploitable, a positive word which means "to take the greatest advantage of" the relationship. In other words, allowing the sponsor to make the greatest use of their investment and capitalize on their relationship.
With this definition in mind you can now go forward and take the 12 steps to sponsorship success. If you take these basic 12 steps you will be assured of greater success in your sponsorship endeavors. These basic steps, and the components that comprise each of them, are covered in depth in this book. References are made throughout this chapter to the specific chapters that go into the specific references in detail.

Step 1 Take inventory
What are you selling? You have a number of elements in your event that have value to the sponsor. The include, but are not restricted to, the following:

· Radio, TV and print partners
· Retail outlet
· Collateral material posters, flyers, brochures
· Banners
· Tickets: quantity for giving to sponsor plus ticket backs for redemption
· VIP seating
· VIP parking
· Hospitality for the trade, for customers, for employees
· On-site banner exposure
· Booth
· Audio announcements
· Payroll stuffers
· Billboards
· Product sales/product displays
· Celebrity appearances/interviews
· Internet exposure

And, you can think of more. Look at your event as a store and take inventory of the many things that will have value to your sponsors, whether it be for the marketing value or hospitality value. Take your time in making up this list time spent at the beginning will be rewarded by more effective sponsorships when you get into the selling process.

Step 2 Develop your media and retail partners
Next, approach your media and retail partners. They should be treated the same way as all other sponsors, with the same rights and benefits. In fact, after taking your inventory steps 2 and 3 are done almost simultaneously as you must have something to give to your potential media and retail partners that describes the sponsorship. Briefly, here's what is important to these two key partners.

Media
Your event offers the media an opportunity to increase their non traditional revenue (NTR). You have an audience, sampling opportunities, sales opportunities and multiple media exposure that the media people can offer to their own advertisers. Many times an advertiser asks for additional merchandising opportunities from the media. Your event offers them that opportunity. You can let them sell a sponsorship for you in return for the air time or print coverage.
Just make sure it is always coordinated through you so they are not approaching your sponsors and you are not approaching their advertisers. From radio and TV you want air time that can
then be included in your sponsorship offerings.
From print you want ad space and/or an advertorial (a special section). In both instances you are getting valuable media to include in your sponsorship offerings to your potential sponsors. Treat your media just like your other sponsors. Give them the attendant benefits that go with the value of their sponsorship.
When the event is over, they should provide you with proof of performance (radio and TV an affidavit of performance; print should give you tear sheets) and, conversely, you should provide them with a post event report.

Retail
A retail partner supermarket, drugstore, fast food outlet offer you some additional benefits that can be passed on to your sponsors. And, with a retail outlet, you can approach manufacturers and offer them some of these benefits. For example, once you have a retail partners the following opportunities exist:

· End cap or aisle displays
· Register tape promotions
· In-store displays
· Store audio announcements
· Inclusion in weekly flyers
· Weekly advertising
· Cross-promotion opportunities
· Bag stuffers
· Placemats (fast food outlets)
· Shopping bags

Again, as with the media, even though this might be straight barter, treat the retail outlet as you would a paying sponsor. They are providing you with terrific benefits that can be passed on to your other sponsors, a tremendous value in attracting retail products.
And, as with the media, have them provide you with documentation of their support samples of bags, flyers, inserts, etc. In return, you will provide them with a post-event report, documenting the benefits they received and the value of those benefits.

Step 3 Develop your sponsorship offerings
Now you can put together the various components of your sponsorship offerings so you are prepared to offer valuable sponsorships. Try to avoid too many levels and too "cutesy" headings. Don't use gold, silver and bronze.
Don't use industry-specific terms your buyer might not understand. (If the buyer doesn't understand the words they probably won't take a look at the offering!). Simply, you can have title, presenting, associate, product specific and event specific categories.
They are easy to understand and easy to sell. Of course, title is the most expensive and most effective. Think of the Volvo Tennis Classic or the Virginia Slims Tennis Classic. The minute the name of your event is "married" to the sponsor's name the media have to give the whole title. Great exposure for your title sponsor.
The first step in preparing for your initial sponsor contact is to prepare a one page fact sheet that clearly and succinctly outlines the basics of your event (the who, what, where, when of your property) and highlights the various benefits of being associated with that event (radio, TV, print, on-site, etc.).

Step 4 Research your sponsors
Learn about your potential sponsors. Get on the Internet, read the annual reports, do a data search on the company, use the Team Marketing Report sourcebook find out what the companies are currently sponsoring, what their branding strategies are, what their business objectives are.
Become an expert on your prospects the more you know abut them the better prepared you will be for their questions and the easier it will be for you to craft a sponsorship offering that meets their specific needs.

Step 5 Do initial sponsor contact
Then, pick up the telephone. Try to reach the proper person. When you reach the correct person, don't launch right into a sales pitch. Rather, ask them several questions about their business that will indicate to you whether or not they are a viable sponsor for you project. (If you've done your homework, the answer will be "yes" and you can continue.)

Step 6 Go for the appointment
Once you have had a brief discussion, try to get the appointment. If they say, "Send me a 'package'" respond with "I'll do even better
than that. I've prepared a succinct one page Fact Sheet that highlights the various marketing and promotion components of my event. May I fax it to you?".
Then, ask for the fax number, send it to them right away and then call back shortly to make sure they received it. If they have received it go for the appointment. Explain that the fact sheet is merely a one dimensional outline that cannot begin to describe the total event
and you would like to meet with them, at their convenience, to show them pictures, previous press coverage, a video whatever you have. Follow the basic sales techniques of choices .. Monday or Friday, morning of afternoon. Don't give them a chance to say they can't see you.

Step 7 Be creative
Once in front of the sponsor, be prepared. Demonstrate your knowledge of their business by offering a sponsorship that meets their specific needs. Help them come up with a new and unique way to enhance their sponsorship beyond the event.
For example, if it's a pet store, come up with a contest that involves the customers and their pets. Or, devise a contest where people have to fill out an entry form to win something.
Think about hospitality opportunities rewards for leading salespeople, special customer rewards, incentives for the trade. Be prepared to offer these ideas, and more, to help the sponsor understand how this sponsorship offers him/her great benefit.

Step 8 Make the sale
The moment of truth you have to ask for the sale. You can't wait for the sponsor to offer; rather you have to ask "Will we be working together on this project?" or something like that. You will have to develop your own closing questions.
Hopefully, as you went through the sales process, you determined their needs and developed a program to meet those needs. And, you certainly should have done enough questioning to determine what their level of participation would be.
Keep in mind that different personality styles buy differently which means you must select from a variety of closing techniques to ensure the right "fit" with the different personalities.
As with any sale, once you have concluded the sale follow up with a detailed contract that outlines each parties obligations. A handshake is nice but if the various elements aren't spelled out there can be a bad case of "but you said" when people sometimes hear what they want to hear, not necessarily what was spoken. Make sure you include a payment schedule that ensures you receive all your money before the event. If not, you could suffer from the "call girl principle".

Step 9 Keep the sponsor in the loop
Once you have gone through the sales process you want to keep your sponsor involved up to, and through, your event. See if their public relations department will put out a press release on their involvement. Show them collateral as it is being developed to make sure they are happy with their logo placement. (With fax and e-mail this is now a very simple process.)
Make sure they are keep up-to-date on new sponsors, new activities whatever is happening. The more you involve them in the process the more involved (and committed) they become.

Step 10 Involve the sponsor in the event
Make sure your sponsor is involved in the event. Don't let a sponsor hand you a check and say "Let me know what happens." You are doomed to failure. Get them to participate by being on site walk around with them discuss their various banner locations, the quality of the audience, the lines at their booth, whatever is appropriate to their participation

Step 11 Provide sponsors with a post-event report
There's a very old saying regarding presentations: "Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them." The post-event report is the last segment of this saying. Provide your sponsors with complete documentation of their participation.
This should include copies of all collateral material, affidavit of performance from your radio and TV partners, tear sheets, retail brochures, tickets, banners, press stories whatever has their company name and/or logo prominently mentioned or displayed.
This should all be included in a kit, with a written post-event report that lists the valuation of the various components, and presented to the sponsor with a certificate of appreciation for their participation.

Step 12 Renew for next year
Now, if you've followed these 12 steps carefully renewal is easy. I fact, you can get your sponsor to give you a verbal renewal during your event (if it is going well) and certainly after you have provide that sponsor with a post-event report that documents the value of all the marketing components he received.
You should try for a three to one return on their investment. In many instances it will be even more than that if you have delivered as promised!

Conclusion
Selling isn't easy; however, if you follow these 12 steps it will be easier because you will have done your homework and will be prepared to discuss the sponsorship intelligently. These 12 steps make selling fun!

How to Sell First-Time Events

As Event Managers, you are responsible for all facets of your event including location and site surveys, logistics, lighting, decor, set design and staging, sound special effects, employee hiring and motivation, volunteers, talent, caterers, tents/tables/chairs, ticket sales, vendors, entertainment, management and selling sponsorships.
In the industry, using an automobile analogy, sponsorship is the gas that runs the engine. No one plans on putting on an event that will lose money and one always hopes that the event can be self-sustaining. The reality? You need sponsorship dollars to be successful. And, sponsors want to be associated with your event(s) if the information is presented properly and the benefits substantiate the investment.
To start, you need to have a definition of sponsorship. Sponsorship is an investment, in cash and/or in kind, in return for access to exploitable business potential associated with an event or highly publicized entity. The key words here are "investment" and "access to exploitable":
"Investment" implies a payback, value returned. When selling sponsorships the relationship becomes a partnership whereby the event receives the money and the sponsor receives the value of association with a particular lifestyle, activity, charity or other function that provides media, marketing and personal contact, through this specific event, for the sponsor.
"Access to exploitable" refers to the right to capitalize on this sponsorship relationship through a variety of marketing tools including having an on-site presence, incorporating the sponsorship relationship into all advertising materials, developing cross promotions with other sponsors and, in general, using the sponsorship to extend the sponsors marketing reach.
Once you understand the definition, sponsorship sales become much easier. Easier? Yes, because you are now offering a valuable "product" to your sponsors and they can measure the impact of their relationship with your event on their marketing objectives.

What Sponsors Want
When selling sponsorships, in addition to understanding the definition, you have to understand what sponsors want. And, although each sponsor will have specific wants and needs that you will have to identify, there are some basic components that sponsors want:

Increase sales;
Introduce a new product;
Expand use of current product;
Product branding;
Sampling;
Corporate hospitality;
Entertainment, whether for customers, employees or the trade;
Incentives, customer, employee or trade;
Differentiate product from competition;
Associate with a particular lifestyle;
Heighten visibility;
Shape consumer attitudes;
Recruitment;
Cause-related marketing tie-in;
Support grassroots marketing strategy.

Of course, when selling sponsorships, you must determine what specific sponsors want before calling on them so you can tailor a presentation (and benefits) to meet their needs.

Sponsorship selling hard work.
However, if you have an existing event, the sales process is easier because you have a track record. You are able to show pictures, past promotional material and other marketing materials that substantiate your sales "pitch". First time events present a different challenge.

First Time Events
Sponsorship sales for a first-time event are difficult. There's neither a track record nor past experience for the event, so all you have to sell is estimated attendance, exposure and marketing opportunities. How can you make your sponsorship package so attractive that companies will be willing to make the investment and the commitment? By enhancing your package with media and on-site tangibles that have value, even without the event.

Audience
The first step in selling your "new" event is the same as for an established event: analyze your event from the standpoint of who will be attending and who will be participating. What are the demographics and psychographics of these two potential audiences? What is the anticipated attendance/ participation?
Make a realistic estimate of the numbers involved. This information will be invaluable later on in helping you decide which sponsors to target for participation in this event as well as providing them with valuable information to help in the decision-making process.

Media
After determining the potential audience, start negotiating for your media partners, selecting those whose demographics and psychographics most closely match those of your event. These partners can be radio, television, cable, newspapers and/or magazines. Initially you may have to offer them a more prominent sponsorship in return for the media allocations.
Do whatever is necessary to ensure that you have a marketable package. The media package you negotiate must give you a certain number of advertising pages if it is print, and a certain number of commercials if it is the electronic media (radio, TV, cable). In addition, you want to have the editorial coverage defined and committed as part of the total sponsorship package.

Research Sponsors
Now, you have your event and your media partners. You have defined your event's audience(s) and have a good profile of attendees and participants. Start researching potential sponsors by looking for those companies that want the consumers your event will attract. You can find this information by studying annual reports, reading trade publications, researching the company and/or its products, looking at their marketing materials, analyzing their media placements, and even talking with people within the organizations you are targeting.
Do this for at least two dozen companies. This upfront research time is invaluable since it will help you clearly define your most logical sponsorship candidates for your first-time event.

Sponsorship Offerings
You've analyzed your event, you've aligned yourself with media partners and you've done your homework on potential sponsors. Now it's time to prepare your sponsorship offerings. Your company research has already helped you understand your target sponsors' marketing strategies. Keep those in mind when you prepare your sponsorship packages. Be sure to offer a mix of elements that includes media, hospitality, on-site participation, sales promotion, and VIP privileges.
Keep in mind the research you did on the sponsors and address how their specific needs can be met through participation in your event. For your initial contact, use a simple one page fact sheet that lists date, time, location, audience composition, marketing and sponsorship opportunities. That should be your initial contact with a potential sponsor.
You can always provide them with more material when they indicate an interest. Never mass-produce your sponsorship packages and never send generic, mass mailings soliciting sponsorship. That's a very expensive way to solicit sponsors and seldom does it give you a high return on your time and materials investment.

In-person Sales Call
Of course, the best way to sell any event is through the personal sales call. It is the way you are present to overcome any objections, answer any and all questions, provide additional insight into the event possibly not covered by your proposal, and deal with the myriad of issues that are part of any sponsorship negotiation.
And, be prepared to negotiate. Many people in the position to negotiate sponsorship contracts treat sponsorship like buying antiques or a used car. Whatever the asking price, they are going to try to get more by paying less. Be prepared for these tactics and know what you can afford to do without sacrificing the quality or integrity of your event.
And, remember, although this is a first-time event, if it is successful the sponsors will expect similar terms next year!
Don't offer such bargain basement prices that you can't recover for next year's negotiations. Or, if you find you are taking less than you feel is fair, get a sponsorship commitment for two or three years, using an escalating scale based on first-year results and performance.
Many first-time event objections can be overcome if you come to the meeting prepared. Study other first-time events to determine how effectively they met their sponsorship commitments. Be prepared to present that information on your sponsorship sales call. Get testimonial letters from first-time event sponsors defining the value of their participation and how their association has grown through involvement with a first-time event.
A strong selling point with a first-time event is the ability for a sponsor to get involved at the beginning with the positive benefits of growing with the event.

Sales Process
As with any sponsorship sales, start early (one year before your event) and be persistent. Don't take no for an answer. Follow up on a regular basis, even if they initially said no. Sales trainer Brian Tracy says you have to get five no's before you get a yes! Don't think that one closed door at a company means all doors are closed. If the Brand Manager says "no", go to marketing, public
relations, advertising, even human resources. There are different needs within different departments at a company so don't give up.
Selling first time events is not easy. Of course, when the event is a success and you have delivered all you promised and more the renewal of existing sponsors and addition of new sponsors is easier than the first year. However, it's not as much fun or as exciting as that very first sponsorship sale for a first-time event!

SIDEBAR - What Sponsors Want!
Sponsorship offerings should provide the benefits that sponsors want, not what the event managers want. Telling a sponsor that their logo will be prominently displayed on the letterhead and in all the collateral plus their name will be in every logo has a high "ho hum" factor to today's savvy sponsorship marketers.
Rather, you have to come up with a range of marketing elements that help the sponsors achieve their marketing objectives. The very first component must be media. Establish your media partners before anything else and, you can approach them with a sponsorship concept whereby they receive sponsorship value and you receive media value that can then be shared with your sponsors.
Next, look at your inventory of "things" that can be incorporated into your sponsorship package. The following list should get you started thinking in the right direction:

Tickets to the event;
Hospitality (customers, clients or the trade);
Banners;
Posters;
Flyers;
Payroll stuffers;
Bill inserts;
Priority parking;
Priority seating;
Ad journals;
Booth space;
Product sales;
Product sampling;
Backs of tickets for promotion;
Stage presence.

And, the list can go on and on. The key to your success? Look at the elements that comprise your list, look at your sponsor's needs, and try to create a match that is win/win for both sides. Good luck!

Publicity....

From: <Allen72525@a...> Date: Tue Feb 22, 2000 5:01pm
Subject: Festival & Events Exchange Re: More On Media "turf" wars!
Media "turf" wars! allen72525@a... (Steve Allen, APR)

If there is anything I've learned in the past 50 years in this game of "image engineering," it is that if you don't like your local broadcasters or editors, and want to change the way they do business, buy their enterprise and fire them. They make the rules, and like the "golden rule," those that have the gold, do make the rules. Understanding that ego-trip for broadcast stations and newspaper editors, let me site a case. Here in a Boston suburb, an editor pulled the curtain on me years ago, and I've survived. I stopped feeding him. He wanted a different view of any photos sent to others. Non-profits can't afford to feed in to such egos; sometimes an entire feature had to be rewritten for the same reason. Publication dates with other weeklies were identical. I stopped sending him news releases and encouraged others to do the same. When this happened, clients stopped their advertising, too. The other two weeklies provide adequate support. Radio staff, 180 degrees different from print medium, want their news in "ready to go format," double spaced at 15-65 margins, and timed for (l40 words per minute) each take of l5-30-45-60 seconds. Take a clue! Send three copies to each station, one copy for each of three segments of the day for the "day book." One or two or three may find their way into different time slots.

Working with weeklies and Sunday editions:
Watch your Monday holidays!!! Most publicists "forget" about the holiday and short staff, especially when aiming for news print. Get your release out to arrive at its destination with the Friday morning mail or earlier. Deadlines are tight on Tuesday so have your copy ready for the "press run" by then. Editors need our copy at this time.

Radio sponsors:
Who advertises with radio often...banks and car dealers. Forget radio broadcasters as sponsors. They are in a business to make money. Find your sponsors among the realtors, funeral directors, heating oil retailers, airlines, etc. Take a time block and split the costs among many sponsors....it's a great public service...a real "PSA." In this way when having a special event, the radio marketing and sales division may find your sponsors having you as their "spin." That will make it a win-win program for everyone. Note who gets the clout in a super sports playoff....banks and beer ads. Sounds like the "turf wars" bring out the worst in the media; as some say, "It is childish," and if not corrected, it can lead to a long time black curtain for promotion by aggregating the wrong medium locally. What's the city's Chamber of Commerce doing all this time that you're trying to promote foot traffic and tourism????? Happy Daze! - Boston Communicators and Associates.