THERE’S ROOM AT THE TOP FOR A CROWD!

What is sponsorship? To some it’s just an easy way to get money to fund whatever endeavor they are producing with not much thought to an actual return for their investor. To others it’s great advertising. To someone else it’s a symbol of charity. But to us, at AFR, it’s a partnership. One that involves working together to provide a benefit for everyone involved in a very strategic way.

This was the thought that we had in mind when we developed the strategy for the 2011 AFR Networker Tour that we completed in late November. How did we engage sponsors and vendors in a way that would benefit them most? First we made them a partner. While we retained the headliner position, every partner/sponsor we brought into the fold played a strategic role in the overall scope and success of each event. Let’s talk about some of the benefits that everyone enjoyed.

1. Industry Connection: Connecting with other industry people created a fun atmosphere for sponsors to communicate one on one with others that could use their service or product.

2. Product Showcase: Each of our sponsors could engage in the events in a manner that was comfortable for them and would showcase their involvement whether it be in lighting, catering, floral, linens, entertainment, drink service or rentals or showing off their spectacular venue.

3. Community Relationships: The Networker events gave everyone a chance to be a part of a community where everyone took away something beneficial to their business. Whether it was meeting new clients or reacquainting with old ones, or even finding ways to partner with others - relationship building was a key aspect of the events.

4. Opportunity: There was plenty of opportunity for future business. In fact many of our sponsors have shared with us that they’ve already booked future projects as a result of the event.

5. Return on Experience: What better way to educate people on the services or products that you offer than to let them touch, feel, taste and experience it in a fun, low-cost way. It builds confidence in the product and your customer. It’s so much easier to sell a product to a confident client base, isn’t it?

6. Candid Feedback: When people are talking face to face, they are less reserved and willing to share more. They give us the feedback that we need to continue growing as a company. Whether it’s kudos for a job well done or constructive criticism, conversation moves business forward. We enjoyed and partook in many such conversations. We take our client’s perspective seriously - and do something with them – and our business inevitably grows.

7. Creativity Box: There are no original ideas in creativity. Sharing inspires brainstorming. You never know when an experience will trigger an idea for an event you are producing. That being said, there were plenty of inspired ideas to draw from at all of the events.

Along with the more traditional valuations of sponsorship like building brand loyalty, awareness and to change/reinforce brand imagery, quantify sales or secure purchase intention, and the emotive value that the client/consumer develops toward an event, the AFR Networking Tour came together as a tour de force situation for everyone involved.

Back at our office after the tour, the buzz isn’t just about the exposure for AFR, it’s about the shared benefit that everyone is enjoying. Yes, we’re thrilled with the brand exposure that we’ve gotten. We are thrilled with the numbers of attendees, the orders that are pouring in and last but certainly not least the new relationships we are forging. Our partner rolodex has expanded, and not only did we create brand awareness and loyalty for ourselves, others built awareness and loyalty for their business too! Sponsorship to us, equals contributing and sharing, building a community, working in partnership and creating an environment where everyone thrives from working together. It’s our mantra, not only internally, but also in how we do business. We’re not just a supplier - we are your industry partner willing to go above and beyond to ensure that everyone’s experience is stellar.

We’re immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to bring the concept to life and watch it become so successful for everyone that joined the tour. We can’t wait to create an even better opportunity next year that will have even more added benefits for both AFR and our industry partners. In our minds, the opportunities are endless and the sky is the limit. What are we going to do next? We’re going to reach out and grab opportunity and introduce it to preparation…with a little success, we’ll end up with a whole bunch of luck for you and for us! See? There’s a whole lot of room at the top. We hope you’ll join us!

We’d love to hear your ideas for next year…how do you think it can be even bigger and better? Do you want to be involved? Please email tschmitt@rentfurniture.com with requests, ideas or for more information.

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