Sponsorships, that often elusive source of revenue, may lie betweenbreaking even on a show and making a profit, or between covering this year'sassociation expenses and running a deficit. They can range from severalhundred dollars for a coffee break at a conference, to hundreds of thousandsof dollars for the naming rights to an event. But what are sponsors reallypaying for? In its simplest form, a sponsorship is an exchange of cash orin-kind services for visibility and publicity.

The success of your sponsorshipprogram is measured not only in the revenue you generate, but also in thesatisfaction of your sponsors. If they perceive value in your program, buyinto it and see results, they'll be more likely to buy into it again, andagain. Take these essential steps to help create and maintain a more aggressivesponsorship program for your show:

1. Inventory available programs

Start by taking an inventory of all the services and programs at yourshow, then think about which could have sponsors affiliated with them. Sponsorshipscan be developed to cover the full cost of program expenses, or simply asa source of revenue. The concept of sponsorships is to give your exhibitorsadditional messaging opportunities and help them bring their names and brandsto the attendees, creating greater share of mind. Hold a brainstorming sessionto develop this list -- some of the easiest and most unique sponsorshipprogram ideas will come from your staff.

2. Dedicate the sales effort

Develop a unique selling program for sponsorships. Ideally, sell themseparately from your exhibit space and, if possible, with different salespeople. Exhibit space salespeople are trained in selling floor space toexhibitors, and they know the many features and benefits of your show fromthat perspective. Selling sponsorships deals with image building, frequenciesand duration of exposure, and share of mind -- all intangibles with a differentset of features and benefits.

Structure your sales commission programs differently as well. Exhibitspace sales people traditionally earn a percentage of the booth price; sponsorshipssales may be better rewarded with a set rate for each program. Develop atotal compensation package similar to the exhibit space sales team, butbase it on a reasonable number of sponsorship products being sold. Ideally,5 to 10 percent of the exhibiting companies at a 500-booth show will bewilling to buy some level of sponsorship, if your product pricing is appropriate.

3. Educate exhibitors

Often exhibit space is the first product a customer buys from show management,and often the exhibitor feels this is sufficient to carry the "marketingload." You may need to show these exhibitors how event marketing andimage building programs are needed to effectively achieve their marketingobjectives.

Show management's job is to bring attendees to the venue, but it's theexhibitor's job to bring them to the booth. Often this step is forgotten,by both show management and the exhibitors. You will help exhibitors doa better job if you offer as many unique image-building programs as possible.These can range from simple products like logos in the program and exhibitsguide, to advertisements in show publications and on your Web site, to amore creative special event showcasing the sponsor.

4. Price aggressively

Price your sponsorship programs aggressively. This is probably the mostdifficult step in sponsorship program development, and the one that organizersof the COMDEX events are most often asked about. How does COMDEX set ratesand justify the "high" prices? When it comes to sponsorship pricing,the free-market system works, and it works well. If you price too low, youwill have a lot of takers, but you can run out of supply. If you price toohigh, the demand is tempered, but your income from each sale is greater.At SOFTBANK COMDEX Inc., our strategy is to aim high, basing rates on thenumber of exposures to a given message, the duration of this exposure andthe type of exposure.

Consider a banner placed on the side of a shuttle bus running betweena show hotel and the convention facility. This bus is seen by the show attendeesthroughout their stay, and they have a clear view of the message while boardingthe bus at the hotel and once again at the convention facility later thatsame day. But thousands of people on the city streets also have exposureto the message. The frequency exposure is the key here, and the number ofmessage exposures can be in the tens of thousands, or greater. The productprice should take this added exposure into account.

For shows where consumers are the end users of exhibitors' products andservices, recommend that the sponsored message be clear to all possibleaudiences -- the show attendee and the person on the street. Suggest thatthey include multiple ways for people to contact the sponsor -- a toll-freenumber, an e-mail address or the name of a retail outlet they can visit.

An example of duration exposure is a banner placed next to an escalator.Here the attendee sees the message at least twice: once upon arrival atthe facility (or when riding to an exhibit hall) and once again on the wayout. A typical escalator ride is about 20 seconds, and few escalator ridersare distracted with reading or other activities. Watch your attendees orvisit a shopping mall to time this exposure. Aim high again, and don't underestimatethe impact of this duration message.

When placing banners and other messages at or near escalators, considerbuilding an entrance unit over the top and bottom of the stairs. Here themessage is directly in front of the attendee for the full ride -- a valuableposition and one worthy of a premium price. Entrance units don't need tobe just at the front door of the show -- these structures can be placedanywhere attendees walk.

5. Test market the pricing

After pricing your product, test market the pricing with a sub-set ofexhibitors. Select every second or third name from a list of your largestcustomers, contact them and present the program. Listen to the commentsand gauge the reaction. Is the pricing seen as too high? Not enough exposure?Do they want two-sided banner positions or the opportunity to hand out literatureon the shuttle bus they sponsor? This test selling will provide you withvaluable data and enable you to adjust your program quickly, then resumeselling.

If the objection is price, consider offering a discount from the listprice for a multiple-placement buy. In today's economy, customers appreciatediscounts and deals. This is a great opportunity to bundle programs. Trythis new offering with the next set of test names, and again be carefulnot to tap all of your best prospects at one time. If the products stilldon't sell, adjust the pricing again, revalidate your exposure and durationclaims, and test again. Remember the key to pricing: you can always discountor lower a price with no fear of reprisal. Once a price is set, all futureincreases are tempered by outside factors like inflation and competition.If you price too low at the start, you will run out of supply and leavemoney on the table. And, it could take years to reach the pricing levelsthe free market supports.

6. Communicate constantly

Communicate with your sponsors constantly. Ideally, the salesperson shouldturn over all account details to operations as soon as the sale is made.Keep your salespeople selling and let operations do their job. On site,the two groups work together again supporting the programs, and your sponsors.

Unlike exhibit space, sponsored messages have completely unique needs.Whether it's a hanging banner outside of the main facility entrance or distributinga publication through the official hotels, spell out in a detailed letterwho does what as part of the sponsorship arrangement.

For sponsored products that you'll produce -- such as banners and signage-- know the production specifications and costs, and know who will be doingwhat part of the installation and the dismantle. Double check all details-- materials, sizes, timing of delivery, hanging points, etc. -- and providethis information to the sponsor. Keep the sponsor apprised of how the productdevelopment is going throughout the weeks leading up to the show. Maintainingthis contact helps eliminate surprises on site. Don't forget to get a nameand address for return shipments after the event. (This wouldn't be thefirst show where thousands of dollars of perfectly usable banners are leftabandoned.)

7. Work with sponsors during setup

Plan to spend time working with your sponsors on site during the showsetup. Most sponsorship programs are easily explained on paper and by salespeople,but it's not until setup that the real challenges begin. If carpet's a coupleof inches too long in a booth, the general service contractor can deal withit easily. But a banner that's a couple of inches too long may block a doorwayor the line of sight for another sponsored product. If you're there to helpwork through the alternatives with the customer and contractor, you'll createreal customer service.

8. Audit the results

Conduct an audit of the viewers and impressions. This may seem an impossibletask, but shows as small as 150 booths and up to as large as COMDEX/Fallcan reasonably track the number of people who are exposed to messages. Consideradding a few simple questions to your attendee surveys, including: "Howmany days did you spend at the show?" "Do you recall seeing thesponsor banners located at the show's main entrance?" "Did youuse the sponsored message center, and if yes, about how many times?"The answers to these questions can provide a solid base to justify exposureclaims and the associated pricing.

9. Renew contracts on site

Develop a policy for renewing contracts and let the sponsors know inadvance. At COMDEX, the policy is to give the customer "grandfathered"rights to the same position, but they must renew their contract for thesponsorship before the final day of this year's show. Treat sponsorshippositions as valuable inventory, which they are. Inventory in the "space"business is highly perishable, and every day that a position is not committedis one less day you can sell it. If the current sponsor isn't interested,be prepared to offer the same position to other prospects and get a contractsigned while everyone is on site, so they can see the sponsorship locationin real time, in person. You can focus on new sponsorship opportunitiesafter the show.

10. Thank sponsors often

Thank your sponsors often. Take photos of the sponsor locations whileattendees are in the area, and send them with your post-show thank yous.Special parties and receptions to thank sponsors really aren't necessary.You are much better off investing those moneys in research and data to supportyour sponsors. Remember, even programs supporting association events needto be justified back home. If you can make your sponsors' lives easier withdata, you will be able to sign them up quicker and to larger programs.

Sponsors can make the difference between a good show and a great show.Solid sponsor programs have exhibitors beating a path to your door and providea broader base of revenue for the exposition. Everyone wins with sponsorships:the sponsors gain additional exposure and impressions for their message,attendees are directed to key exhibit booths quickly and easily, and showmanagement earns additional income. But it's the service you provide andyour ability to quantify your exposure claims that really distinguish agood sponsor program from a world-class sponsor program.