As a way to draw increased awareness and attention to some of the standup sponsorship opportunities on our site, we have decided to set apart one blog per month to put the “Spotlight on Sponsorship”! If you have a premium level listing on SponsorPark, and would like to have your event featured, please contact Stephanie.Lochmiller@SponsorPark.com to submit your event.  This month our spotlight shines on the 12th FINA/eSynchro World Junior Synchronised Swimming Championships.

What is the 12th FINA/eSynchro World Junior Synchronised Swimming Championships all about?

This year, from August 11th to 15th, Indianapolis will be the host to the 12th FINA/eSynchro World Junior Synchronised Swimming Championships. The event will be held in the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI, and is anticipated to draw in more than 300 of the world’s most elite athletes from 30 different countries, along with their coaching staff, personnel, family and fans.

Since its inception in 1989, the internationally-sanctioned competition has featured both team and duet events, which are Olympic disciplines. The 2010 Championship will be the first to include the free combination event, which has been known in other championships as a fan-favorite, as it incorporates a variety of different routines into one four and a half minute program. Past hosts of the event include Montreal (Canada), Moscow (Russia), Bonn (Germany), and Salerno (Italy). This is the second time the US has been the site for this event. 

What makes this a stand out event?

This event is the only female exclusive Olympic sport.  Although often seen as a “mystery sport” to the general public, intrigue and interest surrounding the sport often leads to increased media exposure. The event is made up of athletes who are almost always articulate, attractive, and intelligent young women, who are active in their own communities and are very passionate about the sport even after they are no longer able to participate.  Synchronized swimming is the Ultimate Team Sport, and the character of its participants shines though in this event.

This is truly a global event that has very inexpensive sponsorship opportunities available to get a partners name in front of an audience of very dedicated consumers.   According to Jordan Dillion, Business Development Director for the event “If the global world isn’t your target, we have six national championships that happen domestically every year as well as general sponsorship opportunities of the Senior National Team that will compete in various international competitions, including the 2012 Olympics Games in London.” 
 
Surviving Sponsorship in a Heated Economy

This event, like many others has seen some sponsorship changes in the last few years.  According to Dillon, they have adjusted their efforts to work along with the goals of their partners and have noticed more sponsors offering “In-kind Value” as opposed to cash value.  They’ve also worked harder to retain the sponsors they have had from past events.  They have also turned to SponsorPark to gain additional exposure from those sponsors who are still actively seeking opportunities to support.
 
Preferred partners?

Being an exclusively female event, they seek partners who are targeting generally female client bases, or aquatics companies.  The event does boast a strong community and teamwork based group of athletes so those partners who are looking for a strong moral connection to their product should definitely look into this event.  More on the event can be seen at their SponsorPark listing, or you can become a Facebook fan  as well as following them on Twitter.

 Greetings!  Stephanie Lochmiller here, New Media Manager for SponsorPark. With this being my first entry on the SponsorPark blog, I thought I’d take a minute or two of your time and give you my quick top ten list of things to know about myself and sponsorship.

10. My background  is in non-profit development and marketing, so I understand firsthand some of the challenges and rewards of sponsorship!                            

9.  Sponsorship, not unlike the rest of the business and marketing world, has taken a hit during the rocky economy.  This means properties need to be smarter about their proposals and their efforts and work harder to please their sponsors. On the flip side, the good news is sponsorship remains up!

8. I am so excited to be diving into the realm of social media.  I think this resource is underutilized and overlooked and many organizations are wasting their marketing efforts on mediums that just don’t produce results like they used to.  A successful marketing campaign must be comprehensive and include a blend of traditional and new media.

7.  In sponsorship, it’s SO important to consider your underutilized and intangible assets to add value to packages.  What sets you apart from your competition?  Why should a potential sponsor pick you? Don't assume they know, tell them.

6.  I love hearing people’s new and exciting ideas.  If you have something you’re passionate about I’d love to hear about it!

5. Sponsorship isn’t sales in a traditional sense, rather its developing a product specifically designed to suit your sponsor’s needs.  You shouldn't ever expect to make a "sale" in your initial meeting.  That meeting is for you to sit back and listen to what your sponsor is telling you they want out of this partnership.  I like the 70/30 rule.  70% listening and 30% talking.

 4. Despite the fact that traditional marketing isn’t what it used to be, I love watching commercials almost more than actual TV programming.  A well done spot never gets old and solidifies brand recognition.  Energizer bunny anyone?

3.  Did you know 60% of sponsors say they are looking for new opportunities despite the economy? This is great news for those of you who may have lost partners over this past year.  Now is not the time to sit back and wait things out.  Get active, get involved and get working!

2. I’m an avid animal lover, and go from grown up mentality to baby-talk at the sight of a puppy.

1.  I am a firm believer in giving 110%.  Whether you’re developing your next big idea or simply burning dinner, if you’re going to do it, do it all the way.  

Thanks for reading!  I look forward to being a part of SponsorPark and working with each of you along the way! Should you ever have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at Stephanie.Lochmiller@sponsorpark.com 

"You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?"  We've all heard the saying before, generally from a taunting sibling or just ahead of a dare.  We at SponsorPark decided that we were going to walk the walk; to get off the bleachers and get into the game two years ago when we saw a need in the sponsorship world that resonated with some of the things we love and deeply believe in. 

Who are we?  We are a team of people who deeply believe that people were created for a purpose and with passions that were meant to be acted on, that people were meant for something big.  We also believe that big things, explosive things happen when two or more come together in support of one another's needs.  Marriage works that way, companies work this way, friendships work this way, so do sports, arts, entertainment, festivals and fairs, causes and... sponsorship.

We love explosive parnerships.  We love innovation.  We love sophisticated sponsorship proposals, automated intentional connections, and supporting people's passions.  After two years of research and development, we think sponsorship connection has proven itself thus far to be dirty work, painful, demanding and well... downright messy.  So we decided that sponsorship connection needed to be addressed and a tool offered that might make this process more proactive vs. reactive; more intentional vs. lucky.  A tool that makes connections between sponsors and sponsorship opportunities based on several factors that ensured a proper alignment, so that only the most mutually beneficial relationships were introduced.  Introductions would need to be targeted and intentional.  Sponsors would have a chance to outsource, and Sponsorship Opportunities have a chance to create a sophisticated first step proposal highlighting the most relevant and informative elements of who they are to potential sponsors.  Their proposals would be offered to the right person at the right place at the right time. And this tool needed to be easy to use, simple and straightforward.  And we did it.  We created SponsorPark, launched into beta testing in March of 2009 and opened our doors to the sponsorship world.  We are a web-based business which exists to support people's passions by connecting sponsors to sponsorship opportunities. 

My name is Emily Taylor, and I'm one of the co-founders.  After spending some time in brand management with Limited Brands and then as an account manager with Coca-Cola, I jumped off a cliff, quit my job and dove full time into our efforts here at SponsorPark and haven't looked back.  I'm grateful to say that we've been truly blessed in the process, learned a lot, laughed a lot, cried some, and never regretted moving forward into these efforts.  I'll be one of the writers on this blog, and I truly look forward to communicating with you about the happenings in the industry or on our site; I'll highlight some great vendors, feature some movers and shakers, offer some tips and pointers, and interact with those of you whose hearts also beat for sponsorship. Keep in mind, the purpose of this blog is to offer tips, to offer applicable insights into the world of sponsorship, feature properties and sponsors who are making things happen, and to allow for transparency and interaction with those in the sponsorship world.  There might be sponsorship news highlighted from time to time, and we'll invite some guest bloggers as well.  I can promise that you will see personality here!

So, now that you know a little more about SponsorPark, feel free to check out the website and try out our services; and if you have thoughts about any of our posts, feel free to offer your comments - we're always happy to hear them.  Here we go!  More to come.