Activation Brainstorming Parties

Tony Robbin’s famous line “motion creates emotion,” is a GREAT way to wrap your mind around this blog’s theme.  The goal: effectively engage appropriate team players in sponsorship activation planning.  Our suggestion – throw an activation brainstorming party.

Isn’t it true that everyone likes a change to routine?  And isn’t it true that in effective activation you need to tap into the creatively engaged team member?  I would dare to predict that when you get a group of brilliant key activation individuals in a room together with a pile of donuts, some fun and thought provoking questions, and a whiteboard – you’re going to see some things you might never have seen before.  This is not a high pressure stiff environment; it’s a hope filled, excitement dripped, vocal and energetic atmosphere.  Ties are loosened, eyes are brightened, and ideas are flowing.   When they are interacting, not stressed out, and invited to imagine beyond boundaries what “could be,” it’s like asking a kid what they would want for Christmas if they could have anything.  You just see a light bulb come on, and an excitement come to surface.  Motivate and inspire your team to loosen up, get creative; let them know that if you carefully consider every aspect of the partnership potential and implement a dynamic plan, you could make sponsorship history… This fact is what makes a great Marketing Director understand that crazy thrill of the plan; the adrenaline rush of reachable untapped possibilities.  But it can also send shivers down the spine of the decision maker/implementer with little to no support or insight from their team.  It can be daunting – like the monster under your bed. 

Imagine the difference between these settings:

The motivation by fear method:
It’s Monday, your team established recently that this was the week you would be putting together an activation goal/strategy for the partner you have incited interest in.  Your boss informed you that you have limited time to prove that you’re ideas are bar none because they’re considering other options, and if you lose them, well – it could mean the existence of your program/event – and your job.  You walk into a somber faced, chilly conference room where you suddenly wish you had refilled your coffee, but no time because your boss is ready to get started.  “Alright, what have you got?”  he says, “and it better be good or it could mean all of our jobs.  This is the last year we have to prove that we’ve got something here – this sponsor might never come back if we don’t come up with a great reason why they should.” The somewhat disguised look of panic in his eyes resonates through each member of the small team that has gathered to work a miracle.  Gulp.  What are you feeling right now?  Panic?  Stress?  Insecurity?  Hmmm… from what I’ve seen fear and intimidation are probably not great ways to motivate a team into engaging in productive strategizing. 

The “it’s no biggie, it’ll all work out, there’s bigger fish to fry,” mindset:
Now, more often perhaps is quite the opposite of the above tale– perhaps a team meets for a few hours, puts together a proposal package, or musters up an activation strategy that takes little time, little stress, and also little engagement.  You walk into your office on Monday morning, and your boss calls an unscheduled meeting with you and a handful of your colleagues into the conference room.  “Hey everyone, happy Monday!  I forgot to mention last week that we really need to get XYZ sponsorship effort underway here pretty soon, so we really need to finalize some great strategies for activation.  I’ve got a meeting with Joe Smith this afternoon over some golf, so I’d really like to get this taken care of this morning.  Does anyone have a copy of last year’s contract and what we did for them?  I’m thinking we can tweak a few things and send if over to the rest of the team by the end of the day – what do you think?”  Since your team has had 5 minutes to even think about it, you all nod or shrug your acceptance of this proposed effort because hey, that’s what your boss wants, right?  This effort really is easier in the short run, takes little coaching, and allows the property to focus more on their own efforts and needs.  It’s also true that they have a tougher time offering ROI, or making their sponsor feel like an important partner, or even engaging and growing their talent to become better at their jobs.  This is not proactive, it’s not engaging, creative, or unique – it’s lazy sponsorship.

The sponsorship activation party approach:
You walk into your office on Monday morning excited to see some team members you don’t always get to work with throughout the year.  Your boss called a sponsorship activation brainstorming party for the day, and you’re looking forward to sharing the idea you came up with over the weekend.  You walk into the conference room which your boss reserved 2 weeks ago and gave you a heads up about at the same time.  People are chatting, there’s fresh coffee, donuts and fruit, and a big inviting whiteboard at the front of the room.  You feel yourself getting excited because you know that by the end of the day there will have been laughs over crazy ideas, great interactions with brilliant colleagues, and ultimately a rough sketch of what this year’s activation effort for XYZ sponsor might look like.  You hurry over to the other side of the table to see Jane Smith – XYZ’s representative at your sponsor  party who will be making sure their goals are being met and introducing herself to your team who will be communicating with her throughout the event.  Your boss calls the meeting to order by inviting your team to get comfortable – grab some food, kick off their shoes, and get ready to present one idea that you think might possibly beat all.  In fact, you might even have a door prize for the individual who presents the most creative idea for a bar none activation effort.  She grabs her marker, and tells you the sky’s the limit – what do you want your audience to remember about your event this year?  How do you feel from reading this story?  Energized and motivated?   Ready to engage and do something you’ve never done before? 

I think we all would agree that the most effective planning sessions happen when people are engaged.  And truly engaging a team requires the following:

1. Proactive Planning
2. Effectively communicated expectations
3. The right team present and participating
4. An inviting atmosphere where minds are encouraged to stretch

So what has your approach been?  Would you agree or disagree with the effectiveness of these environments described?  What is your best practice in sponsorship activation strategizing?