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EMEA Conference: Sponsors & Exhibitors

The Sponsors & Exhibitors Team secures sponsors and exhibitors to support the conference financially. This role is incredibly important because without our sponsors, we couldn't hold the event!

View the Conference Policies for more information about vendor participation in the conference. 

Responsibilities

  • Work to meet budget expectations. 
  • Review and test the registration web site.
  • Work with all other committees and the Executive Director as appropriate to ensure sponsors are properly recognized before, during and after the event. Review each item in the sponsor and exhibitor prospectus to make sure obligations are met.
  • Develop incentives to increase traffic into exhibitor area, such as door prize drawings.
  • Reach out to sponsors and exhibitors to secure their participation as noted below.

 

Sponsor & Exhibitor Outreach Process

  1. The Executive Director works with the Board Liaisons to develop the draft prospectuses for all conferences .The draft is shared with the current committee for feedback, and then approved by the board. More details about how the menu is developed can be found here.
  2. Once the prospectus is approved, the Executive Director sends the “Call for Sponsors and Exhibitors” for all conferences .The communication is sent to the full master outreach list, which includes all current affiliate and employer members, previous conference sponsors/exhibitors, and other vendors that have been added to the list. The committee can also add new vendors to the list as needed. The Executive Director may, at this time, extend a courtesy communication to high-level sponsors that have long-term history and support of all events. 
  3. After the Executive Director has sent out the initial "Call for Sponsors and Exhibitors," the ED reaches out first to the companies who purchased an exclusive package the previous year to offer first right of refusal for the same package. When offering this first right of refusal, it's best to provide each company with a deadline by which to respond in order to secure their package (typically two weeks if possible, with an email and phone call reminder during that timeframe).  If another company (not part of the first right of refusal) reaches out to the committee before this time period has passed, let them know that we will have more information about opportunities available after a certain date.
  4. The committee members for all conferences will be provided with access ot the shared master outreach list in Smartsheet. Next, the committee reaches out to organizations on the list (provided each year by the ED). The templates in the shared committee folder can assist with this outreach. Note: any emails sent to the entire list in bulk need to be sent by the Executive Director through the organization's communication system, in order to comply with privacy and SPAM laws. The committee should aim for at least four or five email communications and two phone calls to each company on the list, with additional communications sent to companies that have supported the EMEA Conference in the past (as indicated on the master list). The ED will help prioritize companies for outreach.
  5. Each outreach is tracked in the master list, so that all committee members can see the progress being made. A separate sheet within each individual conference's workspace will be used to keep track of the companies that have confirmed. As those companies register, the Executive Assistant will track their registration and other details in the tracking sheet. 
  6. Work with locals on the conference committee to coordinate outreach to employers in the region who have expressed interest in attending the conference.
  7. When companies register, they will upload the items needed for their package, such as their logo, company description or advertisement for the printed program. After the initial sponsor and exhibitor registration deadline, the Executive Assistant will reach out to them to gather any outstanding items and remind them to register all of the attendees that are included in their package. The Assistant will also keep track of all details in the confirmed sheet in Smartsheet. 
  8. The Bookkeeper will follow up to make sure they have paid.
  9. The committee will provide input into the Exhibit Hall layout for the hotel. The ED and Event Assistant will create the first draft for the committee to review/edit. 
  10. The Executive Assistant will send a Sponsor & Exhibitor Guide to the companies in advance of the event with specific details, including the Exhibit Hall Layout, shipping information, etc.
 

 

Sponsor & Exhibitor Notes

  • The sponsorship levels do not equate to the event/item the companies are sponsoring. The sponsorship packages provide the sponsor with the right to place their name on the event as a sponsor, but the company is not paying the actual cost of the event. When publicizing events, they should be recognized as "sponsored by XYZ" without implying that the company is funding the entire event. 
  • The only sponsorship packages that can be sold are those that are approved and part of the prospectus. Additional sponsorship opportunities cannot be added once the prospectus is approved. This allows us to maintain consistency, transparency and equitable treatment of all sponsors.
  • Obtain approval from the Executive Director for any special requests made by sponsors or exhibitors, particularly if the requests are outside of the approved prospectus, are out of the ordinary, or do not align with the Conference Policies.
  • Any questions received that the committee can't answer should be forwarded to the Executive Director for response.

 


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