Chapter 13 - Sponsorship and Event Management

This chapter of our text discusses specific tactics of sponsorship and events by organisations to achieve their goals.

From the perspective of events and what makes an event successful, again I find the underlying theme to be planning. Whether it be planning staff, planning venues, planning meals, crisis management planning etc etc, I found that organisation and planning were two key elements for an event to run successfully.

Sponsoring an event is a great way for an organisation to promote/market themselves. The examples used in our text of corporate sponsorship include the Ford Australian Open Tennis Tournament, the Hahn Premium Race Week and McDonald's Junior Tennis. However something I have always questioned is exactly how effective is this kind of marketing/sponsorship for the sponsors? Do Ford experience a higher level of sales during the tennis tournament, just because they have signage/media attention while the tournament is being played? Johnston & Zawawi do not provide any statistical proof that sponsoring a high-profile event does in fact "reap the benefits of this positive connection". Similarly, Blue Tongue beer sponsor the Knights - do they sell more beer as a result? Perhaps at a game because that's the only available beer. But I was interested in trying to find figures to support the notion companies reap benefits of linking their name to a high profile event or activity. Is this really the case? As yet, I am still searching for relevant material, however I did find an article from the Journal of Advertising Research written by Bill Harvey called "Measuring the Effects of Sponsorship" (link is attached at the bottom of this blog). I will not detail the whole case study in this blog, I will be here forever! :) While the article didn't really tell me what I was looking for, one table illustrated in Harvey's findings shows that unsponsored brands were in fact more effective than sponsored ones. (This related to "Nutrition Perception").

I will seek to find more evidence to support my own theory!!

Johnston & Zawawi also provide case studies of various events. One event which was studied was the SOCOG sponsor dinner. It was planned as an outdoor event, however Sydney was hit with torrential rain and consequently the function was moved to a nearby unused shed on a Sydney Wharf. This is a great alternative, however I thought Johnston & Zawawi could also have mentioned yet another alternative. What if the shed wasn't available? What if the function was not even close to an indoor facility? Perhaps they could have given a second alternative in this instance.

This week's readings made me think more about PR theory and practice by illustrating the necessity for forward thinking and planning, especially if something unexpected happens at an event, for example rain on an outdoor function!

Sponsorship provides great exposure for organisations, but I just question exactly how much profit/public recall it actually generates.

I think the key point to remember from this week's reading is to be prepared for anything, plan and organise well - including staff, budgets, venues, even press conferences, and be aware of potential "ambush marketers" - those who use your event for their own marketing benefit, without any direct relationship to your event.

I really enjoyed reading this chapter because I event management is the career path I eventually want to wander down!

I have posted a comment on http://www.cmns1290emmamurphy.blogspot.com/
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References
Harvey, B. (2001). Measuring the Effects of Sponsorships. Journal of Advertising Research, 41(1), 59-65. Retrieved 6 September 2007, from Expanded Academic. United States:Cambridge University Press.

Johnston, J. & Zawawi, C. (2004). Sponsorship & Event Management, in Public Relations Theory and Practice (2nd ed.), pp. 345-374, Allen&Unwin, Sydney, Australia.