“Are we doing swag bags again?” is a question that many entrepreneurs, businesses, and nonprofit event coordinators are asking themselves when it comes to event strategies. Some are bringing bags back and others are a “heck no!”
Let’s look at the pros and cons I hear from event organizers and sponsors AND what I see as a speaker receiving many swag bags over the past 25+ years of speaking at conferences, events, and corporate functions.
I love sharing Laura Lane’s story, especially in September, which is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Laura has a beautiful and powerful dream she is raising, and collaboration and sponsorship are helping her fuel the dream and make a bigger impact. Laura has been collaborating to help parents of children with cancer through a special planner called Stronger Daily Planner for Cancer Moms. Based on her experience as a parent of a child with cancer, she wanted to help other parents navigate this incredibly stressful, overwhelming, and emotional journey. This planner helps parents do this.
The Stronger Daily Planner for Cancer Moms is a daily / weekly / monthly tracker for all things childhood cancer related. It includes a recommended resource section, helpful tips from other cancer moms, and inspirational quotes. Please check it out HERE; it’s a great way to show your support during National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
While onions, icebergs, and Columbo don't appear to have any relevance with getting corporate sponsorship funding, they in fact do!
They represent three important concepts that impact relationship building, trust, and connection—all essential ingredients for sponsorship agreements to move forward.
Think of relationships, conversations, and people much like onions. They have layers and, just like onions, the layers need to be pulled back a bit to create mutual understanding and achieve clarity on what matters most to a sponsor.