When WordCamp Sponsorship Raises Questions
by Lorelle VanFossenWordCamp Whistler 2009 in Whistler, BC, Canada, was produced recently by Duane Storey who wanted to bring a unique social media and WordPress event to Whistler, home of the next Winter Olympics next year. He contacted a lot of the hotels, lodging and food services businesses, real estate, marketing, and even the local Olympics Committee representatives. While there was some interest, it was difficult to find many local sponsors as there is so much fuss over the upcoming Olympics. It’s hard to find a reason to sponsor what many saw as an event with little association with their needs.
They clearly didn’t realize what a WordCamp event represents and who attends. A lot of big mouth, social media, marketing, and networking experts from around the world, not just locally.
Still, the event needed sponsorship and Duane worked hard to find some great sponsors and solid supporters.
One of those sponsors was the British Columbia Liberal Party, which created a small storm over their recent sponsorship of 2009 Northern Voice.
In “Political Sponsorship and Web Conferences,” Duane talked about the struggles to find sponsorship, and the thinking that goes into choosing and working with a sponsor, whether you go after them, or they go after you to help support the event.
There was no money pit under WordCamp Whistler — it was bankrolled by my own personal savings account. Had the conference run in the red, I would have been paying for it myself.
…A few weeks prior to the event, the BC Liberal Party asked if they could be a sponsor of WordCamp Whistler. Before saying yes, I talked it over with the other organizers, and even the keynote speaker, Lorelle VanFossen. I asked the BC Liberal Party why they wanted to be involved, and they said they simply wanted to show their support for the event and the social media scene in British Columbia. We collectively decided that to be fair, we would email the other political parties in British Columbia and offer them similar sponsorship opportunities.
At the end of the day, the BC Liberal Party was a great sponsor, and there was no political presence the day of the event. Their only contribution was the verbiage I posted on the main blog, where they embraced social media and were happy the conference was taken place. Contrast that to some of the web companies I’ve seen sponsor these events (one of which even scattered their own swag out at WordCamp Whistler, even though they were not an official sponsor of the event), and it was a fair more attractive and cooperative sponsorship package.
The cost of WordCamp Whistler is still being calculated, but Duane said it totaled about $9,000, on par with many other WordCamp events in a costly geographical location with many attendees. Typical costs from USD $2,000 to $10,000 all inclusive, depending upon venue, location, and attendees. The majority of these costs are covered through sponsorship, not by ticket sales, which often represent 10-30% of the actual costs.
The risk all WordCamp organizers face is how to pay for it out of their own pocket if things go wrong, balanced with keeping the costs for participants as low as possible, in fitting with the charter set by WordPress and WordCamps around the world.
How Do You Decide What to Do With a Questionable Sponsor?
So what do you do when a questionable sponsor comes forward? Duane did the right thing and checked with the key players involved in organizing and participating, and lucked out with a sponsor that wasn’t greedy for attention. And what defines a questionable sponsor?
At one social media event a couple years ago, there were a couple porn companies scattered among the “legitimate” businesses sponsoring the event. They wanted to learn more about blogging and social media, involved beyond the participant level. While many in the United States frown on anything associated with pornography, it is a legitimate international industry, so the organizers put severe limitations upon their involvement, and they were willing to pay a high fee for sponsorship, just to get their foot in the door.
Afterward, the organizers admitted that the trouble they expected, as well as the rejection from the audience, had not happened. Their involvement didn’t tarnish the event. In fact, they added a sense of humor and fun to the whole experience. However, the organizers were extremely nervous, watching every move they made, looking for trouble. A few said they wouldn’t do it again, it was just too stressful. For those who didn’t stress over the issue, they said they’d do it again.
If participation by a sponsor worries you too much, then don’t include them. If it takes more energy to worry and fuss over their involvement, don’t do it.
If you set the ground rules and involve your entire group in the decision, and all are on board, then stop worrying and just let the event happen. It will probably be fine.
For some people, it isn’t a matter of what business or industry the sponsor represents as much as it is their behavior during the event. Sometimes that can be predicted, more often not. Keeping the sponsor happy is a basic tenant for sponsored events, but keeping the audience happy with the sponsor can make or break an event.
I’ll be writing more on WordCamp sponsors soon. It’s a big concern for many WordCamp organizers and officials, from finding them to ensuring they get the most benefit, while attendees get the best experience overall.
