Last year, my company (D.I.-Why) sponsored the New Music Seminar. It was our first sponsorship ever as a company, and we were a bit nervous about what could happen. Having worked in multiple marketing departments over the years, it’s far more fun to spend money when it’s not actually yours. But when it’s your company, and your money, you toss dimes around like they’re manhole covers.
As it turned out, the experience was spectacular. We got fantastic exposure, met some great people, and generated roughly 300% more in revenues from the event than we spent as a sponsor. We were totally excited for the following year’s event and couldn’t wait to head to NYC.
The months go on, the event gets closer, and it’s time to talk sponsorship again. I get on the phone with Dave Lory (he runs NMS alongside Tommy Silverman), and we start talking. New Music Seminar is bigger than he expected, and he’s overwhelmed with how well things’re going. The sponsorship level I came in at last year is below what they’re looking for this year simply based upon the numbers they’re getting from other people. He gave me a number that they’d be looking at for a sponsorship, and we both agreed that this year D.I.-Why might not be the best fit for what’s going on down there.
Here’s the thing though: instead of saying “please sponsor the event, we’d love to have you,” Dave and I discussed what D.I.-Why was doing, the opportunities that would be best for us, and concluded together that maybe NMS wasn’t the place for us to spend the cash. The guy looking for money was telling me that he wasn’t going after my sponsorship because it wasn’t the best thing for MY company right now.
I was shocked! Can you imagine the folks at SXSW saying “a sponsorship wouldn’t work for you guys, but hey, here’s a free badge … come on down anyway.” Of course not. Not in a million years. Dave wants me to come down and check out the event — for free. If it’s a better match next year, I’ll sponsor.
More than all that, I’m impressed by a guy (and an event) that are looking out for EVERYONE’s best interests. How often does that happen in the music biz?
See you at the New Music Seminar!
