Recently, I was interviewed by my local newspaper on my experience with Meetup.com for an article on their entertainment weekly insert. In addition to Meetup.com, over the years, I have joined various networking groups in an attempt to meet new friends or make new contacts.

Intellectually, I know that I would be marketed to at many of these events. These networking events provide some of the best marketing opportunities for local businesses. For example, a bar may create drink specials for these events. For event participants, they win because they got drink specials. The bar wins because they were able to work with event organizers to bring a group of people into their venue.

However, are all “sponsor” opportunities created equal?

Of course not.

Well, let’s start with looking at a different example of sponsorship opportunity. It’s been widely documented that American Idol as a program has allowed for great sponsorship opportunities. As a sponsor / advertiser for this program, you could run your 30 second commercials during a show with one of the highest ratings. You could get mentions from the hosts. You could have your products placed on the show. You could have a variety of links to the show.

It has also been widely documented that this worked for some sponsors, and did not work for others. Coca-Cola was fully integrated into the show. They ran commercials, they had their products on the judges’ tables, and they had chairs that were reminiscent of coke packaging. In short, they were part of the show. On the other hand, Ford was just in the background. All Ford did for their dollars was to run commercials. As a result, awareness for Coca-Cola rose, while awareness for Ford actually declined.

There are countless other examples of bad product placement. When the product is simply the background, it would not resonate with the audience.

Take that to a smaller scale, and you essentially have an example of a local business sponsoring an event.

If your business is sponsoring an event, your business needs to be fully integrated into the event. If your business was simply featured or act as the backdrop of the event, I do not believe you would get any return on your sponsorship investment.

The first step toward integrating yourself into the event is to make sure that there is a fit with the event.

For example, I have had wine tasting events for young professionals at fancy lofts. The fancy lofts were nice, and people talk about how cool they are. However, is there a real fit? Probably not. The lofts became the background. The wine, the appetizers, and the people were the focus of the event. In addition, if you really think about it, the event participants would not be in the position to purchase these lofts. It would be like promoting professional day trading software during American Idol! The sponsorship just wouldn’t work. Instead, day trading software should be promoted during a business show, perhaps on CNBC. Now, that would be an appropriate audience. Yet, at the same time, American Idol probably would not turn down a sponsor and the associated dollars. Likewise, the lofts really served as a great background for the wine tasting events. So, the events would want the lofts. It would be up to the lofts to say no. It’s not really a fit.

On the other hand, I have attended clubbing events at some of the hottest clubs in town. The clubs would waive the cover for the group, and the group would dance the night away. Now, this was a perfect fit. The club could be bringing in people who otherwise may not have tried the club. But club itself was the event. The event participants would have the opportunity to try the club, to have fun at the club, and to form good memories with the club. This highly increase the odd that this particular club would rise to the top of the consideration set when the event participants were to choose a place for a night out.

So, in conclusion, if you were to sponsor an event, make sure that you would be part of the event. Never settle for fading into the background only!

This weekend is Comic Con. While I did not venture inside convention grounds, I was in downtown San Diego amidst all the chaos.

It is interesting to see the crowd that appears for Comic Con. It is a diverse group of fans of arts of all kinds. I have met some interesting people who were more “pure” artist, and while they still sell their products, they feel that some comic artists have sold out by pushing their products at Comic Con. I have met some people who were just loyal fans of long lasting comics. I have met people who are in the industry and wanted to take this opportunity to network with others in the industry. I have met people who are fans of recent Hollywood films.

This made me think the value of these events. At what point is it a specialized event, and at what point is it simply a big crowd? How do you build buzz amongst all the noise?

Hollywood is a marketing powerhouse, and they seem to know the answer. They have celebrities hosting special events outside Comic Con at various downtown San Diego venues after the convention wraps every night. I wonder if this is the trick.

Comic Con at this point has so much noise that it’s becoming hard to differentiate yourself among the masses. People going around are simply overwhelmed by all that is offered. To make a real connection with your fans, you have to make them feel special. You have to take them out of the noisy convention and give them some real one-on-one time. Or, if it’s not one-on-one, at least something a little bit more intimate.

This applies not only to something as big as Comic Con, but to any events of this sort. Host a happy hour, an after party, or at least a hospitality room could really maximize your exposure at these events. If such initiatives are budget prohibiting to smaller operations, at least try to connect with those you have met at these events electronically. Invite your loyal fans to the event. Host a chat with them after the event. Tweet to your fans about where they may find you during / after the event (and have an impromptu unofficial unhosted party). Take that extra effort to make a connection, and you would get that much more out of your attendance to these events!

Photo Credit: Top – San Diego Comic Con 2009, originally uploaded by ToFuGuns. Bottom – 2009 san diego comic-con, originally uploaded by koadmunkee.