How to get all the freight agents to see you? Three great benefits that come with meeting sponsorships
When you come to a logistics network meeting you will be faced with loads of freight forwarders from all over the world during a three day period. You will meet so many people that sometimes it will be hard to remember them all. But I bet I know one group of attendees you will not forget: The Sponsors
Yes, sponsorship is a next step in logistics networking. And though sponsorship does cost more money it doesn’t always have to be the case that you break the bank. Sponsorships come in many sizes and choices. For instance, sponsoring a coffee break or the name badges won’t send anyone to the poor house but it will get you specially mentioned several times with your logo in various places. It will get you noticed from all parts of the room.
Are you wondering whether sponsorship would be right for your company? Let me give you three reasons you might want to consider it:
Visibility
When you sponsor a logistics network meeting your logos will appear in many places. It will be in the network agenda brochure, on the walls, on directional signage, the group website and even on the badges. People will see your company’s name and logo almost every time they are at a function during the entire meeting. This will guarantee that you are remembered and it will guarantee that you are talked about. And also as a side bonus you will be immortalized in the various photos and videos from the event.
Network Citizenship
When your company has sponsored a network meeting it sends a message to the other network members that you are a good network citizen. You are putting time, effort and money into doing business with the other network members and this is a big plus in gaining trust of the members. And you will get a leg up when someone needs a new partner in your country. It gives you a special place among the network membership’s mind as a leader in the group. You will be seen in a positive light in front of your peers, it is all on the upside.
Speak Directly
When you become an event sponsor many times you are afforded the opportunity to present a presentation on behalf of your company to the entire group or you will be offered a few words at the functions. During these times you will have the attention of all the attendees at one time. You will have the floor to get them exactly whatever message you would like to purvey in promotion of your company and its services. There is no better platform than this to speak to the entire group.
And of course, no one has to sponsor the meetings. You can simply go to the meetings and promote your company as you normally would and you’ll be fine. There will still be business in the pipeline, but sometimes that little umph that you get from a sponsorship will make the difference between a good meeting and a great meeting that pays off for years to come. And in a nutshell this is the greatest benefit from being a sponsor.
Are you interested in potentially sponsoring at a network meeting? Then why don’t you send Daniel Bateman an e-mail. He can help you out with this.
Gary Dale Cearley is the Managing Director of Advanced International Networks Ltd. (AIN), one of the fastest growing and most dynamic business-to-business networking organizations in the world. AIN’s networks include AerOceaNetwork (AON), XLProjects Network (XLP), and AiO Logistics Network. Gary Dale has been in many facets of international freight forwarding for more than two decades from operations to sales to the owner of the first 100% foreign owned freight forwarding company licensed in Vietnam. The companies that he has been involved with have been both generalists and specialists. He has also worked from large European and Asian multinationals (Danzas and Hankyu Express) as well has small start up forwarders. For the past ten years Gary Dale has owned and operated AIN. He has lived in several major cities in four different countries and he is multilingual. Currently Gary Dale runs the AIN operation from Bangkok, Thailand, but travels the world over.
