CRC's Feb2009 meeting was beneficial. Collectively, the group came up with a lot of great creative ideas on how to provide more value to our sponsors, as well as generate alternative methods of revenue. Given the nature of the economy, and the realization that many companies are tightening their budgets, the NAAAP leadership team has agreed that our focus should be in retaining our existing sponsors, rather than trying to get new ones. With that in mind, the main topic of discussion at the Feb2009 meeting was to share ideas on how best to serve these existing sponsors, and how to provide more value for them. Here are some ideas that were discussed: - Provide greater sponsor prominence in the NAAAP e-mail newsletter. - In the e-mail newsletter, separate the sponsors by sponsorship level, rather than listing them alphabetically. - Allow gold sponsors to pitch their product at NAAAP events. For example, the sponsor can have one of the representatives speak about their company for a few minutes. Or, we can hand out the sponsor's flyers if they pay for the appetizers at a mixer. - Allow sponsors to offer discounts to NAAAP members. This will encourage people to join NAAAP, for the same reason that people join AAA. These discounts can also be mentioned in the newsletter. - Keep the sponsors informed about upcoming events, specifically the ones organized by the Professional Development Committee. CRC is tied very closely with PDC, because the sponsors often provide the venues for PDC events, as well as bring in their own speakers. - With sponsors that are outside of Boston, e.g. Hopkinton, we can arrange for them to pay for an event, while having a Bostonian sponsor such as Liberty Mutual provide the venue. - Arrange a PDC event on a Saturday. This will allow for much greater attendance, especially for the NAAAP members who typically work late at the office, or work too far away from Boston. - Cater to the needs of each individual sponsor. Some sponsors are interested in recruiting Asians, some are interested in professionally developing their employees, some are interested in having a positive public image, etc. - Understand that NAAAP members do not visit naaapboston.org very often. Their source for information and updates is via the e-mail newsletter. - Promote the next CRC committee meeting at the next mixer. This will encourage people to join the CRC leadership team, and possibly serve as liaisons. Some of these ideas are feasible, while others needs to be fleshed out or discussed further. At the Mar2009 committee meeting, we can discuss which ideas to move forward with, as well as see how we can work more closely with PDC to create worthwhile events that are beneficial to everyone.
