By Paul Birdwell (paul@roaringforkagency.com)

In March of this year the leading sponsorship organization in America…

….published a great report on Best Practices for working with Sponsorship Sales Agencies and it is a great read for all events and venues that are considering working with a sponsorship sales agency.

Best Practices: Working With Sponsorship Sales Agencies, IEG

In the section of the above report that lays out how many sponsorship sales agencies get compensated for their work one can learn about how different that The Roaring Fork Agency’s “commission-only” approach is from other leading sponsorship agencies:

Breaking It Down: How Payment Structures Work

“Most agencies contacted by IEG SR work for a retainer plus commission.

Commissions typically range between 15 percent and 20 percent, although the number usually moves lower for six- and seven-figure deals. For example, an agency that sells a $1 million deal might receive a double-digit commission, while a $5 or $6 million deal may generate a commission in the single digits.

Retainers generally range from $5,000 to $15,000 a month based on the scope of services provided. A property that requires a soup-to-nuts overhaul of its sponsorship program will typically be charged at the higher end of the range.

From there, remuneration can work in a variety of ways. For example, Engage Marketing charges a retainer and commission, around which it reimburses clients 50 percent of the retainer after the first sale.

The agency uses the pricing structure to mitigate risk, said Kevin Alder, Engage president and chief engagement officer.

“If I’m asking a client to spend $10,000 or $120,000 with me, they inevitably ask ‘how much money will you guarantee me?’ The answer is zero. I can’t guarantee revenue back, but I can guarantee that we’ll take the best version of your offering to the right people.””

We here at The Roaring Fork Agency can get your sponsorship and naming rights opportunities in front of the right people and it will cost you event or venue NOTHING until a signed deal is in place and your event/venue have been paid first which is exactly the kind of outcome and Win-Win relationship we here at Roaring Fork would like to build with all of our clients.

If you have any questions about event sponsorship or venue naming rights contact the Roaring Fork Agency at:

paul@roaringforkagency.com

415 730 - 4854

Aspen, Colorado

Tiburon, California

Incline Village, Nevada

Santa Monica, California

Newport Beach, California

www.roaringforkagency.com

Twitter - @RoaringForkAgcy

By Paul Birdwell (paul@roaringforkagency.com)

One of the largest banks in America, Regions Financial, based out of Birmingham, Alabama believes in the value and return on investment in sponsorship as detailed in a recent al.com news story:

Why does Regions sponsor sports? It’s the return on investment, Alex Walsh, al.com

“Regions Financial Corp. (NYSE: RF) knows it's in a unique position in Birmingham, and in Alabama.

As the only Fortune 500 company in the state's largest metro, Regions finds itself in a symbiotic relationship with the Magic City. "When our community succeeds, we succeed," explains Scott Peters, a senior executive vice president with the company and Regions' head of corporate marketing.

In other words, when the Birmingham area receives positive attention, Regions stands to gain. That's part of the motivation behind Regions' sports sponsorship efforts, Peters explains.

Three major partnerships highlight Regions' sports involvement. Most fresh on many Birminghamians' minds is perhaps the Regions Tradition, which ended Sunday. There's baseball -- Regions Field is the increasingly-popular home venue for Birmingham's Barons. And Regions is the official bank of the Southeastern Conference, perhaps the most significant partnership of the set.”

Yes, sponsorship works for companies looking to drive their brand forward and Regions Financial is a great example of a company that is using sponsorship to grow their business and reach more consumers in the marketplace.