1. Better freebie graphics and design. More T-shirts would be worn if they were cooler. I have seen some AMAZING designs from the Minnesota Porsche club events, for example.
2. Better promotion of "specials" for track attendees and others. HMS gives discounts. Schneller gives free oil change to new customers. I bet a lot of these deals are not publicized, and our sponsors might appreciate that.
3. If we improve attendace, the sponsors get more impressions for their dollar.
4. Integrate sponsorship with website and Bimmer promotion?

My suggestion would be to drop the tshirt and get rid of that costs.  I see people wear them around the track from time to time, but everyone gets shirts so that isn't reaching anyone new. 

Off the cuff ideas -

• Include printed information about the sponsors in the package you get at the track. 
• Schedule of up coming sponsor events (tech tune ups, etc.)
• Current specials list
• Coupons
• List of car maintenance to do between track events and the sponsors that offer that service
• Lists of things to bring to the track and the sponsors that offer those products/services
• Ideas on how to improve you car between events (and again the sponsors that offer that service). 

• Sell the number tag sponsorship per event or per season (it ends up in all the pictures).  Put the decals on at tech if you have to.  Imagine if the picture in my sig had a brand on it next to the numbers?  This of how many people that would be reaching.  This is why club racing requires the decals....obviously.

• Brand the tech sheet for the season.
  

• Put banners on the fence at NHIS where we stage.  Take pictures per run group and get those out to members.  You could even to a snap shot with banners in the back ground per run group, think Disney world.

• Can you put banners out on the track where they would end up in the background of on track pictures?

You could basically make take home manual that sponsor are buying space in (doesn't have to be fancy) and a single page of upcoming chapter and sponsor events.  There is so much branding you could do for the events that would be better exposure than tshirts.  Not many people show their friends or other BMW enthusiasts their free shirt, but they show them their pictures.

Your working with local shops that have a lot to offer the local participants.  The best part about this is there are so many win-win opportunities, you just have to figure them out.

Food for thought.

Tim


www.Bimmerfest.com

Edited: 2/6/2008 6:17:06 PM by Tim330i

As I understand the economics, the sponsorship covers most of the cost of the shirts, so the shirts end up costing very little. The club then has the flexibility to not issue shirts for a particular event that might be undersold, thereby saving it from losing money on that event. In other words, we've used the shirts as a sort of "relief valve" for losing money.

Now obviously you could have no sponsors and issue no shirts and it would probably, on average, cost the club less. However, I think the swag has value, particularly to new people. I know that I wear my BMW stuff, although I'm not keen on another T-shirt unless it is cool. When I was new to this, I proudly wore my track shirts. The white ones seem to attract brake dust and dripping ketchup....

One way to address this might be to have superb graphics -- shirts that are cool enough that you'd want to wear them.

As for droning on, I don't think I've seen it take more than a minute or at most two to introduce the sponsors. Some of these sponsors add other value, too. For example, having a mechanic or parts vendor at the track can be very useful -- I know that I've relied on both Schneller and HMS at the track.

Still, I think there is room for improvement in the sponsorship program, such as those posted above. Keep 'em coming.

Gregor

Non-profit organization. Autocross and HPDE are the "cash-cows" and other events that run at a loss like concours help offset the profit. Ultimately it comes down to are the members being served, and is the club acting as a non-profit, hence the reason every year the club gives away money to charity.