Site icon MacTech.com

MacTech Events: Sponsors FAQ

IMG_0106.jpg

 

The following information is private and not for public consumption. If you are not a sponsor for a MacTech event in 2012, please exit this page.
© 2012 MacTech Magazine.


Welcome.

First, thank you for being a sponsor for MacTech events. This FAQ focuses on the questions you may have related to any of MacTech’s one day seminars including MacTech Boot Camp and MacTech InDepth series. It does not necessarily apply to MacTech Conference.

The following is going to walk you through most, if not all, that you need to know as a MacTech sposnor. If you have any questions, please call or send an email to us so that we can answer not only you, but let the rest of the sponsors know.

Discount registrations.

Each sponsor is provided a special discount url that we encourage you to use for a few reasons. First, it takes care of your customers with a special discount/deal on the event. Second, even for those that don’t go to the event, you get credit for sponsoring a community event, and that’s a good message to send. Finally, it’s obviously good for the event as well.

Your users will be entitled to a special deal on all MacTech events open for registration at the time. And, it will always be the best pricing/deal available.

Again, you are encouraged to send this URL as far and wide as possibly either directly, or through public means including social media, email, blog posts and more.

Registration Bags.

Each sponsor, of all types, is encouraged to provide materials or tzatchkes for the registration bag — so long as there are enough for all attendees. For some, this is tzatchkes. For others, this is product literature. The most successful is definitely those that give free product. Remember, the goal is to get these influencers using your product so that they promote it to others.

In most cases, you’ll be sending stock for the registration bags to us for each event to the venue. We’ll give you specific instructions. It needs to be there 24 hours prior to the event as the bags are stuffed the day prior on-site.

QuickTalks.

If you have a QuickTalk as part of your sponsor package, we will schedule you for a 5 minute QuickTalk after one of the editorial sessions. We know from experience that 5-6 minutes is optimum as any tech will listen to any technology demonstration for that period of time. If you go beyond that, we know from experience (both watching their eyes and bandwidth utilization) that you start to lose them.

Remember, the goal of the QuickTalk is to give customers an overview of what you do, and to encourage them to seek you out for more information.

Attendee Quantity.

Each one day seminar (including each of the back to back seminars) is targeted to have approximately 100 attendees. For those companies sending materials, we suggest sending a quantity of 125.

Registration.

If your sponsorship includes registration for your personnel to be on-site (e.g., Silver sponsorships and above), then we need you to register for the events. Please try to do so at least a couple of weeks prior to the event. You can use the regular registration page and register for multiple events at the same time. For the payment section just put n/a and that you are a sponsor and customer service will verify with us.

Social Media.

We encourage the sponsors to do as much in social media as possible to help people know about the event. This is one of the best ways to get locals involved, and help make sure that this is a vibrant community event.

For example, we’re going to suggest that everyone do posts like:

XYZ Company is a proud sponsor of @MacTech Boot Camp Seattle
Come and check it out. Special code to save $200:
[Sponsor Discount URL]

on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, mailing lists, etc.

Event schedule.

The event schedule is continually evolving, but the up to date information is always available through an iCal subscription (recommended) or on our web-based calendar. Often, the schedule will even be updated during the day of the event.

See the schedules at these URLs.

https://www.mactech.com/bootcamp/schedule
https://www.mactech.com/indepth/schedule
https://www.mactech.com/conference/schedule

Sessions Room Layout.

Each of the seminars has a similar setup as pictured here at one of the 2011 events. To one side is a riser with a podium and a table. Typically, the speaker spends most of their time speaking from the podium. Their laptop can sit either on the podium, or the table. There is no chair at the table.

In addition to a laptop that the speaker can bring, MacTech will have its presentation laptop for the introductory slides, as well as for the speaker to use if they would prefer. There’s a presentation remote on this machine.

On the table on the riser, there will be a switching device that will allow us to switch between the speaker laptop and the MacTech presentation laptop. The switching device takes a VGA connection, and we’ll have connectors on hand for just about any type of Apple laptop.

The MacTech presentation laptop will have a patch cable to take output from the sound, and this can be switched to the presenter’s laptop if they need sound for some reason (although this has not been needed to date).

In the center of the room is the large screen. This is the screen that shows what is coming off the presentation laptops. It’s in the center so that everyone can see it clearly. To the side is a smaller screen with the “logo loop” on it. It gently cycles through the logos of the event sponsors.

Depending on the room, the projectors may be either front projection, or rear projection. And, the sound system used will either be the house sound, or speakers that will be in front of the room.

Microphones.

The minimum microphone configuration for the room is two wireless lavalier mics, and one wireless handheld mic. Depending on the event, there may be additional ones, but this amount is sufficient.

The speakers and sponsors doing QuickTalks will use the lavalier mics. The emcee and session chairs will assist the speakers in transitioning the mic from one speaker to the next as we move from one speaker to another.

Lunch.

Lunch is 75 minutes long giving everyone enough time not only to eat, but to speak to the sponsors and network with one another. The lunch room has a buffet line, round tables for people to gather and eat at, and on the perimeter of the room are the sponsor tables.

Sponsor tables.

In the lunch room, typically in the entrance or on the perimeter of the room, are the 6′ draped sponsor tables. WiFi access is available in the room, and in addition, there’s power available at each table. Most sponsors bring a combination of self-standing or table-top pop-up signs, combined with a laptop, or iMac. Business cards are a must. Logo “drapes” on top of the draped tablecloth are just fine.

Here are what some of the sponsor tables in recent events looked like:










Video.

We will be shooting video of each event (primarily for archive purposes), but there’s no plans to make the video available.

Exit mobile version