Got Golf?
The Masters Tournament begins next week and Sky High Marketing has been running a weekly golf themed promotion to kick off the season (see the first two here: http://store.skyhighmarketing.com/hitthelinksApparel.htm and here: http://store.skyhighmarketing.com/hitthelinksUnder5.htm). Since our president, Josh Kozinski, is the chair for this year’s BMA Milwaukee golf outing I thought I’d share his insider look at the planning process.
Q. You have been meeting with your committee for several months already – what are some of the things that you’ve accomplished?
A. A lot of the basic logistics are out of the way now, things like the date, location and menu. We have our theme picked, logo created and our promotion plan in place with materials ready to help us get the word out.
Q. What tasks do you have ahead?
A. We need to start asking for raffle items and get them in the door. The golfer goodie bags still need some coordination. We are also driving for sponsorship and golfers. The logistics of the outing are pretty wrapped up; now it’s just a matter of getting sponsors and golfers.
Q. How are the sponsorship dollars shaping up?
A. It’s early days yet and we’re really only in the first stage of our drive. We set a goal of getting eighteen hole sponsors for this year. We’ve got three in and several more that we’re talking with. We’re optimistic that this will be a good year for sponsorship.
Q. What are the greatest challenges you face as a committee in the planning of the outing?
A. Well, I hesitate to say this, because we’re seeing some very positive trends in the marketplace, but the economy is still an issue when it comes to events like this. We’ve got a great program running this year, though, to make it easier on companies that want to sponsor which will help all of us meet our goals. We’re running an ‘Early Bird’ special for hole sponsors – anyone registering their sponsorship before June 1st will pay only $175.00 (a real bargain!) after June 1st the price tag rises to $250.00.
The second biggest challenge is really the market saturation for golf outings. In our area during the summer months most organizations run a golf outing – so we have to really put our efforts into giving sponsors and golfers a good reason to choose our outing. Something that helps with that is really knowing your market and not being afraid of your niche. This is the Business Marketing Association outing – there will be great opportunities to meet and network with area business leaders in this area during the event. We also theme the outing so that our participants get the most bang for their buck. It’s really great to see how creative our sponsors get with the theme each year and the participants have a lot of fun with it. Changing the theme up helps to keep the event fresh. It’s not just a run of the mill outing.
Q. What are your favorite things about chairing the golf committee?
A. It’s opened up some doors and been a good opportunity to meet other BMA members, to learn about their businesses and get them involved with the event.
Q. What part of the outing do you most enjoy?
A. Seeing people have a good time, being a part of the networking that goes on among members and guests – it’s very rewarding.
The Business Marketing Association (BMA) outing is scheduled for June 20, at the Mequon Country Club.
Colleen M. Feldner, Marketing Coordinator