Event Overview & Sponsor Focus

SQL Saturday! is a one day free learning event focused on SQL Server that is organized by the Steel City SQL Server Users Group, the Birmingham Chapter of the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS). Details of the event can be found at www.sqlsaturday.com. This document outlines some of the highlights with regard to sponsors.

We have four goals for this event:

ü  Provide a first-class training experience for our attendees. Even though it will be free, we plan to make it as good as or better than a similar paid event.

ü  Provide a great networking experience for SQL Server professionals, vendors and employers.

ü  Build our speaker pool.

ü  Build relationships with sponsors. Our local user group is funded entirely by donations, and we hope that sponsors will see this event as a worthy venue for highlighting products and services and for finding strong SQL talent.

This is the second time this event will be held in Birmingham. Last year we had over 180 people to register so we want to build on that success!

Our target audience is SQL Server and Business Intelligence professionals, particularly from Birmingham, but also in the surrounding areas. Traditionally, attendees of SQL Saturday! events come from all experience levels ranging from beginning to senior level positions in many different companies.

We are advertising via local and regional user groups, including .Net groups, with posts in several local blogs and mentions in the newsletters of SQLServerCentral.com and PASS. We are also working with our personal contacts and asking our friends in the staffing community to help us get the word out.

We hope you will support our event!  Please contact us at sqlsaturday29@sqlsaturday.com or contact me directly at sqlpass@steelcitysql.org or 205.567.3161.

All shipments should be sent to:

Teksouth Corporation

Attn: J. Morgan Smith

1420 Northbrook Drive - Suite 220

Birmingham, AL  35071

Event Logistics

Our event will follow the standard conference model. We will have speakers committed to supporting 15 sessions across 3 tracks. These sessions will run 60 minutes with 15 minute breaks between each session to allow time to visit with our sponsors. Registration opens at 8:30 am with sessions beginning at 9:15. Breakfast and lunch will be provided on site. The last session will end around 4 pm.

Upon arrival, attendees will complete the registration process and receive an event bag containing a full schedule, flyers and other items from sponsors – PLUS – two items that will be of particular interest to our sponsors. The first will be a set of printed cards with the attendee’s name and contact information. Attendees will have the option to give their card in trade for whatever free items you may be giving away or to enter a raffle, if you are sponsoring one. This should help avoid delays encountered while people queue to fill out contact forms at sponsor tables. These will also assure that the information you receive is legible. The second item will be a Sponsor Stampede bingo style card. Attendees can earn an extra raffle ticket at the end of the day by visiting all of our Gold sponsors. We will provide the means of validating the cards.

We will end the day with a closing session and prize raffles. For the raffles, we are looking at prizes like XBOX 360s, Zunes, GPS units, free training, gift cards, etc. To qualify for the raffle, attendees will earn a raffle ticket for the end of day raffle by completing an evaluation form and can earn additional entries from various contests throughout the day.

After the event we will send a follow-up email that will recap the day, provide links to the files from the event for download and provide a list of all sponsors with links to their designated sites on the SQLSaturday.com site. This provides sponsors with one more opportunity to interact with attendees once the event has completed.

Sponsorship Options

Bronze Sponsorship Benefits - $250 prepaid

ü  Placement on our sponsor page on the SQLSaturday.com web site

ü  Inclusion in all emails and marketing materials

ü  Ability to include a one page flyer in the event bag (Sponsor must provide flyer by March 1st)

Silver Sponsorship Benefits - $500 prepaid

ü  Includes all benefits of the Bronze Sponsorship

ü  One table with two chairs and power access in our exhibitor area near registration and food (based on availability on a first come first server after all Gold Sponsors have been filled)

ü  Inclusion of multi-page brochure or disk in the event bag (Sponsor must provide flyer by March 1st)

Gold Sponsorship Benefits - $1000 prepaid (up to $250 of the amount can go towards a raffle prize and the remainder in cash)

ü  Includes all benefits of the Silver Sponsorship

ü  Guaranteed one table with two chairs and power access in our exhibitor area near registration and food

ü  One email blast to all event attendees (consisting of up to 1 page of text) that can be sent out before or after the event

ü  Participation in the Sponsorship Stampede

ü  Provided SQL Saturday raffle box with an electronic list of attendees that submitted a raffle ticket

ü  Company logo included on all printed sponsorship material

Exclusive Keynote Sponsorship Benefits - $2000 and $300-$500 valued prize for post keynote raffle

ü  Includes all benefits of the Gold Sponsorship

ü  Provides exclusive Keynote session during lunch available for all attendees

To sign up, please click here and select the Birmingham event – SQL Saturday #29.  Select the sponsor’s page then click to register as a sponsor.

Name:__________________________    Phone:_____________    E-Mail:________________________

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING DISCLAIMER: This is an independently operated local event. The SQLSaturday logo and the website for the event have been provided to the event leader at no cost by the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) as a service to the SQL Server community. Local event leaders are not authorized by PASS to negotiate contracts, make commitments, or act on behalf of PASS in any capacity. PASS assumes no liability for issues or problems that may arise from the event at any point in time.