SQL Saturday! is a one day free learning event focused on SQL Server and .NET that is being organized by the Greater Wheeling Chapter of the Association for Technology Professionals (AITP), with help from the Pittsburgh SQL Server User Group and other groups. Details of the event can be found at www.sqlsaturday.com. Below outlines some of the highlights with regard to sponsors.
We have four goals for this event:
· 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.
· Provide a great networking experience for SQL Server professionals, vendors and employers.
· Build our speaker pool. We’ve worked hard to get local speakers for the event.
· Build relationships with sponsors.
The local user groups are funded entirely by donations and we hope that you will see them as a good venue for highlighting your products, services or just as a good place to look for talent.
This is the first annual event held in Wheeling, WV. Our goal is to have between 50 and 100 attendees.
Our target audience is SQL Server, Database professionals and software developers (.NET) from Pittsburgh, PA through Columbus, OH. Traditionally, SQLSaturday attendees come from all experience levels ranging from beginning level to senior level positions in many different companies.
We are advertising via SQL user groups, Dot Net user groups, AITP, posts on numerous blogs – both local and nationally as well as mentions in newsletters of SQLTeam.com, SQLServerCentral.com, Community Credit, PASS and MSDN Flash. 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 sqlsaturday36@sqlsaturday.com or call John Sterrett at 304-312-5720.
Event Logistics
Our event follows the standard conference model. We will have speakers committed to supporting 18 sessions across 3 tracks. These sessions will run 60-75 minutes; with 15 minute breaks between to allow time to visit with our sponsors. Registration will open at 8:00 am. Sessions will begin at 9:00 am. Breakfast will be provided on site. The last session will end around 5:00.
Upon arrival, attendees will complete the registration process and receive an event bag containing a full schedule, flyers and other items from sponsors. The bag will also contain a set of printed cards with the attendee’s name and contact information. They will have the option to give their card in trade for whatever free items you may be giving away or just to enter a raffle, if you are sponsoring one. This should help avoid delays encountered while people queue to fill out contact forms at your table. These will also assure that the information you receive is legible.
We will end the day with a closing session and prize raffles. For the raffles, we are looking at prizes like a Zunes, GPS units or game systems, 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 a 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
Friends of SQL Saturday! Donation ($50 or more)
· Name to be listed (if desired) in the official event guide
Bronze Sponsorship Benefits - $250 prepaid
· Placement on our sponsor page on the SQLSaturday.com web site
· Inclusion in all emails and marketing materials
· Ability to include a one page flyer in the event bag (Sponsor must provide)
· May donate prizes for end of day event
Silver Sponsorship Benefits - $500 prepaid
· Includes all benefits of the Bronze Sponsorship
· One table in our exhibitor area near registration and food, 2 chairs
· Inclusion of multi-page brochure or disk in the event bag (Sponsor must supply)
Gold Sponsorship Benefits - $1000 prepaid
· Includes all benefits of the Silver Sponsorship
· 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
· An electronic list of attendees that submitted a raffle ticket to your box
· Option to design a sponsor-centric lunch session to spotlight your product or present user focused sessions
Platinum Sponsorship Benefits - $2000 prepaid
· Includes all benefits of the Gold Sponsorship
· One additional email blast to all event attendees (consisting of up to 1 page of text) that can be sent out before or after the event
· Electronic copy of the attendee list that includes email address, first and last name plus company, if provided (Sponsor must agree to provide an opt-out on all email sent to the list and to clearly state the list was obtained from SQLSaturday.com)
To sign up go to: http://sqlsaturday.com and select the Wheeling event – SQL Saturday #36. Select the sponsor’s page then click “You can register as a sponsor here.”
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.