Written by: Vickie Sullivan | April 26, 2018
Good News for Thought Leaders In This $616 Billion Marketplace
As thought leaders who speak and get fees from sponsors, it behooves us to know what’s going on in that sector. Behold the 2018 ESP Sponsorship Report from ESP Properties/IEG. (Note: You must register to get the report.)
While the sample is very small (100), the quality is good. The good news: 2017 spending for associations and membership organizations was $616 billion, up 2% from 2016 and projected to be up 3.1% for this year to $635 billion. There’s gold in them there hills, and the savvy associations know it.
Two big findings here that impact thought leaders:
• Volatility reins, as almost 60% say they want to get out of their current deals. And almost 70% are looking for new partners. Where there is chaos there is opportunity.
Listen: The differences between associations and their sponsors
• For you social media mavens – keep going. Over 75% report positive social media activity as a valued metric in evaluating partnerships (and 95% of sponsors hang out on Facebook). Also on the top of their wish list: access to content for digital uses. (That’s where our online courses come in.)
This is a great example of how attention is being monetized. Those who build influence in cool communities (especially online) will have the inside track here.
You May Also Be Interested In:
- How Thought Leaders Get Speaking Sponsorships
- Become Sponsor Savvy: An Experts Guide to Attract and Secure Sponsorship