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You may have seen the talk...on blogs, on Twitter, on BlogHer's very own Chatter: Some BlogHer '09 attendees have successfully garnered sponsorship of some kind to help them cover the cost of attending BlogHer '09 this year. In the past there have always been a few attendees, usually with long-standing relationships with the sponsoring companies, who have been sponsored in this way. This year, quite a number of BlogHers got a lot more creative about obtaining personal sponsorship, and we couldn't help but notice.
We also can't help but notice that it brings up questions. Questions from the sponsored bloggers (and their sponsors) about what is appropriate. Questions from other attendees about if this will change the fundamental BlogHer experience. We thought we'd try to answer these questions with a simple FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for those of you with and without sponsors.We developed these guidelines to help ensure that any sponsored blogger and her sponsor are positively received by all BlogHer attendees. Please feel free to share this.
Q. First, what if anything, does my sponsor get for sponsoring me?
A. Your sponsor is lucky – they picked you! So in essence, what they get is your presence at the event representing them. You may also be offering them ad space or other sponsored content on your blog. Please just remember that if you are a BlogHer Publishing Network member, you must adhere to the editorial guidelines attached to your BlogHerAds contract. Please contact the BlogHer Help Desk if you have questions (blogheradshelp@blogher.com).
Q. Can my sponsor have a booth at BlogHer ’09?
A. Only official sponsors of the BlogHer ’09 event itself receive sponsor benefits, such as exhibit tables or booths. Sponsoring an attendee is not equivalent to sponsoring the event. Should your sponsor be interested in a bigger presence at the conference, such as an exhibit table or booth, our conference sales associate Miriam Anton is available to assist – Miriam@blogher.com.
Q. Can I pass out materials at the event?
A. We expect that many attendees will be exchanging business cards, stickers, materials about your blog, etc. (after all, this event is for you and about you)! However, we do encourage you to respect the personal space and attention of attendees and to be respectful of BlogHer’s commitments to our event sponsors who subsidize the event for all attendees. So here are two basic guidelines that should keep everybody happy:
• Our experience is that attendees don’t appreciate someone who comes and hands materials out to everyone at a table or in a room without any kind of personal interaction or connection. It’s the In Real Life equivalent of spam or junk emails that you didn’t ask for.
• To meet our commitments to our event sponsors, we do not permit any printed materials to be left on any table or other surface within the conference area. If we find materials left unattended within the conference space, those materials will be disposed of.
Q. Can I wear clothes which are branded with my sponsor’s information?
A. No problem! Since you will be passing out business cards, another idea is to put your sponsor’s information on the back side of your card (if there is room).
Q. Can I host a private party for my sponsor?
A. Yes, you can host a party for your sponsor while at the conference. We’re even happy to help you promote your event, as long as it’s an open invite to all attendees (and remember, there are more than 1,100!), but we do have some guidelines here as well.
• Any such event should not be held during conference hours.
• You may not use the BlogHer room block to secure a room in which to host the party.
We hope this not only answers your questions, but eases any concerns you may have about this new, entrepreneurial development!
Should you have any other questions about attending BlogHer ’09 as a sponsored attendee please do not hesitate to reach out to us! help@blogher.com or lori@blogher.com.
