On Tuesday November 11th, I interviewed Juan, our friendly local sponsorship overlord.
A: If you were a software program, what would you be?
J: You know what? I think I would be Skype.
A: You’d be Skype!? Why?
J: I really like staying in touch with people all the time. So, making phone calls, conference calls, text messaging, chat. We’re using Skype now! It’s awesome.
A: Alright, let’s dig into the questions about Sponsorship for you. Why do you think sponsors support CUSEC?
J: Because they really see the value they’re getting out of sponsoring CUSEC. They’ve also had positive experiences in the past. For the ones that came out before, they know we’re very friendly, we’re very accommodating for them. We try to give them what they want making sure at the same time all the students get a lot of benefits from coming to CUSEC.
A: How do delegates benefit from sponsor involvement?
J: It’s a chance for them to meet with sponsors. Basically, they can meet them face to face, ask them questions, talk about what they’re involved with, share experiences, find new products, maybe new projects, learn from people in industry, see how what [the students] are doing at school is related to what people in industry are doing. I think it’s a great chance for [the students].
A: Why do sponsors benefit from involvement?
J: For one thing, it’s one event where they get to meet talented students, students who are passionate and very involved, who are willing to learn. You don’t get a lot of students like that all the time. They’re getting top students, that’s really interesting for them I think. They’re getting them all in one place, having a chance to talk to them. I think that’s a major incentive for sponsors.
A: Why is CUSEC a good investment for sponsors?
J: I don’t think they get anything like this at any other conference. When they sponsor CUSEC they know they will get top students—we already talked about this. They also know it’s a chance for them to get more involved with the community, to promote their products.
A: How many sponsors come back, year-to-year?
J: It’s different from year to year but I think a majority of the sponsors are interested in coming back.
A: How does sponsorship money get used?
J: It gets used to fund events. It basically makes the conference possible. We wouldn’t be able to host such a big event without the money that we get from sponsors. Being able to pay for the conference centre, being able to pay for the great speakers that we have, making the cost not too high for the students, because you know that’s a major factor for the students: How much they’re going to have to pay to come out.
A: Is there anything you’d like to add about sponsors?
J: We really appreciate the support they give us. We try our best to make arrangements that work for both CUSEC and for them. I think we’re very special in doing that.
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