Last week, I made some predictions based on what I saw and experienced at the Western Sponsorship Congress™. Right now, I am in Halifax and on another whirlwind speaking tour. Since September and by the end of November, I will have delivered over 18 keynotes or workshops at 12 different events in cities such as Saskatoon, Halifax, Kamloops, Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Regina, and others. These have been sessions for properties, and non-profit conferences and luncheons as well as for brand events and community investment, PR, and marketing folks. Over the course of 2011, I will have completed over 56 speaking engagements in Canada alone.
The feedback I continue to receive is, “We want more”-not necessarily from me, but more knowledge and information in general. There is a thirst for this information. You may think that this is a one-way street. You may think that it is about me or other industry leaders delivering information such as great anecdotal stories of successes and failures we have encountered, or delivering key information about what consumers are thinking about sponsorship as provided in the Canadian Sponsorship Rankings 2011. Or that we espouse the great information researched and collated by Norm O’Reilly and his partners for the industry statistics in the Canadian Sponsorship Landscape Study. Or perhaps it is all about us illustrating trends and making predictions. Well, for me, it is none of these things. For me, it is a two-way street.
I have been very lucky having been in this industry for almost 25 years. I have experienced a lot, both personally and through our clients. The Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists™ has been operating for over a decade. I have a great team of consultants that delivers results for our clients. Combined with that is an amazing support team delivering everything from event management to client services to marketing and operations administration. So as a result, I can go out and learn-or maybe they just want me out of the office!
The 56+ speaking engagements are an opportunity for me to continue to learn. And this is learning from the grassroots level. The opportunity is to learn from small non-profits or charities at the SSRFE in Saskatoon later this month, or the AFP Halifax workshop I am attending this afternoon. Tomorrow and Thursday, I will have two days of learning while speaking at and attending the Atlantic Sponsorship Forum. Last month, while speaking at the BC Fairs Annual Conference, I was better able to understand how these fairs and events are changing, how their focus is shifting, and how sponsorship fits into the new world. I honestly believe it is a sharing opportunity that I undertake. I am able to deliver what information and knowledge I possess and pick up knowledge and education in return. What a great swap!
The essential point, though, is to listen. When I fail to listen, I will fail to learn. When I spend too much time talking and delivering information, the two-way street becomes a monologue and I get nothing out of it. Just like conducting a discovery session, we need to listen. This is what brings success. As we all know, we have two ears and one mouth. There is a reason for that.