A Facebook post suggested eliminating sponsor recognition at conference general sessions to reduce session length. I agree that traditional, transactional recognition like “Thanks to our Gold Partner Acme Widgets for their Support” can be cut; neither sponsors or members will notice the missing recognition.

There are better ways to recognize sponsors at conferences – especially top-tier and year-long sponsors – that add value for the companies AND provide members with valuable insights.

For example, recognize sponsors like this:
➡ “Our sponsor Acme Widgets worked with Smith Manufacturing, a long-time member, to help Smith reduce widget lubrication costs by 15% in the past year.”
➡ “Acme Widgets has partnered with our association on a series of educational webinars for members on how to use widgets to improve operational efficiencies.”
➡ “Acme Widgets developed a guide for our members on how to comply with federal safety regulations for widgets.”

This is recognition with meaning and value for sponsors AND members. A win-win.