Will your event be the next success story?

I started doing branded events a few years ago with just a couple such races. Since then, the free branded photos concept has grown hugely, and now more than 50 percent of my events are branded. Sponsoring companies like the idea of having their logos on thousands of photos, then seeing that impact multiplied as athletes post their downloaded photos to social media platforms and share the images with friends and family via email. Just how enthusiastic are the racers? It's quite common to arrive home after covering an event and find athletes already have emailed to ask when the photos will be ready. That drives efforts to post things before the end of the race day. Downloads of imprinted photos from an event with 500 to 1,000 racers usually reach several thousand. Plus, the sponsor receives ad space on the opening photo page. That ad, linked to the sponsor's Website, remains posted for 2 years. To get a sense for the brand recognition impact, click here.

Turn race photos into your fund-raiser

Sponsored free photo downloads offer a great option to races

The racing scene is changing. Competition to attract athletes is growing as the number of events increases. With this comes competition to attract sponsor dollars.

Free branded race photos offer events a valuable tool for attracting athletes and sponsors. Also, because the race organization sets the costs of photo sponsorship, it can ensure a reasonable return for the event and the causes it supports.

Here is what makes sponsorship appealing to businesses:

The average race sponsorship package is very much focused on the day the event happens. Race circulars likely will be tossed in the trash as competitors leave. Finish line banners disappear at the end of the race. Special announcements about the generosity of sponsoring businesses last only as long as the announcer’s words hang in the air.

But when a business logo is imprinted on the giveaway photos, it stays there forever. People keep these photos for a long time. And with so many people posting favorite photos to their social media sites, images bearing the sponsors’ logos get that much more attention. This is far better than a business placing its name on a water bottle that is just like every other water bottle handed out at hundreds of races. People like to pause and look at their photos, to share them with friends and family as they recall special events. That doesn’t happen with typical swag.

Also, the opening page for the event photo site has space for an ad from the sponsoring company. The ad will be linked to the company's Website.

Because you set the price of sponsorship, this ensures a reasonable return for the race organization. Plus the sponsored photos guarantee the businesses whose logos appear on the photos that they will receive at least 2 years of attention on the downloads pages … and even longer attention when photos bearing those business logos end up being posted to racers’ Facebook and other social media pages.

Occasionally, a race director will say: "I don't think our racers would like sponsor logos stuck on their photos." For some athletes, that well may be true. That's why our shopping carts include the option of purchasing conventional photo products without the logo imprint. With Pat Hendrick Photography, you CAN have it both ways.

Here is how it works:

— Pat Hendrick Photography will staff the event with photographers to capture the action.

— The race organization and photo sponsor will have unlimited, no-charge access to the photos we shoot for promotional purposes.

— Racers may download as many print-ready photos as they want … as often as they like. They are not charged for the downloads. What does this mean to the racers? A high-resolution printable file costs $20.99 from the Pat Hendrick Photography shopping cart. Racers typically download multiple free images ... 10 to 20 files being about average. Multiply that by $20.99. When downloads are free via sponsorship, this adds a very nice item to the race swag package. In an increasingly competitive race market, the downloads give you a powerful additional tool to attract athletes to your event.

— Sponsor logos are imprinted on the corner of the photos, thus giving the event an attractive item to bring in new sponsors. The average race photo shoot produces 5-10 images per participant. Multiply that by the total number of racers. It adds up to a lot of impact for sponsors.

— After event photos have been posted and tagged by bib numbers, athletes receive personalized emails with samples of their photos. Those samples are linked to personal portfolio pages of photos. The announcement emails include mention of the sponsor plus its logo and Web address. The opening photo page has space for the sponsor(s) to provide jpeg-formatted ads that will be linked to their Websites. These remain posted for 2 years.

— The race organization sets the sponsorship fees, giving you control of what the photos make for the race. You will know your yield and costs even before the event takes place.

-- And if you can't find a single sponsor to cover the cost, split the fee between two or even three sponsors. Three logos can be accommodated. Each sponsor pays a fraction of the total cost, but all receive full benefits.

— Although having the free photo downloads greatly diminishes interest in print products, those still will be offered to accommodate racers who like to keep scrapbooks or frame photos. There is no additional charge for offering this.

— As people become more and more enamored of electronic devices like cell phones, tablets and computers for viewing their pictures, sales of prints are dropping. The downloads option keeps up with this trend.

— Also, the photos are produced by an experienced crew. This makes them a significant high-quality swag item that enhances what races have to offer. This means greater appeal for your event when competing with similar races.

— Important points to stress with potential photo sponsors:

— Your business logo will appear on every free photo that is claimed. The average event generates thousands of photos.

— A note calling attention to your sponsorship of the free photo downloads will appear on the opening page of the photo site with an ad you provide. There will be a link to your home page.

-- You have access to the photo downloads, too. So use them for business promos.

-- Photos, the note about your company's photo sponsorship and your ad will remain posted for at least 2 years.

-- The post-race emailing to all participants that announces photos are ready will include mention of your sponsorship and Web address.

-- Click here to view some metrics that make a great argument for branded/sponsored photos.

Payment for photography services is required at the end of the race. Photos usually are posted on the night of the event. Rates are all-inclusive — covering photo team expenses and fees to the lab for imprinting and posting the race photos. Provide a registration list that includes bibs, names and email addresses, and I will send personalized emails to the competitors announcing when photos are ready. I do not share registration lists with any outsiders, so your racers will not receive any junk email because of their participation.

Sell photo sponsorship at a level that covers the photo service and brings in a good profit for the event and its causes. Plus you will have a lot of racers talking about how pleased they are with your idea of providing them with free photos. See how that affects sign-ups in the future.

Please contact phendrick7602127@roadrunner.com or call 518-521-7899 for costs.