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There are trade shows and professional networking events – and then there are golf tournaments and engaging industry opportunities. Non-traditional cannabis networking events like the TeeHC Open aim to create new and exciting spaces for an industry that is anything but your average corporate American business sector.

Particularly in these cautious economic times, it’s more important than ever to have a strong professional network of people who think outside the box in their pursuit of success. Non-traditional cannabis networking events, such as golf tournaments, are a great way to get involved with changemakers in the industry.

These types of industry networking events – especially ones that are disrupting the industry – can provide your cannabis business with incredible opportunities to make important connections and participate in meaningful conversations in the space.

But sometimes, attending is not enough.

Through cannabis event sponsorship, you can collaborate with event hosts to leverage your brand, boost your visibility, increase sales, and more. You also get to create a memorable experience for your customers and establish authority within your industry.

How do cannabis event sponsorships work?

Cannabis industry events and trade shows often rely on the support of sponsors to manage costs while also providing an engaging event for attendees. For instance, at the TeeHC Open, we work with our sponsors to create interactive brand experiences such as pop-up tents, product sampling, games and activities, and more!

As a promotion opportunity, event sponsors typically cover a specific area of the event. For a golf networking event, this might include areas such as:

• Branded merchandise (e.g. tote bags, fans, water bottles, etc.)
• Golf carts or shuttles for transportation
• Individual holes or competitions
• Award ceremonies
• Dinner, drinks, or other meals and snacks
• Guest speakers
• And more!

In most cases, this comes with a tiered system of support. Event hosts may choose to provide you with additional perks, such as reserved playing sports, complimentary refreshments and food, ad placement, exclusive signage, press coverage, and other such opportunities that would expose your brand to all event attendees while making the event enjoyable for your team.

Each event will run its sponsorship programs differently, so be sure to get all the details you can from the host team. If you’re interested in opportunities for the TeeHC Open, visit our Sponsorship Information page. 

Of course, beyond the event-specific perks of cannabis event sponsorship, there are plenty of benefits to sponsoring an industry networking event:

1. Build game-changing relationships

As with any networking event, you get an opportunity to build real relationships with people in your industry. The difference between attending and sponsoring, however, is monumental.

In addition to on-the-ground networking where you speak with other professionals, being a sponsor allows people to see you as a decision-maker and leader in the space. Therefore, sponsoring a cannabis event can help your company seem more approachable to collaborate with in the future, particularly for non-competing brands that are interested in your skillset.

Aside from engaging new potential partners, sponsoring a non-traditional networking event will give you access to different types of industry players. For instance, at the TeeHC Open, we invite influencers, content creators, investors, business owners and more beyond your standard working professionals.

2. Gain brand visibility

The beauty of sponsoring industry events is that you represent your business in front of hundreds of professionals without handing out business cards to every single attendee.

In fact, your company’s reputation gets an almost instant boost simply by being associated with the other sponsors and the event hosts. As a result, consumers and valuable partners have a higher likelihood of recalling your brand when shopping or considering strategic collaborations.

Not to mention, as a sponsor, your brand is integrated into the experience of the entire event. From ad placements to exclusive signage to press coverage and more, all the people at the event will see your logo and maybe even walk away with some branded swag on their way home.

At industry-disrupting events like a cannabis golf tournament, you can take it a step further with interactive elements that allow you to get right in front of potential customers and partners.

3. Participate in creating change

If no one reinvented the wheel, it would still be made of a slab of wood. Sometimes, things do need to be reimagined, recreated, and changed for the better.

By sponsoring a non-traditional cannabis golf networking event, you get to put your flag in the ground as a pioneer of the industry, as a brand that believes in and actively participates in creating change.

4. Generate leads

Sponsoring cannabis industry events allows you to get in front of your target audience. Whether you’re selling directly to consumers or you’re an ancillary business reaching out to other business owners, participating in niche events, like a cannabis golf tournament, helps you generate leads from the right people.

5. Increase engagement on social media

An in-person networking event is a great opportunity to increase your community presence on social media. Not only does attending the event provide a great source of new material for your content strategy, but being a sponsor gives you ten times more exposure online.

On top of promoting your involvement in the event, the hosts are bound to drive traffic to your pages, especially if you’re a higher-paying sponsor.

From event hashtags to your branded presence at the event, you will get the chance to connect with new target audiences on social media, while incorporating company culture into your content strategy. Both are extremely important to your online presence and growth, so it’s truly a win-win to sponsor an industry event.

6. Learn valuable industry insights

Being able to learn from industry professionals is the point of networking events, but being a sponsor gives you access to even more valuable information. For instance, by sponsoring a cannabis networking event, you can learn:

• Which of your competitors are engaged in newer, non-traditional spaces
• What is the unique selling point of other companies, competitors or not
• Strategies the other sponsors are using to attract new customers
• Event-specific insights from event hosts
• And more

All of these trends and ideas are priceless. By having a strong presence at an industry event, people will be coming up to you – not the other way around. This gives you access to those valuable industry insights in a way that regular attendees may not necessarily be getting.

7. Make a good investment

Even though sponsoring a cannabis networking event requires some financial commitment, sponsorships provide businesses with excellent exposure, which typically results in a great return on investment (ROI).

Of course, you need to prepare for attending the event by determining metrics or outlining some goals for your day. But whether it’s the number of sales or the number of new warm leads, being a sponsor can greatly contribute to the ongoing growth of your company.

8. Boost team morale

Attending non-traditional cannabis industry networking events is a refreshing change of pace from the day-to-day operations of your business. Rather than continue to be buttoned up at expensive trade show booths, you can give your team an opportunity to get out of the office (or dispensary) and engage authentically with other industry professionals.

In addition to being an opportunity for you and your entire team to let loose, you’ll get to enjoy a fabulous fall day in Massachusetts together. Therefore, your team will have better overall morale and even get the chance to bond more with one another.

Get involved in our TeeHC Open sponsorship opportunities.

In addition to the fun perks, being a sponsor of the annual TeeHC Open secures your spot on the guest list. You’ll get:

• A sponsored hole on the course
• Exclusive press coverage
• Unique brand activation opportunities
• Premier access to edutainment programming
• And more

To be a part of this one-of-a-kind cannabis networking event and reserve your spot today, contact us.