3 ms·

> Sponsorship is definitely a good way to save a lot of money, but it also makes you somewhat beholden to those sponsors. I've organised a couple of conference

> Sponsorship is definitely a good way to save a lot of money, but it also makes you somewhat beholden to those sponsors. I've organised a couple of conferences here in Singapore. I find the asks by the sponsors in the article to be a bit over-the-top. Organisers need to establish firm boundaries on what they're willing to give in to (booths, shoutouts), and what is non-negotiable (anything to do with programming and content), and put that in their sponsorship prospectus. It's the job of most marketing people to push for more, and it's the conference organiser's job to push back.

ghaff 3y ago
Yeah, I definitely know conferences that have sponsorships but there are no sponsor talks or anything along those lines. Some free passes, shoutouts, logos on signage, maybe the right to have logo giveaways etc. Even when a company is providing a venue there are pretty much always other sponsors in my experience. And, yes, companies will pretty much always want more for their sponsorship dollars and it's one of the jobs of organizers to push back which given a good professional relationship tends to work.
oreally 3y ago
Pretty sure Singapore isn't the best place for more developer-centric, radical talks to take place given it's makeup of foreign workers afraid to rock the boat. Have your speakers given a talk that's considered radical at your conferences?
- raesene9 3y ago
  I've spoken at a Singaporean Security conference and I'm not sure what you're saying entirely chimes with my experiences. At the conference I spoke at there were plenty of local attendees and as the topic was hacking, there were talks I'd imagine could be considered radical (depending on your definition of that word). As a speaker, I wasn't restricted in what I said, nor did anyone pre-review my talk.
- resolutebat 3y ago
  As long as your radical talks don't involve politics, the Singapore government couldn't care less.
- ValentineC 3y ago
  > Have your speakers given a talk that's considered radical at your conferences? Echoing what the other commenter said, as long as the talk doesn't involve politics (also, religion and race/ethnic group), the government doesn't care. There are special visas for people in the above groups [1]. [1] https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/miscellaneous-work-pass/eligibility https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/miscellaneous-work...
  - iso1631 3y ago
    Singapore has only just (in the last 12 months) decriminalised being gay. Several of my colleagues have refused to go to the country in the past for that reason alone. Same with places in the middle east.
- unmole 3y ago
  I can't tell if this is satire.
  - abnercoimbre 3y ago
    I don't know what the parent meant by radical, but one reason my events are indie is because I'm biding my time as we grow. If I want this year's conference to open with a keynote documenting all the ways Windows violates user trust, there's not a sponsor in the world that can veto it. We might even kindly point out the names of product managers and higher-ups who green lit those harmful policies. This is all just a hypothetical scenario, of course... ! ;)

ghaff 3y ago

Yeah, I definitely know conferences that have sponsorships but there are no sponsor talks or anything along those lines. Some free passes, shoutouts, logos on signage, maybe the right to have logo giveaways etc. Even when a company is providing a venue there are pretty much always other sponsors in my experience. And, yes, companies will pretty much always want more for their sponsorship dollars and it's one of the jobs of organizers to push back which given a good professional relationship tends to work.

oreally 3y ago

Pretty sure Singapore isn't the best place for more developer-centric, radical talks to take place given it's makeup of foreign workers afraid to rock the boat. Have your speakers given a talk that's considered radical at your conferences?

raesene9 3y ago
I've spoken at a Singaporean Security conference and I'm not sure what you're saying entirely chimes with my experiences. At the conference I spoke at there were plenty of local attendees and as the topic was hacking, there were talks I'd imagine could be considered radical (depending on your definition of that word). As a speaker, I wasn't restricted in what I said, nor did anyone pre-review my talk.
resolutebat 3y ago
As long as your radical talks don't involve politics, the Singapore government couldn't care less.
ValentineC 3y ago
> Have your speakers given a talk that's considered radical at your conferences? Echoing what the other commenter said, as long as the talk doesn't involve politics (also, religion and race/ethnic group), the government doesn't care. There are special visas for people in the above groups [1]. [1] https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/miscellaneous-work-pass/eligibility https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/miscellaneous-work...
- iso1631 3y ago
  Singapore has only just (in the last 12 months) decriminalised being gay. Several of my colleagues have refused to go to the country in the past for that reason alone. Same with places in the middle east.
unmole 3y ago
I can't tell if this is satire.
- abnercoimbre 3y ago
  I don't know what the parent meant by radical, but one reason my events are indie is because I'm biding my time as we grow. If I want this year's conference to open with a keynote documenting all the ways Windows violates user trust, there's not a sponsor in the world that can veto it. We might even kindly point out the names of product managers and higher-ups who green lit those harmful policies. This is all just a hypothetical scenario, of course... ! ;)