21st
Annual
Sponsorship Information
Financial (Program Advertising) & Door Prizes
The Niagara Diver’s Association’s Shipwrecks Symposium has been unique, in that for the first 19 years we have been the only scuba related show of our size in North America to operate solely on income from ticket sales and commemorative clothing and many donations of goods and services from its members. Virtually all other scuba shows rely heavily on financial sponsorship from outside sources, with one of the largest incomes being the rental of display tables.
Our display area is so limited that we have always elected to supply the area we have to other non profit groups at no charge. We have been very fortunate to have a number of shops and manufacturers donate a significant number of door prizes to each of our shows, often in excess of 150 prizes with a value of around $8-$10,000 retail. Unfortunately local bylaws do not allow us to sell tickets on these prizes and therefore no money has ever been made. Door prizes are greatly appreciated by both the club and the patrons, but unfortunately it does not help us cover our expenses.
The Fort Erie Underwater Recovery Unit does run a 50-50 draw at our event each year but all proceeds go to the Lake Erie Mooring Project and again there is no benefit to the club or the event.
Shipwrecks was never designed to be a profit maker or to support the club in any way and in fact any profits that we have made have found their way back into the dive community. One of the largest beneficiaries has been the Lake Erie Mooring Project. We have also made significant donations such as the Canadiana Monument in Crystal Beach, replica plaque to replace the one stolen from the Munson in 
Kingston, the Tobermory Maritime Association for their Niagara ll project and for the annual support of organizations such as Save Ontario Shipwrecks, New York State Divers Association, and Divers Alert Network. We have even been known to donate tickets and clothing back to dive shops and other dive clubs for Christmas parties etc.
Our expenses have been increasing over time. They increased significantly with our move to high definition equipment and larger screen, but in reality all our expenses across the board have been increasing far more than normal inflation over the past few years. The venue, insurance, food, speaker expenses, travel and motels have all increased every year. We have had very few price increases over the years and have instead relied on increased attendance to cover our ever increasing expenses. This caught up with us two years ago. Despite having our second largest paid attendance ever, our Shipwrecks/2013 event lost money. Last year we increased our ticket prices by five dollars, although people who booked early saved as much as $10 off the walk-in price. That increase, along with several businesses paying for advertizing in our show program, moved us back into the black and is allowing us to maintain the same pricing with early booking discounts for this year’s event. Our hope is to once again find people willing to sponsor us by either taking part in our paid program advertizing or door prize program.
Door Prize Sponsorship
The benefits of our door prize sponsorship remain the same. Each attendee is given a door prize ticket with admission. No tickets are sold and no monies are made on the drawings.
Prior to the event, we post a list of all donors and prizes donated on our Shipwrecks web site. After the event, the winners' names are added to this page as well. This page will remain up and running for at least a year.
On the day of the show, we run a power point presentation (or slide show) prior to starting and during the two refreshment and lunch breaks. These slides show the donor’s logo as well as photos of the prizes. The draw is normally held during the lunch break, winners' names are added to the power point presentation and prizes handed out during the afternoon break.
A list of door prize donors is also included in our day of program.
For more information regarding door prize donations please contact Ian:
ian@niagaradivers.com (905-382-2389)
Financial Sponsorship (Program Advertising)
For Shipwrecks/2015 we have four levels of financial sponsorship, each with their own benefits.
Option 1- Full page Colour Ad $400.00
A full-page color ad in our program that will be handed out to all attendees. This will be limited to three sponsors and the pages available will be the back cover, inside front cover and back cover inside.
Sponsors will also be promoted at the show with the presentation for door prizes with their own slide under the heading “Gold Level Financial Sponsor”.
Option 2- Full page Black & White Ad $200.00
A full-page black and white ad in our program that will be handed out to all attendees.
Sponsors will also be promoted at the show with the presentation for door prizes with their own slide under the heading “Silver Level Financial Sponsor”.
Option 3- Half page Colour Ad $200.00
A half-page colour ad in our program that will be handed out to all attendees.
Sponsors will also be promoted at the show with the presentation for door prizes with their own slide under the heading “Silver Level Financial Sponsor”.
Option 4 - Quarter Page Colour Ad $100.00
A quarter-page colour ad in our program that will be handed out to all attendees.
Sponsors will also be promoted at the show with the presentation for door prizes with a shared slide under the heading “Bronze Level Financial Sponsor”.
For more information on financial sponsorship please contact Durrell:
durrell@niagaradivers.com 905-306-1966