2023 Festival Sponsor Opportunity Guide
Welcome!
We are SO excited that you are joining us this year. We want you to make the most of your participation and support. This guide describes many of the options available to you. You and your colleagues are not obligated to do any of these, but we encourage you to dive in! If you have any needs or questions, reach out to your primary contact, or email us at sponsor@blueridgepride.org.
Thank you for all that you do!
Checklist of Festival Actions and Opportunities
Check the opportunities that most interest you. Details and action links for each follow below.
| Do? | Opportunities | ||
| List your organization is our Pride Portal Welcoming Directory. | |||
| Join the Welcoming WNC Procession. | |||
| Plan your festival presence. | |||
| Get the Word out! Market and communicate your plans and support. | |||
| Volunteer at the Festival / Join the Festival Leadership Team. | |||
| Produce an event during Festival Week | Attend one of the Festival Week events. |
List Your Organization in Our Pride Portal Welcoming Directory
This directory is free to any welcoming organization or group that serves Western North Carolina and nearby communities. Let us know if you would like a free “welcoming and inclusive space” decal.
Action Links
We offer four directories. You must be logged in to add a listing or to edit a listing you created.
- Businesses, Trades, Professions (includes artists and performers) – Add Listing
- Community Services (non-profits focusing on people in need and community support) – Add Listing
- Churches and Communities of Faith – Add Listing – if already listed, open your listing and click “claim listing”.
- Groups (support groups, shared interests, teams) – Add Listing
Join the Welcoming WNC Procession
Where and When: September 30, 9:30 am to 11:00 am. Gather near 23 Grove Street
Opportunity
The Welcoming WNC Procession offers an opportunity for businesses and other organizations to visibly demonstrate their commitment to a vision of a WNC that is welcoming to all.
This is not your stereotypical Pride Parade. It is about welcoming EVERYONE, not just the LGBTQ+ community. Encourage all your employee resource groups to join in. There are no vehicles, grand marshals, or sponsors. We want this to be about our people – our employees, families, churches, schools, and communities. Anyone who aspires to a vision of a Welcoming WNC is welcome. They do not need to belong to a group.
Actions | Links
We encourage you to field a team to walk in this 0.6-mile procession to kick off the festival.
- Assign someone to serve as Captain for your organization. They should fill out the registration form as soon as possible. It is very brief. This person will serve as our contact point and will organize your presence in the procession.
- Download our Team Captain Packet. You do not have to do anything fancy, but we invite you to think creatively about how to costume your team and whether to carry a banner, balloons, or other paraphernalia.
- Download and share our promotional flyer, route map and parking map.
Make the Most of your Festival Presence.
Where and When: Pack Square Park. September 30, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm (Setup 8:00 – 10:30)
Your sponsorship includes a festival exhibit space and access to a tent, table, and chairs. [Some sponsors don’t want a space. We make these unused spaces available to minority entrepreneurs. We assign spaces and send details near the end of August.
Actions | Links
- If you have a location preference, note it in your Sponsor Profile.
- Lower Park: Highest energy (and noise) because it is near the main stage.
- Spruce Street: High through-traffic.
- Middle Park: Where community services and social justice groups tend to locate. Level ground and furthest from either stage. Good for conversations.
- Upper Park: The Café stage generally features acoustic performers. Tends to be the folksier, more family-friendly end of the park.
- Make sure that your Sponsor Profile (see above) includes information about your equipment needs and your preferred setup time. Include any special requirements or space preferences in the notes. We will notify you of your specific space assignment 3 weeks before the festival.
- Assign someone to manage your exhibit space. They should download our Exhibitor Guidelines & Agreement, Load-in Guide, and Parking Map. We will send a reminder and links when we send out space assignments at the end of August.
- Think about how you want to use your space. You can, of course, just use it to connect to the community. We encourage you to think of creative ways to deliver services and information that festival visitors might find helpful and that model your commitment to building our community together.