In conversation with Amol Dalal, the CoSSAcn of the Department of Sponsorship & Marketing, BOSM, the BOSM English Press tried to find out more about the working of the department.
The department has four primary responsibilities — bringing in sponsors (both in cash and in-kind), marketing said sponsors and managing the food stalls along with the BOSM merchandise. Their work begins well in advance. Generally, it starts right after the mid-semester examinations of the previous semester (usually around March). The process of getting sponsors for the department always begins with cold calls to marketing professionals based on their LinkedIn profiles. If the company shows interest, the department goes forward with it by engaging with them in an email conversation that culminates in a proposal. In its essence, this process hasn’t changed with time, given the department’s generally consistent performance.
The department usually aims towards getting close to hitting a total of twenty sponsors for BOSM. Their work this year stands nearly done, given how the department already has nineteen confirmed sponsors for this year, with more proposals awaiting confirmation. Overall, the department has collected approximately six to seven lakhs in sponsorship (not including stall revenues), which is in line with their expectations of bringing in around six-and-a-half lakhs each year. The biggest cash sponsors this year are the face sponsors of the fest, ONGC and Liberty, which have contributed three lakhs and one-and-a-half lakhs, respectively. Red Bull is the largest in-kind sponsor this year, having agreed to distribute their products at a stall along with hosting a five-vs-five football tournament.
On the work side of things, Amol feels that being CoSSAcn was a great experience, as it enabled him to make an impactful change in the lives of some people.“BOSM isn’t really relevant to most BITSians outside those who play sports, so we’re doing what we can to build interest over the past decade or so, we’re looking for ways to engage the crowd more,” he said. “I’d like everyone to at least step out of their rooms and experience what we have in store for them,” he concluded.