SDYC’s Sponsorship Chair Kate Ledsam Evans…. joins us on the Sailcast to talk about her childhood and sailing experience and sponsorship at SDYC.
The conversation begins talking about Kate’s current homeschooling state before moving into the topic of who Kate is and what her connection is at SDYC, including being a third-generation member! She talks about her family, growing up in the area and sailing through her childhood.
From there, Kate talks about her responsibilities are as the Sponsorship Chair and explains how sponsorship works for the Club. “Our goal for 2020 is to really elevate the level of partnership that’s provided,” she explains. While sailing has become a lot more complex, those complexities come with costs. SDYC is hoping to use sponsorship more to make the competitor experience better at regattas.
Kate talks about some of our sponsors including Amavara Sunscreen, Bay City Brewing, Cutwater Spirits, Helly Hansen, Mount Gay, North Sails, and more. She continues to explain what the value is of the partnerships and how our sponsors benefit our members. There is a lot that goes into attracting sponsors and finding sponsors who’s brand aligns with ours. Kate talks about some of the ways we find sponsors and who she works with in order to make things happen.
The Yachting Cup is one of the most high profile events in the Southern California racing sector. This event is looking for sponsors, if anyone is interested. The May event has been rescheduled for October. In addition to YC, the Hot Rum regattas are also a fun regatta that sponsors can enjoy!
Kate talks about how inspired she is by some of our partners and how they’re shifting their focus during this Covid-19 shut down, including North Sails’ mask making and Mount Gay making hand sanitizers. “I’m excited to partner with brands who are forward thinking and community minded,” she said.
The conversation ends with Kate giving advice on how to get involved with sponsorship and how members can handle finding sponsors for their events.