Queensland Astrofest 2022

”Where it is Starry One Night, Supernova the Next”

The Queensland Astrofest Committee are pleased to invite interested companies and organizations to become sponsors of Astrofest 2022, which will be held between July 22^nd and July 31^st 2022.

Following an enforced two-year absence, we have updated the sponsorship levels, with regards to both the criteria to be met to define sponsor status and to provide clarity about the benefits will be provided in return for sponsorship.

There are now three tiers of sponsorship:

1. Gold: Prizes worth a minimum of $1,500
2. Silver: Prizes worth between $1000 and $1,499
3. Bronze: Prizes worth between $250 and $999

Some sponsors may prefer to make a financial contribution to Astrofest instead of or in lieu of a raffle prize. Astrofest welcomes financial support in whichever form the sponsor deems most convenient.  It is anticipated that commercial organizations operating within the astronomical space, especially retailers and astronomical service providers, would prefer to provide an item for the raffle, whilst others may prefer direct financial support.

Astrofest attracts people from all walks of life, and typically in any given year, around 120 people attend the event. Many of the attendees come from scientific backgrounds and many work in IT or related fields.  They have a common passion and dedication in the pursuit of amateur astronomy. These are attributes every organization can identify with and are the same qualities employers look for in their own staff.  To be associated with and provide support for such creative input is a powerful image, even if the event is unrelated to the sponsor’s core business.

Astrofest will be happy to work with sponsors to maximise benefits from being known as sponsors of the event.

Benefits of Sponsorship

Some background – What is the Queensland Astrofest?

The Queensland Astrofest was first held in 1993 and it has been held every subsequent year up to 2019. The world then went on pause as we all focused on the health and well-being of communities at large whilst gatherings of people were restricted.  Perhaps only when something is halted, do we fully appreciate its importance, and this is certainly true for this iconic astronomical event; an event which plays such a powerful role in popularising astronomy across all people in our communities, young and old alike.

Amateur Astronomers, especially in Queensland, but also right across Australia, are immensely proud to be part of an event that has earned a reputation for being one of the finest Astro events of its kind in the world.  It has, over the years been a great source of inspiration. How many Australian children have been inspired to take up an interest that would prove to be a life-long source of wonder?  Astronomy is a rich and wonderful experience, combining a passion and interest in science with simple awe as we contemplate some of nature’s most profound secrets.

It is difficult to concisely encapsulate what Astrofest means to the thousands of people that have attended the event over the past 29 years, from its humble beginnings in 1993 to the well-known and much-loved occasion it has become. The event brings together people from all different paths in life to enjoy a shared experience, to both teach and to learn from others and to pass on their passion to the next generation.

Astrofest is a not-for-profit event, but it does nevertheless face significant costs and one of the main vehicles for recovering that cost is the legendary raffle. Thanks to the huge generosity of businesses across Australia and beyond that understand the significance and importance of this event, it has never failed to generate excitement.  The raffle promises prizes that every amateur astronomer, secretly or not-so-secretly, covet. On those occasions when there are very high value prizes the number of tickets sold can exceed all expectations and this, in turn ensures Astrofest a solid basis for the future. Sponsors enjoy significant exposure for their generosity and there is both recognition and appreciation across the whole community for their contribution.

Whilst sponsoring Astrofest by providing either prizes or funds for the committee to buy suitable prizes is a generous thing to do, we are very well aware that it is essential to provide something of value in return for that generosity.  We wish to raise the profile of all our sponsors within the astronomical community and even the community at large. We understand that businesses must be circumspect about which events and activities they choose to sponsor, because resources are not unlimited.  It is important and even essential for the future of Astrofest that we tackle this head on and ensure that association with Astrofest does not go unnoticed.  Any company willing to sponsor this event deserves our utmost respect and, customer loyalty.

Smaller retailers and sponsors

We have often received many smaller items for the raffle, such as calendars and similar items of interest. Whilst we do still welcome and value these items for what they contribute to the ‘feel’ of Astrofest, we will no longer be including these as raffle prizes. Providing small value items to attendees is most desirable and we are indebted to any business that chooses to contribute in this way, but the raffle is an inappropriate vehicle for their distribution, and we feel companies providing such material will leverage benefit from this through the free distribution model.

Defining new tiers and restricting the raffle to a smaller number of higher value prizes will have a very positive impact. It will heighten the enjoyment and level of excitement and thus encourage people to purchase more tickets.  Fewer prizes will also create more time for the presentation of prizes, which in turn allows us to place greater focus and attention on the sponsors themselves, which is absolutely the right thing to do.  Sponsors will be able then to leverage exposure to the utmost and thus benefit from their significant investment.

Where possible we would also encourage sponsors to be present to hand their prize over to the lucky winners and in the case of Gold tier sponsors avail themselves of the opportunity to inform the audience more about their business and their involvement with the astronomical community where applicable.

The ‘Naming rights’ sponsor may not necessarily be a business in a field directly related to astronomy, but the Committee believe significant value will be derived entirely because of their generous sponsorship of the event.