By Phyllis Cannon
When HMS Titanic struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912 and tragically sank, no one could have foreseen its continued fascination a century later. Next month’s 100th anniversary of the disaster has spawned a 3-D version of the 1997 James Cameron movie, a new TV series, and no less than two sold out commemorative recreations of the fatal voyage. The so-called “millionaire’s ship” has become a billion dollar a year industry.
Here in Denver, we have our own connection to the famous event. The Molly Brown House Museum is the restored Victorian home of the Titanic’s one shining heroine. The “Unsinkable” Molly Brown courageously helped organize the evacuation of the ship, rowed a lifeboat through the night and demanded they go back and pick up survivors.
During this landmark year, the Molly Brown House Museum is providing local businesses a wonderful opportunity in sponsorship. Andrea Malcomb, the museum’s director, shares details of the business opportunities on the March 25, 2012, edition of Business Unconventional, the weekly radio business newsmagazine airing at 8 a.m. (MDT) on 710 KNUS AM in Denver.
Foremost among the benefits of sponsorship are association and cross promotion with a local museum that everyone will be talking about. Some sponsorships come with admission and passes to the Molly Brown House Museum, which gets 8,000 visitors a month. 70% of these visitors are locally based, from Denver and Colorado. Some sponsorships will also enable businesses to bring their best customers to events such as the “Night To Remember” Titanic dinner and fund raiser at the Oxford Hotel on April 14th, 2012.
The special events and Titanic tours will run up to the end of the anniversary year, through December 31, 2012.
Sponsors receive recognition on the Molly Brown House Museum website and additional advertising and marketing opportunities that allow 80,000 guests to see a sponsor’s message.
Local businesses will be in pretty impressive company, too. Museum director Malcomb says, “Wells Fargo has been a great supporting sponsor for several years. We’ve been working closely with the Denver Post Community Foundation this year to do a lot of advertising and of course McCormick’s and the Oxford Hotel have been very generous with this year as well as the Brown Palace Hotel.”
Malcomb also mentions Northern Trust and smaller enterprises, such as the Cheeky Monk Bar, a couple of blocks away from the Museum in downtown Denver. Options for sponsorship range from easy access points to big premiere packages.
With so many ways to sponsor such a visible and worthy year-long event, why would anyone pass up a Titanic opportunity?
Photo: Andrea Malcomb
