Insight on Business

18 | I NSIGH T • J u n e 2 0 1 6 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m Cypress Benefit Administrators, which has been a sponsor since the inception of Mile of Music, brings employee volunteers and shares the festival with clients. Cypress President Tom Doney, a musician himself, had an early conversation with Dave Willems, co-founder of the festival with musician Cory Chisel. As Doney and Willems discussed the idea of Mile of Music, Doney appreciated the idea of bringing music to Appleton as well as its role in building a creative downtown. "I think anytime you can increase the quality of life in your U P F R O N T CONNECTIONS B Y N I K K I K A L L I O M I L E O F M U S I C HA S A LWAYS been about offering the community a festival of original songs by up-and- coming musicians and established artists — and its popularity is evident, with 50,000 people attending last year. Mile of Music organizers are always looking for ways to help the festival sustain its success and grow — and that means attracting sponsors. "Obviously for us, we need the sponsorship support to make the festival happen and allow it to be free for the public," says Nathan Litt, festival director-operations for Mile of Music. "So what can we do to provide value to the sponsor beyond the logo recognition?" Festival organizers are exploring ways to add special events for sponsor companies and their employees, as well as create more opportunities for young professionals to connect. An example of a past activity was a pre-concert reception at the PAC before Mile 3's First Songs kickoff, hosted by presenting sponsor Tundraland that included all Mile of Music sponsors as well as clients and guests, Litt says. "One of the things that I observed and heard a lot about were the relationships that were started during that reception," Litt says. "It brought people together who already have a vested interest in the community." A note of networking Mile of Music organizers hope to attract sponsors, add value for area businesses some other opportunities. First, it was a chance for the growing Cypress to become more involved in the greater community. And that, in turn, created internal buzz, benefiting company culture. "As the whole thing evolved what we found was from the very beginning, our employees were really excited about it," Doney says. Last year, more than 60 percent of Cypress employees volunteered for the festival, helping direct people to the music bus, aiding with security and working as bartenders in Jones Park, Doney says. As a sponsor Cypress was given a number of VIP badges that it distributed to local clients. at was particularly useful during the Wednesday night PAC performance, where Cypress had a number of clients present. presented by August 4-7 presented by "One of the things that I observed and heard a lot about were the relationships that were started during that reception. It brought people together who already have a vested interest in the community." – N a t h a n L i t t , f e s t i v a l d i r e c t o r - o p e r a t i o n s f o r M i l e o f M u s i c community, that's something that is attractive to people, whether it's keeping them here or attracting them here," Doney says. However, the festival did present The company also coordinated its Elite Broker Program with the festival, flying in about 15 of its highest-producing insurance brokers for educational meetings

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