Special sponsorships

There are a handful of people whom money won't spoil, and we count ourselves among them.
 - Mignon McLaughlin

I have to admit, I HATE seeing sponsorship packages. It's a menu of boringness. You give me $150,000 and I'll give you a big-ass logo on a big-ass banner. How crappy is that? You know, one of coolest sponsorship stories I've ever heard was of the pharmaceutical company that made bladder control pills. They sponsored all the bathrooms at a medical conference. BRILLIANT. 

I also love sponsorship where the sponsor pays to play, but gets to do whatever they want - like the CEMA example.

I think that the absolute only way to build sponsorships is on a one-on-one basis. You can still have your sponsorship levels (Silver, Gold, Platinum or Tomato, Banana, Apple, whatever you do) to set the basic pricing structure to meet your goals, but let the sponsor decide how to use your conference's power to their advantage. Work with them. If they are a real company, they are using your event to reach an audience that is their target. Help them use their money wisely.