Introduction

 

This guide describes sponsorship options for CAST 2009, the Conference of the Association for Software Testing (AST) (View this document in .pdf form)

For more informaiton on the terms of sponsorship or to make a pledge to sponsor for CAST 2009, refer to the CAST 2008 Sponsorship Terms (View the terms in .pdf form).

 

Conference Dates and Exhibit Hours
Monday, July 13, 2009	7:30 am - 11:45 am 11:45 am - TBD	Exhibit area available for set-up. Exhibit area open.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009	8:45 am - TBD	Exhibit area open.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009	8:45 am - 4:15pm 4:15 pm - TBD	Exhibit area open. Exhibit area break-down.
Thursday, July 16, 2009	TBD	Limited opportunities available, contact Scott Barber for details.

 

Venue		Sponsorship Contact
Antlers Hilton Colorado Springs 4 South Cascade Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80903 Phone: 719.955.5600		Scott Barber AST Executive Director Phone: 321.271.8028 executive.director@associationforsoftwaretesting.org

 

Summary of Sponsorship Options

	Diamond	Platinum	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Artifact	Meal/Event	Competition
Base Price	$5,000	$2,500	$1,000	$500	$250	Variable	Variable	$500 (or more)
CAST Sponsor Recognition
Your Link & Logo Will Appear
On the conference web site	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
In the conference program	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Variable	Variable	Y
On the premium sponsors web page	Y	Y	Y			Variable	Variable	Variable
On marketing materials	Most w/text	Most	Some				Limited	Limited
On the cover of the program	Inside front	Inside back
On other prominent web pages	Registration	Registration						Competition
On conference home page	Y
Additional Recognition
Literature provided to participants	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Variable	Y	Variable
Participant contact list*	Provided	Provided	Provided	1 Email†		Variable	Event promo†	Variable
Company banners at the conference	Y	Y					@ Meal/Event	@ Competition
Advertisement in the AST Newsletter	1-Full Page	1/4 Page					Variable	Variable
Text in addition to contact information	400 words	200 words	100 words	50 words	Slogan	Variable	Variable	Variable
Exclusive Offers for CAST Sponsors
Exhibitor Booths
1/2 table (unstaffed)	$50	$75	$100	$125	$150	Variable	Variable	Variable
Full table (unstaffed)	$100	$150	$200	$250	$300	Variable	Variable	Variable
Full table (exhibitor staffed)	$400	$500	$600	$700	$800	Variable	Variable	Variable
Additional Offers
Discounted conference registration	$300/seat (up to 8)	$325/seat (up to 5)	$350/seat (up to 3)	$375/seat (up to 2)	$400/seat (1 only)	Variable	Variable	Variable
Vendor Track Presentation	$550	$600	$650	$700	$750		$500‡

* Participants may opt out
† Sent by AST on your behalf
‡ Lunchtime presentations only

 

Basic Sponsorship Levels

Sponsor Level	Diamond	Platinum	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Cost of Sponsorship	$5,000	$2,500	$1,000	$500	$250

 

Expected Attendance

We are currently projecting 200+ participants, but participation may approach 300 based on this year's registration trends, a pattern of year-over-year growth, increasing awareness of the conference, the unique emphasis on facilitated discussion, enhanced marketing efforts, the enthusiastic support of the large testing community in Toronto and the surrounding regions, the immediate proximity of some of Canada's largest banks, financial institutions and technology companies, and the powerful draw of our program including internationally renowned authors and speakers:

• Scott Barber; Performance Testing Guidance for Web Applications, and over 75 articles
• Cem Kaner; Testing Computer Software, Lessons Learned in Software Testing, Bad Software, and hundreds of articles
• Hung Nguyen; Testing Applications on the Web, Testing Computer Software, along with other books and articles
• Rob Sabourin; I am a Bug, and dozens of articles
• Jerry Weinberg; The Psychology of Computer Programming along with over 30 other books and hundreds of articles
• And others!

Based on the demographics of previous CASTs and early queries about CAST 2008, we anticipate:

Attendees / Participants (85%)

• 60% Practitioners: CTOs, CIOs, software directors, SQA directors and managers, software managers, product and project managers, test leads and test engineers, and other technical specialists related to software development.
• 25% Academics: professors and researchers, undergraduate and graduate students interested in software testing and quality, students and professors in other software engineering, information technology and related disciplines.

Presenters / Staff / Volunteers (15%)

• 10% Practitioners: CTOs, CIOs, software directors, SQA directors and managers, software managers, product and project managers, test leads and test engineers, and other technical specialists related to software development.
• 5% Academics: Professors and students from software or information technology related disciplines.

Sponsorship Options

Below are several standard options for you to choose from. Contact Scott Barber for custom packages.

A. Named Sponsor

There are five sponsorship options providing you with varying degrees of exposure:

Diamond: Your logo is displayed as a Diamond Sponsor in high-visibility locations at the conference, on the main conference web page, and on a separate Sponsor page along with a description of your company, the company’s contact name, phone number, email address, and URL. Your company information will be included in conference promotional material as a Diamond Sponsor. You will receive a free 1-page advertisement in the Association of Software Testing Newsletter. We will provide you with the CAST Diamond Sponsor Logo to be placed on your company’s web site. Finally, you will receive a list of conference participants including their email address and corporate affiliation.

 

Platinum: Your logo is displayed as a Platinum Sponsor in high-visibility locations at the conference, on the main conference web page, and on a separate Sponsor page along with a description of your company, the company’s contact name, phone number, email address, and URL. Your company information will be included in conference promotional material as a Platinum Sponsor. You will receive a free 1/4-page advertisement in the Association of Software Testing Newsletter. We will provide you with the CAST Platinum Sponsor Logo to be placed on your company’s web site. Finally, you will receive a list of conference participants including their email address and corporate affiliation.

 

Gold: Your logo is displayed as a Gold Sponsor at the conference, in the conference program, and on the conference web site with a description of your company, the company’s contact name, phone number, email address, and URL. We will provide you with the CAST Gold Sponsor Logo to be placed on your company’s web site. Finally, you will receive a list of conference participants including their email address and corporate affiliation.

 

Silver: Your logo is displayed as a Silver Sponsor at the conference, in the conference program, and on the conference web site with a description of your company, the company’s contact name, phone number, email address, and URL. We will provide you with the CAST Silver Sponsor Logo to be placed on your company’s web site. We will email CAST participants with your exclusive offer/promotion.

 

 

Bronze: Your logo is displayed as a Bronze Sponsor at the conference, in the conference program, and on the conference web site with a description of your company, the company’s contact name, phone number, email address, and URL. We will provide you with the CAST Bronze Sponsor Logo to be placed on your company’s web site.

 

 

B. Named Sponsor with Conference Seats

These packages combine the benefits of named sponsorships with groups of seats to the conference and/or the tutorials. Each seat entitles one person to participate in either the conference or a one-day pre-conference tutorial.

Sponsor Level	Diamond	Platinum	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Cost of Package	$6,200	$2,975	$1,700	$875	$650
Seats	4 seats	3 seats	2 seats	1 seat	1 seat
Cost per seat	$300	$325	$350	$375	$400

C. Named Sponsor with Seats and Track Presentation

These packages incorporate named sponsorships with groups of seats to the conference and/or the tutorials as well as a guaranteed 90 minute track presentation (maximum 60 minute presentation, minimum 30 minute facilitated questions and answers, clearly labeled as a paid vendor/sponsor track session). Each seat entitles 1 person to attend either the conference or a pre-conference tutorial.

Sponsor Level	Diamond	Platinum	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Cost of Package	$6,750	$3,575	$2,350	$1,575	$1,400
Seats	4 seats	3 seats	2 seats	1 seat	1 seat
Cost per seat	$300	$325	$350	$375	$400
Track Session Cost	$550	$600	$650	$700	$750

D. Test Competition Sponsor

CAST includes competition of test challenges. The prize for first place will be on the order of $2,500, and the sum of all prizes about $5,000. Sponsors can provide test tools, applications to be tested (for free by some of the world’s best known testers), hardware to test on, or other testing-related products or services that they wish to have available for competitors’ use. Contact Scott Barber for the pricing and logistics.

E. Exhibitor

The exhibit area is open to participants from 8:45 am to 5:15 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 15 and 16. The exhibit area will be available for set-up during the day on July 14. The exhibitor spaces are 8 by 2.5 foot tables, not booths. Exhibitor spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first-paid, first-served basis. Prices for exhibitor space below is in addition to other named sponsor packages.

Sponsor Level	Diamond	Platinum	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Cost of 1/2 table (unstaffed)	$50	$75	$100	$125	$150
Cost of table (unstaffed)	$100	$150	$200	$250	$300
Cost of table (exhibitor staffed)	$400	$500	$600	$700	$800

F. Artifact Sponsor

Various artifacts can display your name and logo, such as the conference carry case or backpack, pens, note pads, and the conference proceedings CD or memory key. Handouts that are both suitable and available for branding with your logo and message include the program schedule, participant name tags, and the highly visible "K-cards", which CAST participants use to signal that they have a question or comment for the speaker. CAST is open to a sponsor’s suggestions about giveaways carrying the sponsor’s logo and message.

G. Meal or Refreshment Sponsor

Sponsoring a meal or refreshment sponsor includes a one level sponsorship upgrade for existing named sponsors, or the sponsorship level listed in the table below, whichever is higher. Sponsors’ costs are based on the CAST group headcount and actual meal cost. A meal or refreshment sponsor pays half the cost incurred by CAST. For example, if a lunch costs $25 per person, CAST and the sponsor share the cost and pay $12.50 each. The sponsor’s cost is pro-rated and capped, so if only 350 people eat lunch when 375 were expected, you pay 93%, not 100% of the estimate. You have no upside risks because your cost will not exceed an agreed-upon maximum.

Meal or Refreshment	Total Cost Per Capita	Estimated Cost of Sponsorship		Sponsorship Level(*)
		Monday	Tues or Weds
Continental Breakfast	$15.00	$1,500	$3,000	Gold
AM Break	$12.50	$1,250	$2,500	Gold
Box Lunch	$25.00	$2,500	$5,000	Platinum
PM Break – Coffee Only	$12.50	$1,250	$2,500	Gold
PM Break – Snack	$6.50	$650	$1,300	Silver
End-of-Day Wine & Cocktails (no subsidy is available)	$25.00	N/A	$10,000	Diamond

H. Meal and Refreshment Co-Sponsor

Two sponsors can split the costs of a single meal or refreshment. Both co-sponsors are given equal recognition. We generally match the sponsors, but only with the approval of both. Every sponsor is free to veto a match with any other sponsor. If we cannot match you with another acceptable sponsor, and if meals and refreshment breaks are still available, we will provide you with credit as if your organization is the full sponsor. The sponsorship levels for meal co-sponsors are one level below the level listed on the table above.

I. Vendor Product and Recruitment Presentations and Demos

A vendor who sponsors or co-sponsors at least one breakfast or lunch is eligible to give a short presentation on its strategy, status, products and services. These vendor-specific presentations will be held during lunch hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 15 and 16.

Each presenting vendor will be assigned a conveniently located meeting room with the capacity to hold approximately 50 people. We antici-pate that each CAST participant will pick up a box lunch, and then choose which vendor presentation to attend over lunch. We do not guar-antee any minimum headcount for the attendance at any presentation. The presentations are expected to be informative, will follow the CAST presentation format (maximum 2/3 presentation, minimum 1/3 facilitated questions and answers) and will be clearly labeled as a paid vendor presentation.

The fee for conducting a vendor presentation, in addition to the cost of sponsoring meals, is $500 per session.

Donations

Will be much appreciated. Contact Scott Barber for instructions on how to make your donation.

Where Does Your Money Go?

AST is a registered non-profit profit organization, meaning that any surplus revenue from CAST will be used to support programs such as:

• Providing Free Online Training Courses for AST Members.
• Training facilitators and deferring their travel expenses to approved peer workshops.
• Providing prize money for undergraduate test competitions, to help attract capable students to a career in testing.
• Publishing Sapient Testing, the AST Newsletter.
• Paying students to conduct literature reviews, to be used in updating free information available through sources like Wikipedia.
• Supporting AST Local and Academic Chapters as well as Special Interest Groups.
• Publishing the Journal of AST (JAST), an academically respected journal.
• Hosting and managing an on-line job board for association members.

Baseline for Comparison: CAST Attendance Fees

If you wish to compare and analyze the prices of your sponsorship options, this section provides the standard fees for attending CAST:

Attendance Fees	Conference	Tutorial	Conference + Tutorial
AST Member	$350	$450	$750
Non-Member	$500	$600	$1,075
Early Bird	$400	$425	$800

Background Information on AST and CAST

Over the past 40 years, software design and construction techniques have evolved spectacularly. We can build much larger and more complex programs each year than we could the year before. Unfortunately, many of our test techniques and test management maxims come from the 1960's and 1970's. We must foster significant advances in both theory and practice of testing to catch up with the progress in development.

Mission of AST

The Association for Software Testing is a nonprofit professional organization dedicated to advancing the understanding and practice of software testing. The AST serves a community of scholars, students, and software development practitioners by providing forums for discussion of all aspects of software testing through conferences, publications, web sites, and other services.

AST works on both theory and practice, but concentrates more on practice. Our objective is to build a community of testing practitioners, academics, managers, and consultants who view the role of testing as skilled, relevant, and essential to the production of faster, better, and cheaper software products. We value a scientific approach to developing and evaluating techniques, processes, and tools. We believe that a self-aware, self-critical attitude is essential to understanding and assessing the impact of new ideas on the practice of testing.

In pursuit of these goals, AST holds an annual conference (CAST) and sponsors workshops, such as the Los Altos Workshop on Software Testing, the Workshop on Regulated Software Testing, and the Workshop on Teaching Software Testing. The distinguishing characteristic of these events is that ideas presented are subject to the generative scrutiny of all of via a moderated, collegial discussion of the work and its impact.

For additional information about AST, see: www.associationforsoftwaretesting.org.

Mission and Style of CAST 2008

CAST 2008 has been designed as a forum to advance the state of software testing through the presentation and discussion of influential practices and theoretical concepts in software testing.

The conference is designed not only to allow but also to encourage a high-level of interaction among presenters and participants. Flexibility is built into the schedule to facilitate productive brainstorming and impromptu debates. The conference organizers are observant and responsive: when this interaction builds the interest and energy for a particular topic, the flow of events and allocation of time to topics will be fine-tuned. Trained, seasoned moderators will help ensure that discussion sessions are productive.

The conference attracts those who want to discuss and debate testing topics with savvy practitioners who have “been there, done that.” It addresses leading-edge “next great thing” topics, such as whether paradigm shifts may lead to a new era of testing. The conference also addresses the enduring, apparently timeless challenges of testing, such as handling deadline pressures and building the credibility of the test team.