United Corporate Sponsorship
 

While at a local venue a few nights ago, I was reading about the sponsors and corporate sponsors of the events of the year. To my amazement, I see United Airlines as one of the major sponsors that donated $100,000 or more... What in gods name is United doing throwing away money on sponsoring something with the way things are going there? I just don't understand when that money could be going to something more beneficial, I'm sure many of you can think of more important things than being a sponsor. This link shows the corporate sponsors, United is number 2 on the list. Why?

Ravinia Festival

I hope the performers don't check their instruments as luggage.

Sponsorship = advertising. Even United's management knows you have to spend some money on advertising to generate revenue. Either that, or they saw succesful airlines do it and copied them. ;)

$100,000? That's it?

If you want to see money wasted, go back to last year when a $250,000,000 dividend was paid out to the share holders. Now THAT was money wasted.

Too funny....:D

I just figure, $100,000 here, another $100,000 there, it's all gotta add up in the end and god only knows how many other small things they are donating to...

Not if you are a share holder. You do realize that is the purpose of a corporation, to make money for the shareholders.

A lot of executives of companies also use sponsorship as a way to one-up other executives. One company gives out 100k (Silver Sponsorship), another company will give out 200k (Gold Sponsorship), etc. This has more to do with showing off at the golf course than it does to actually care about where the money is going.

In a similar example, several companies strong arm their employees to give to United Way. I know AT&T (formerly SBC) and AAL executives would try to beat each other on whose employees would contribute the most.

Also, isn't Ravinia just a buncha rich northsiders from wilmette, winnetka and highland park hanging out in a park? Only thing I recall of the place was the advertisments on Metra trains recommending drinking baileys on the rocks there.

Unfortunately that isn't what the purpose of a corporation is these days. The purpose is to create extreme wealth for the corporate executives at all costs.

If you take care of the business, the business will take care of the shareholders. Giving away cash, and then having to borrow against assets at an outrageous rate, does not accomplish that.