Pictures and an important (business) lesson from the James Island County Park holiday lights

Just like at our trade shows, this event welcomed sponsorships from relevant businesses. There were a variety of lights displays and a wide range of (mostly large/small local) sponsors, but the sponsorships I remembered the most were when the company had some sort of tie in to the display.

For example, one in particular is for the Pain Center and it's next to a display depicting the old nursery rhyme that starts "Jack be nimble..." with an animated boy (Jack, we presume) who is jumping over a lit candle... their business could likely be a big help to Jack if he's not quite as nimble or quick as needed to safely jump back and forth all night.

Just like some sponsorships are crafted for specific exhibitors, I imagine this display was requested and then designed/built, specifically, for Harley-Davidson.

It was a great (perhaps unexpected) addition to the show (which makes it even more memorable) and a perfect fit for this sponsor.

Other sponsorships feel more like a happy coincidence. As the lights are displayed in a park, it makes sense that there'd be a character fishing nearby.

This local "rod and reel" company probably didn't have to request this display to be made just for them, but it is perfectly aligned with their offerings.

Other sponsorships are noticed by their value first and then, when you check the sponsor, you realize the connection instantly.

That's how I felt about this tunnel of constantly changing lights - it's sponsored by a local roofing company, who likely wanted to highlight (ha - highLIGHT!) the innovative and modern aspects of their business with a useful, but also interesting, display.

Finally, here's an example of a more subtle sponsorship. The main focus is the penguins (who happen to be caroling at the North Pole); however, that wasn't the entire display.

The penguins are pictured in front of an igloo (reinforcing the North Pole theme), which connects nicely to the sponsor - a rental company, which offers premier rental properties that fit this area (e.g. a beach rental in Charleston is a nice parallel to an igloo at the North Pole).