A University of Alberta student is the delighted winner of the Five Minute Pitch^TM bursary competition sponsored by Hilborn, publishers of Hilborn eNEWS, and Partnership Group - Sponsorship Specialists, producers of the Western Sponsorship Congress set for Calgary this October.

The winner, Nathan Petersen, co-chairs the organizing committee for JDC West 2012: Fueling Productivity, an annual case study competition that draws 600 business students each year. Here's part of the case he made to bursary judges for his most successful sponsorship experience.

"This year we have increased our sponsorship by aligning our theme, ‘Fueling Productivity,' with the priorities of a new initiative by the Government of Alberta and subsequently opened up a new source of funding. We have branded the new sponsorship opportunities as ‘Pillars of Productivity' and to date two of three pillars have been sold for $25,000 each. The three pillars are: Management/Leadership, Innovation/Creativity, and Operations.

"Beyond simply attending the competition and participating in some of the existing events, our new sponsors will demonstrate their expertise in their particular ‘Pillar of Productivity.' The primary benefit given to these partners will be the hosting rights to a corner of our brand new Educational Centre. Each corner will demonstrate what local businesses are already doing to increase productivity in an interactive way. Secondly, we will make use of videos, webcasts and social media to help our sponsors leave a lasting impression on all competitors.

"Ultimately the new additions to our competition will prove to help educate competitors about why we chose our theme and the unique challenges we are facing as a country in the global economic environment. We hope that this experience will better prepare students to turn Canada's productivity record around when they graduate and enter the workforce. Our partners will benefit by hiring better and more knowledgeable students than they would have otherwise."

Nathan's prize includes a complimentary registration for the 2011 Western Sponsorship Congress, travel and accommodation, and the last remaining spot on the Congress Five Minute Pitch^TM, where he'll present his pitch to a panel of corporate decision-makers while Congress delegates cheer him on. Previous participants have built on those five-minute impressions to cultivate real sponsorships down the road, using the same strategies Nathan will learn during Congress.

For more information on the Western Sponsorship Congress, http://www.partnershipgroup.ca/wsc2011/; on Partnership Group - Sponsorship Specialists, http://www.partnershipgroup.ca/ on Hilborn, www.charityinfo.ca.