3 Great Ways to Find Sponsors for Your Event
3 Great Ways to Find Sponsors for Your Event
What is an event sponsor? An event sponsor is a company, organization, or individual who supports an event usually by providing funds. In exchange for providing funds, the sponsor expects a return in value. This value can come from brand exposure, speaking opportunities, special mentions, discounted tickets, or data after the show. I wanted to start this blog by defining what an event sponsor is and what they expect in return as it will really help explain how you can find sponsors for your upcoming event. In today’s blog, I will share three ways to help you find sponsors for your event!
Provide Value
Ok, I know this one is obvious, but I can’t emphasize how important it is to provide value to your event sponsors. This is especially important if you have a recurring event (i.e. yearly tradeshow). If you want your sponsors to return, or even sign up in the first place you must guarantee them some sort of value that is equivalent to the monetary amount they are providing. So let’s talk a little more in-depth about the kind of value that you can provide to your sponsors and some examples of them!
Brand Exposure/Special Mentions
Brand exposure is usually one of the key reasons a company or organization chooses to sponsor an event. When done properly, sponsors can gain great brand exposure! So how do YOU go about providing it? Check out the list of examples:
- Sponsorship profile on the event website which showcases the company/organization logo, links to their website and social channels, provides an overview as to what they do, and/or provides a link to chat directly with a member of their team.
- Logo displayed on all event branding materials including brochures, website, presentations, and any other print information.
- Social media shoutouts (don’t forget to tag the company).
Speaking Opportunities
Speaking opportunities are usually included in high-level sponsorship packages (continue reading below to learn about sponsorship tiers). As the event organizer, you can choose the topic that you would like discussed or you can allow sponsors to submit abstracts that you approve prior to the event. Do you have an event theme? Think about asking your sponsor to speak on the topic.
Discounted Tickets
I think this one is a bit self-explanatory but providing your sponsor with discounted tickets for team members is a great incentive. This may not hold strong enough value on its own, but paired with another tactic can be a great bonus! Consider including a few free registrations as well!
Data
Depending on your event and your potential sponsor, some sponsors find great value in the market data that you collect from your event. This is usually data pertaining to your attendees which might include:
- Company Industry
- Company Size
- Company Location
- Job Title
Provide Different Sponsorship Tiers
Providing different sponsorship tiers with different levels of value are a great way of attracting various types and sizes of sponsors. Say your gold level sponsorship comes with substantial value, it may also come with a higher cost which some organizations may not be able to budget. In other cases, some organizations prefer to test the lower tiers first as a “trial-run” before they invest more in the coming years to ensure that your event provides enough value and is the right fit for them. Common sponsorship levels are gold, silver, and bronze. Depending on the packages you want to offer, you can choose more or fewer levels. Ensure that you are providing enough value for the sum of money you are asking for each sponsorship tier.
Find Your Prospects
Don’t leave it up for companies and organizations to find you! Go out there and get your event’s name and value out there! Especially if your event is newer and does not have a solid reputation in the industry yet, it’s important for you to approach prospective sponsors and pitch your sponsorship packages to them. Perhaps providing incentives like early bird pricing can help entice some.
I have two additional pieces of advice for you, one, start early, and two, listen to your sponsors. It’s so important to get feedback from your sponsors at the end of an event to learn about where they found value and which areas lacked so that you can improve for the next year. This will guarantee returning sponsors and larger organizations sponsoring in future years. If you have any questions or need some advice on your upcoming event please reach out to us! We have years of expertise in the corporate events world and we would love to help you create your unique and successful event!
3 of the Best Ways to Create an Events Community
3 of the Best Ways to Create an Events Community
Creating a community around your event or even your organization reaps significant benefits. Some benefits include increased brand awareness, customer/event attendance retention, increased website and social media traffic, giving your brand a personality, and so much more! It’s important to note that building a community is not easy and it will not happen overnight. Today I thought I’d share 3 ideas to help you create your events community!
Social Media Channels
Social media channels play many functions in a person’s day-to-day life, one of them is connecting with like-minded individuals. Think about the groups or pages you follow on Facebook, the groups you are a part of on LinkedIn, and the pages you follow on Instagram. These are just a few examples of communities. Social media, when brought in as one element of a community can help make your community stronger! So how do you do it?
First, it’s important to identify where your target audience spends their time. Which platforms are they interacting with most? What types of groups are they already a part of and what types of pages do they follow? Once you have figured out these questions, you will be able to find a way to portray your brand’s voice online. I recommend starting groups on various platforms and testing where you are receiving the most traffic and engagement. Once you know which platform is right for your community, you can put your major focus on it.
Host Community Events
Hosting community events is another excellent way to really build a strong sense of community and create a bond between individuals and your brand. Keep in mind, these events don’t have to be big and expensive! They can be as simple as hosting an online educational webinar where the floor is open for interaction afterward or even a small networking event at a local lounge! The possibilities are endless here, so think about what types of events your community finds valuable and fun and put the two together!
Looking for more benefits on why your brand should host an event? Check out our blog!
Listen to Feedback
I can’t emphasize this enough, but listening to your community’s feedback will play the largest role in the success of your community and initiatives. People want to feel included and they want to feel heard. It’s important to not only recognize this but see the true value it holds! Of course, you can’t accommodate every suggestion, nor can you make everyone happy, however when you are noticing a consensus of a similar opinion it may be something to investigate! Give your community lots of opportunities to give feedback, the good and the bad. It’s important to learn what you are doing well (so that you can continue) and what needs some improvement. Using these insights will bring more value than you could ever expect.
Ok, so you have a few ideas in your pocket now for building your community… but where should you start? I suggest starting with identifying who you are as a brand and then identifying who your audience is and how they typically engage. EXPERIMENT! Try things out, see what’s working and see what’s not. Don’t forget to find metrics to measure engagement so that you can identify how exactly you can build your community.
As always, Planit Events Inc. is here for you! Whether you just have a few questions or you’re looking for professional events help in the Edmonton area, send us a message and we would be happy to see how we can help out.