3 Great Ways to Find Sponsors for Your Event
/0 Comments/in Corporate Events, Edmonton Events, Event Planning /by Courtney Coulombe3 Great Ways to Find Sponsors for Your Event
Planit Events Inc. shares 3 great ways to secure sponsors for your upcoming 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!
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