Sponsorship

How to Add Value for Your Event Sponsors at Your Event?

Eventually Learning Team
07 February 2022
Read time  4 minutes 20 seconds

“Don’t ask for cash from sponsors, imagine what they want.” – Matt Prior


An interesting statistic by Visme that will put event marketers on cloud nine is that 33% of organizations spend 21% or more of their allocated event budget on sponsorships alone. So, now you know that your sponsors go out of the way to provide you with financial assistance to be creative. All the examples of successful events have a list of golden sponsors backing them. If you want to develop a loyal sponsorship base for your event, you need to question yourself if you are providing the right kind of value. Follow the four best steps to let your sponsors shine in the spotlight! Take a look.

Don't Forget Your Sponsors During All Media Announcements

It’s essential to share publicity and visibility with your event sponsors. While promoting your event through various media channels and announcements, don’t forget to share the name of your sponsors! You can add their brand logo and name with announcements like:
  • Social media promotions – LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Reddit announcements for your event, registration posts and more
  • Press releases
  • Printed materials – Print your sponsors' name and logo on the flyers, brochures, passes, or any other announcement you distribute amongst people
  • Newsletter – If you are sharing the news of your event in your newsletter, mention your sponsors to provide the added value and visibility

Share Sponsorship Expertise Through Speed Networking

The companies you target for sponsorships are experts in their own way! So, one unique event sponsorship idea is to invite your sponsor to sit at the expert table during roundtable sessions or networking! You can set up networking rounds and ask your biggest sponsors their matter of interest and organize a session on their topic of choice. In this way, they get to share their expertise without being salesy. The tactic of speed networking also provides sponsors with additional face time with the attendees for increased brand visibility. 

Pro-tip: You can let your sponsors speak or network during breakout sessions if you have an event with jam-packed sessions already in place.

Insert Your Sponsors in the Equation During Transitions

If you must have noticed, there is a lot of window during transitions between sessions or speakers. You can use the time to showcase your sponsors on the screen and earn some good loyalty points! The screen time available during the opening and closing of your event can also be utilized generously. Now, some tips to highlight your sponsors during transitions are:
  • Ask your sponsors to make a short presentation or a demo about their brand
  • If your sponsors have any YouTube videos, short commercials or social media ad videos ready, ask them to share the content with you for showcasing
  • You can make a video about your collaboration with the sponsors and thank them for their support

Your Sponsors Deserve Some Stage Time

If your sponsor is willing to speak, you can have a presenting sponsor on board for your event. Your sponsors can even be keynote presenters for your event. If you have an event already planned with back-to-back sessions, you can associate your sponsor to introduce the keynote speaker! For example, imagine a famous NBA team manager or a coach coming to your event to deliver a session on management and motivation. Then, you can let the sponsor do the honors of sharing the spotlight with the keynote by introducing the speaker. In this way, the audience will know that your sponsor has played a vital role in bettering their event journey, thereby awarding you with sponsor loyalty and credibility.

Wrapping Up

Your event sponsors deserve high recognition, appreciation and spotlight for partnering with you and financing your event. Even small gestures go a long way! Some excellent event sponsorship ideas to add value are mentioning your sponsors in media announcements, giving them a table at speed networking, showcasing them in-between transitions and giving them some much-deserved stage time. Event sponsors are looking out for increased visibility and value through your event and it is your responsibility to provide them with substantial ROI.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the four types of sponsorship?

The four main types of sponsorship for events are:
  1. Financial sponsorship to provide financial assistance
  2. In-kind sponsorship provides services like venue, food, marketing and catering assistance
  3. Media sponsorship helps you promote your event through different mediums and reach a broader audience
  4. Promotional partners leverage their social platforms to help you achieve a new base of attendees for your event

What is an example of successful event sponsorship?

One successful example of event sponsorship is Ted conferences and Rolex! Rolex has been an out and proud supporter of Ted conferences and events since 2007. It helped create original content to support and promote Ted conferences through their short videos. In addition, in 2012, Ted and Rolex came up with ‘Surprise Me!’ – an app that helps people find Ted conferences based on the amount of time they have to spare and who they wish to hear.

How do you get sponsors for an event?

Five best tips to get event sponsorship are:

1) Prepare a customized event sponsorship proposal with all the details
2) Offer valuable sponsorship incentives to convince your prospects
3) Let your sponsorship offer be a ‘minimum risk’ proposition
4) Study what type of sponsorships your prospects are interested in offering
5) Try to target big companies for long-term sponsorship activities

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