For many events, sponsorship is the key to success. In addition to funding the event, having sponsors will help to attract more attendees and also achieve greater relevance.
That’s why we have done some research so you have all the information you need to get sponsors for your events.
We have summarized in 10 steps the actions you should follow to look for and find sponsors for the parties, concerts, or events you organize.
Design the event to attract sponsors
Before organizing the event we must make sure that there will be sponsors who will like to sponsor it. To do this we must think in the same way as when selling a product or service and design a sales proposal. Describe in a synthetic way the following aspects:
- The mission of reason for being at the event.
- The value provided to the sponsors
- What differentiates the event from others
- Type and size of the event’s audience
- The benefit the sponsor will get
This proposal needs to be very concise, just a few lines are sufficient. It will be used for initial communications to contact potential sponsors.
Identify a target audience for the sponsors.
If the potential audience is not well selected, surely the attendees will not like the event experience either. This will result in poor recommendations for future editions.
To avoid this, it is necessary to define the profile of the right participant, which will be the previous step to the rest of the process of conceptualizing, designing and planning the event.
To identify the right audience take into account these 4 points:
General topic
What type of event is it?
For example, is it an event aimed at music fans, do you know the age range of the music fans, is it an informational event or a business event? The more data you can define about the event, the more you will be able to identify the most appropriate audience.
Depending on your objectives, you will be able to define the type of participant who will be able to attend and who will be most interested in the event.
Who will like it?
To continue with the definition of the participant profile, you need to ask yourself who will be most interested in the event. Who will benefit the most or take the most advantage of it?
What do you want to achieve?
What are the objectives and expected results?
What values are being promoted?
When the same values are shared, an extremely strong connection is established. To have the greatest impact on your audience, you need to identify the values you will promote.
Now that you have thought about the audience, you can write it down in a document, and with it define a profile of a type of assistant. Even if it is fictitious, it will allow you to create a message that can excite that type of person.
Create a list of sponsors aligned with your proposal.
Your first action prior to creating a list of sponsors should be through your closest contacts, sponsors from previous events, or through friends and colleagues.
Contact them to find out if they are interested in sponsoring the event, or if they can recommend it to their contacts.
The next step is to create a list of potential sponsors that are aligned with the sales pitch and potential audience of the event.
As you know, not all organizations and companies fit all events and audiences. So first you need to create categories of potential event sponsors, with specific sectors, verticals or demographics, to try to find the best fit.
Then research organizations and individuals to place them in these categories.
One source of information on potential event sponsors is to research who has sponsored events in the past. This information will help create the pitch to convince sponsors.
Always remember that event sponsors want to reach people who are potentially interested in their organizations, products, or services. And to achieve this, attendees must associate the event with your brand.
If you think about the attendees’ needs and list the companies that meet those needs, you will end up with a long list of potential sponsors.
First contact
We have found in our research that we bring to you that many sponsors prefer the first contact to be by email. This makes it easier for them to vet you and gives them time to do the proper research before responding and having the first conversation.
Another way they find interesting is through social media, for the same reason, as it is a more informal and less intrusive approach.
In any case, in that email or social media conversation, remember the concise sales proposal and the identification of the type of audience that you have prepared in points 1 and 2.
Analyze the data
You must keep track and follow up on the emails and social media messages you have sent. It is obvious that not all of them will be positive, and it is also very likely that you will not receive a reply from many of them.
Do not despair, you can send a second mailing or continue with the list of sponsors, expanding the spectrum to new sectors, companies or organizations. For these mailings you can use tools that facilitate this process, some of them are free up to a certain number of emails.
Create a good presentation that excites
Now that you already have potential sponsors, who will have shown their interest. You have to make a presentation of the sales proposal of the event, as attractive as possible. The look is very important, but it is even more important to emphasize what the sponsor will get out of sponsoring the event, for example:
- Advertisements in the relevant places (stages etc.).
- Logos (on signage, mailings, programs, etc.)
- Opportunities to speak to, access, or address the audience.
- Website marketing
- Advertising mailings
- Social media marketing / mentions
- Interaction and photo sharing (Gogotick)
- In-kind sponsorship (food, beverage, print, audio and video, etc.)
- VIP passes
Many event organizers create sponsorship levels (Platinum / Gold / Silver, etc. ) and customize each sponsorship to each sponsor’s needs. It is important to be flexible with these sponsorship categories to facilitate access to sponsorship for a larger number of sponsors.
Well with this we have finished the article, we hope you liked it and above all that you find it very useful.
Remember that sponsors are looking for events to which they can link the image of their organization and get their messages across to their stakeholders. And they need creative people like you to achieve this.
