The key weapon behind a profitable occasion isn’t simply nice audio system, a cool venue, or sold-out tickets. It’s additionally the sponsors who usher in vital income whereas including credibility to your occasion.
When big-name sponsors put their brand in your occasion supplies, they’re primarily saying: “This occasion issues.”
We all know this firsthand as a result of occasion sponsorships have been an enormous a part of our advertising technique. We’ve spent an estimated $500,000 on them, sponsoring all the things from intimate trade meetups to large worldwide conferences.
Our sales space at Chiang Mai search engine marketing 2024
Tl;dr: In case you’re operating occasions, you completely need sponsors like us.
However how do you persuade firms like ours to open their wallets in your occasion? I spoke with Elysa Han, our occasions advertising supervisor, to study what we glance out for in occasion sponsorships.
Contemplate this your insider’s information to profitable occasion sponsors.
For sponsors, each greenback spent on sponsorships is an funding that should ship returns. Right here’s what’s driving our sponsorship choices:
- Attempting to find our best prospects — We wish to meet potential patrons face-to-face. More and more, we’re on the lookout for the massive fish: enterprise-level decision-makers who can log off on important contracts. In case your occasion attracts our goal demographic, you’ve already gained half the battle.
- Creating in-person connections — We crave the qualitative insights that may solely come from somebody’s eyes lighting up throughout a demo or listening to their ache factors immediately. Human connections inform us issues that digital analytics by no means may.
- Construct a better relationship with our current prospects — Typically our purchasers are within the trade they usually run occasions too. Supporting their occasions brings us nearer.
- Planting strategic model flags — We’re on the lookout for visibility that makes an impression, not simply large logos plastered on partitions that nobody remembers.
We’re not mechanically selecting the most important or most prestigious occasions. The dimensions of your occasion issues far lower than the way it aligns with our targets.
Right here’s how we consider occasions to sponsor:
- Viewers alignment — We assess each measurement and high quality. Who precisely will likely be within the room? What decision-making energy do they wield? Which industries do they symbolize? Nonetheless, measurement isn’t all the things. A smaller occasion with 90% perfect-fit attendees will beat a large occasion with 10% relevance each time.
- Lead technology potential — Much like the above, we’re wanting on the high quality of alternatives on the occasion. How doubtless are these attendees to turn out to be our prospects? Are they representing an enterprise-level buyer or are they simply learners to search engine marketing (and even digital advertising?)
- Actual suggestions — Elysa digs by Reddit threads, LinkedIn feedback, and conversations on X in regards to the occasion’s earlier editions to search out unfiltered suggestions in regards to the occasion. Previous attendees (and even sponsors!) are your most credible or damaging advertising software.
- Organizer’s vibe examine — Your response to our questions reveals volumes about the way you’ll deal with the precise occasion. Are you clear about attendance numbers? Do you dodge questions on previous sponsor experiences? Typically the deciding issue is in that second when our occasions staff says, “One thing feels off about these organizers.” In these circumstances, we observe our intestine.
By the best way, these should not set in stone. There are occasions after we break our personal guidelines too.
For instance, we not too long ago sponsored Nas Summit in Singapore. Whereas it was a large convention, it was an occasion for each present and aspiring content material creators who, on paper, are miles away from our best buyer profile.
In reality, by our personal calculations, 62% of occasion attendees have been unfamiliar with our model.
So, why did we write the examine?
The primary purpose was that the worth proposition was too extraordinary. For a modest funding, we acquired the identical worth as what would have value 5X in different occasions. We had a sales space, social media shoutouts, seen branding (e.g., on the media wall), and even occasion tickets.
Despite the fact that it didn’t match our standards, we couldn’t cross up an distinctive supply. So, we turned it right into a model consciousness play as a substitute.
The quickest technique to lose our curiosity is to cover behind obscure claims like “well-attended” or “trade professionals”. We wish to see all the things laid naked, so inform us:
- Actual attendance numbers from earlier occasions
- Detailed demographic breakdowns that transcend job titles and embrace issues like seniority ranges, firm measurement, and extra
- Candid recaps of what occurred in earlier editions
- Clear and complete sponsorship data that spells out precisely what we get for our funding
Elysa additionally likes to hop on discovery calls with the occasion organizers to study extra data and get a really feel for the individuals concerned.
What sort of sponsorship data will we wish to see? Listed here are the packages we’ve seen thus far (which may inform yours):
- $2,000 – $3,000 — Solely visible branding (e.g., logos on stage and web site)
- $5,000 — Visible branding + small on-site sales space
- $10,000 – $20,000 — Visible branding, greater sales space house, and full attendee registration record
- >$20,000 — The entire above, however with a fair greater sales space house. Additionally features a talking slot. You might also get to incorporate your swag within the convention’s goodie luggage.
One factor’s for sure: each sponsorship package deal is simply a place to begin for negotiation. We’ve by no means accepted a sponsorship package deal precisely as introduced, and neither will most sponsors.
Because the organizer, you must anticipate that and be versatile. Simply since you’ve structured a sponsorship package deal that approach doesn’t imply it must be fastened that approach. Sponsors could have finances constraints and might want branding alternatives which can be completely different from what you’ve considered.
For instance, they could not simply need visible branding but additionally shoutouts in your owned media channels, like the web site, social media, and electronic mail publication. Or they could need their standees to be on stage, along with a large brand.
Or they could need additional shoutouts on stage for his or her model or for attendees to take a look at their cubicles.
In case you’re operating your occasion greater than as soon as, the bottom line is getting the sponsors to return. That approach, you don’t need to continuously take into consideration buying new sponsors.
However how will we resolve if we wish to sponsor the identical occasion repeatedly?
An important issue we take a look at is our staff’s autopsy. Inside days of the top of your occasion, the on-site staff conducts a brutally trustworthy evaluation that covers:
- Whether or not the attendees matched who we have been on the lookout for
- Who we talked to and whether or not they have been potential enterprise leads
- (If we had a sales space) Whether or not the sales space was positioned the place you stated it could be, whether or not we bought the promised foot visitors, or have been you caught in a nook the place no one got here
- Whether or not our swag was standard or everybody ignored it
- Whether or not the occasion ran easily or had tons of logistical nightmares
Right here’s an instance of a report carried out by my colleague:
If we would not have an on-site staff, i.e. we sponsored just for model consciousness, then we’ll examine suggestions on social media.
We additionally give plenty of bonus factors to occasion organizers who’re proactive. One of the best organizers we’ve labored with:
- Ship common electronic mail updates — They replace in regards to the progress of their occasions, the audio system they’ve secured, different manufacturers which have sponsored, and so on.
- Assist us maximize worth — They help with branding, logistics, and different alternatives to extend our ROI.
- Take full possession — We’ve had occasion organizers willingly supply us reductions for the subsequent version as a result of they have been personally disenchanted they didn’t get us the outcomes they thought we would.
In the end, sponsorships—not only for occasions however for creators too—are all about relationships.
Don’t be stunned after I say this however typically we sponsor an occasion as a result of the organizer is an enterprise-level prospect or buyer. And typically occasions give sponsors reductions as a result of they see them as a long-term companion and need them to return frequently for all future editions.
Ensuring your occasion is worthwhile is vital. However don’t neglect that relationships run the world. Count on to be versatile and negotiate in the direction of a win-win for each you and the sponsor.
Closing ideas
Securing occasion sponsorships is all about creating mutual worth.
Probably the most profitable occasion organizers perceive what sponsors are on the lookout for and construct packages that ship actual outcomes. By being clear along with your knowledge, versatile along with your choices, and proactive in your communications, you’ll construct relationships with sponsors that final past a single occasion.
Bear in mind: sponsors like us are on the lookout for ROI, however we’re additionally on the lookout for companions who perceive our targets and are dedicated to serving to us obtain them.
Making an attempt to arrange an occasion as a substitute? We additionally organized our personal convention and wrote up how we did it:
