Open Air Business August/September 2018

EVENTS
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE
3 A STRONG SOCIAL
PRESENCE
A quick way that sponsors will gauge the
potential success of an event held by an
organisation is by looking at its social
media accounts. Questions such as: Are
they connected to their target user base? Do
their fans and followers engage with their
content? Does the organisation provide a
regular stream of content? Can it be trusted
to get as many people to the event as it says
it can? Judging companies by their social
following isn’t by any means fool-proof, but
it’s a quick and reasonably reliable way to
make a top line judgement call, so ensure
your social channels are updated and
engaging!
USE VISUAL RESOURCES
4 TO HELP DRIVE
NARRATIVE
They say a picture can speak a thousand
words, so along with your proposal you
should try and include some visuals to
help drive your narrative home and make
it easier for sponsors to see how they can
fit into that narrative. Have you got any
infographics about your attendees? Have
you got any photos or videos from previous
events that will help with striking an
emotive chord with your potential sponsor?
Another ‘easy win’ is to go to your venue
and take photos so sponsors can see
the possible layout and how their brand
presence might fit in. If you are quite far
along in your planning, a site plan can
also be useful for potential sponsors and
this gives you an opportunity to segment
different areas of the venue to different
price points of sponsorship, eg. branding at
the entrance compared to branding in the
toilets.
KNOW WHO TO
7 CONTACT
Sending an email to the MD of a company
might seem like the obvious place to start,
but in reality, they are hard-pressed with
their time already and another email to
them is like a raindrop in the ocean. Try and
find out who handles the organisation’s
marketing and communications and send
them an email. Scour the company website
or look on LinkedIn for a name to use. It’s
always best to include a name (even if using
a generic info@ or hello@ email address)
as, even if your email doesn’t reach the right
person at first, it will get forwarded on to the
right person and has a stronger chance of
being replied to, positively or negatively.
Sponsors can be
your event's angels
so make sure to
look after them
FLEXIBILITY TO CHOOSE A PACKAGE
5 THAT’S RIGHT FOR THE SPONSOR
It’s also worth mentioning that the costs of sponsoring events can very quickly add up.
Alongside the upfront cost, there is also travel and accommodation for staff, employee
expenses, wages for staff who are attending, printed promotional materials (flyers, business
cards, pull-up banners, t-shirts, branded merchandise, etc). If you are offering a booth then
sponsors also need to factor in furniture and decorations to make them stand out.
Event sponsorship is becoming ever more experiential. Your sponsorship packages
should reflect that. Try and leave some room in your scheduled events for sponsored
opportunities such as workshops, product demonstrations or speaking engagements.
The key is to give your potential sponsors a wide range of opportunities and channels to
communicate with your attendees through different ways and means.
WHAT EXTRA INCENTIVES
6 CAN YOU OFFER YOUR
SPONSOR?
As well as outlining your own marketing
strategy for the event in your initial pitch,
think about what ‘extras’ you can also offer
sponsors. You could include partners’ logos
on your event website, brand mentions
in all media releases and PR activity, or
mentions on your social media channels.
Another thing to mention is if you expect
press to be in attendance which could lead
to additional, free exposure for the potential
sponsor.
As previously mentioned, the mounting
costs can be a deterrent to some sponsors.
Can you help with some of those costs?
Do you have additional bulk-purchased
accommodation that the sponsors could
use? Could you offer discounted printing
costs? You’re looking to form a partnership
with your sponsors, something that lasts
beyond the event, and giving something
back – no matter how small – will always be
appreciated.
RETURN ON INVESTMENT: HELP SPONSORS ESTIMATE
8 THEIR POTENTIAL LEAD VALUE
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, sponsorship is a numbers game. You can help
your sponsors along by including the following in your initial proposal:
› How many people you expect to attend, and how many people have attended in
previous years (if applicable)
› How many attendees are specifically relevant to the sponsor – i.e. how many are likely
to convert into genuine customers
› The average conversion rate for previous sponsors in the same industry
› The total cost plus VAT.
Sponsors might really love the idea of your event but, regardless of its aesthetic appeal,
the value of the deal needs to stack up in order for them to invest. If they can’t convert
attendees into customers, the money they commit has no real ROI. If you can’t convince
sponsors that there is a very real possibility of converting attendees into genuine
customers then you are going to struggle to attract them. Keep this in mind throughout
the entire pitching process. ›
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