Sponsorships are game-changers for all kinds of New York events. Whether you’re curating company meetings, industry conferences, or fundraising galas, your ability to bring in event sponsors is key. Today, we’ll share the latest insights for attracting and retaining sponsors, so you can enjoy the boost in funds, the broadened event visibility, and the improved attendee experience.
Researching Potential Sponsors Before the Event
It’s easy to become complacent with your sponsorship efforts. For example, you might have a few go-to sponsors you connect with for every event. You could be repurposing the same series of sponsorship packages for every event, too. And while it’s usually a good idea to stick with “what works” without reinventing the wheel, you could be missing new sponsorship opportunities. The top event professionals will tell you it’s a best practice to conduct fresh research to find new sponsors. Look for businesses and organizations that target your unique event audience. And always be building a sponsorship outreach effort that cultivates new potential sponsors.
Creating the Best Event Sponsorship Packages
If you already have a collection of tiered sponsorship packages that work, by all means – keep working them. But don’t overlook the appeal of creating new or event-specific sponsorship benefit opportunities, especially for those sponsors who’ve already worked with you in the past. Get creative with stage sponsorships, keynote speaking offers, and improved marketing. Put some sizzle into any tired-old packages and make your ROI offer more attractive to sponsors.
Customizing Event Sponsorship Proposals
Even if you’re pitching the same sponsorship packages, the days of copy/paste or wash-rinse-repeat with offers are over. Today’s sponsors expect personalized attention and customized engagement. So, make sure you’re catering every event sponsorship proposal to the unique business at hand, outlining exactly what they care about most in terms of event exposure and results.
Focusing on Delivering Sponsor Results
Event sponsors are GREAT for you, your event, and your event planning business. But remember that it’s about THEM. Focus your sponsorship strategy on how best you plan to deliver results for them. Outline the benefits they can expect from sponsoring your event. And be sure to include post-event analytics and a meeting to demonstrate how well you did at reaching their predicted goals.
Discover More Event Planning Strategies at The Expo
Apply these strategies to your event sponsorship efforts this year to make your events bigger and better. And for more ideas about the latest strategies for boosting your events and growing your event planning business, get in the room with hundreds of the best of the best at The Event Planner Expo 2024 this October! Get tickets and see why thousands of event pros make this conference their one must-attend event of the year!
