Sponsorships can play a key role in any successful event strategy. For you as the organizer, they boost your bottom line while helping keep down admission costs for attendees, and can enhance the professional reputation of your events. For your sponsors, a quality sponsorship gives them positive brand awareness and new clients. Of course, to set yourself up to land the best sponsors for your event, you’ll want to offer the best possible opportunities! This means personalized sponsorship packages that get your sponsors’ branding and messaging in front of the audiences they care about.
Read on for our event experts’ creative ideas on creating irresistible sponsorship packages!
Exclusive Events and Activities
Help sponsors win over your attendees with unique, supplementary experiences. Anything beyond your planned event programming is sure to draw a crowd, and your sponsors will jump at the chance to be a part of it! For example, set up a sponsored photo booth or interactive art display to act as a backdrop for attendees’ social media posts. Or host an after-party (presented by your title sponsor) with a private performance from the headlining band of your main event lineup. You could even let your sponsors host a dedicated meet & greet session or Q&A panel with some of your biggest celebrity guests. Any of these options will get your sponsor’s branding in front of attendees while they’re at their most excited and engaged!
Branded Messaging to Attendees
Put your event’s mobile app to good use! Sending sponsored push notifications can keep your paying sponsors top of mind throughout the day. When your attendees check in, let a sponsor be credited as the first to welcome them in with a targeted message like “Smashbox Toys would like to personally welcome you to PrimaCon!” During the event, send messages encouraging attendees to stop by specific sponsors’ booths or remind them of post-event activities (like your after-party). You might also consider sharing lists of opted-in attendees with qualifying sponsors so they can send them personalized emails before, during, or after your event; this enables interested attendees to make meaningful connections with the brands that most interest them.
Featured Ads in Your Mobile App
Beyond targeted messages, your mobile app offers so many more opportunities to get your sponsors’ brands out there. This could include banner ads across the top of your homepage or schedule, sponsored polls about your event, or a splash page right when users open your app. Allowing them to present specific celebrities or musical performances in your event schedule is another great way to showcase your sponsors. It’s as simple as adding “Presented by Smashbox Toys” beside a performer’s name! That way, your attendees know who to thank for bringing them their favorite act.
Gamified Experiences
Get more attendees to your sponsors’ booths by incorporating them into your gamified experiences. For example, you could create a scavenger hunt where one of the tasks is to visit a certain booth, and check-in to complete the task. Once attendees visit their booth, they get a clue to the next location. Then when attendees redeem their prizes, send them off with an additional free bag with your sponsor’s logo, filled with branded swag. Your attendees will be thinking about them long after your event ends!
VIP Access to Your Event
Don’t forget to thank your sponsors for being a part of your event. Additional perks, like free tickets for their team or passes for exclusive areas, are always a crowd pleaser. This also gives sponsors an opportunity to repurpose them into perks for their most loyal customers, or as top prizes for a giveaway. Not only do they show how thankful you are for your sponsors, these bonus VIP perks also get them excited for your upcoming event.
Leveling up your sponsorship packages will make potential sponsors feel like MVPs! By building high-quality branding opportunities, you’ll not only land this year’s sponsorships but also establish relationships with them that will last for years to come.