Event Sponsorship:4 questions every

event planner should ask themselves

by Jarno StegemanThe Event Tutor

www.eventtutor.com

Eventsponsorship

$878m in USA spend on

sponsorship forfestivals, fairs &

events

Top 3industries

to sponsor events:alcohol brands,

health & beauty brands,food brands

Before you approach any potential sponsor you need to have a word with yourself.

You need to come up with some really good and well thought through answers to the following questions:

What is your event? Who is my audience?

Do you need sponsorship?

What can you offer your sponsors?

You need to decide what the story of your event is. Be clear on what you are trying to achieve with your event. Make sure that the story of your event is a compelling one. Are you able to explain what the essence of your event is?

Like any other good story yours needs to have a beginning, middle, and an end. Now look at the story of the company you want to approach. Are there similarities with their story? Are you both trying to achieve the same thing? Look for common ground.

What is your event?

Research youraudience

demographics

Commonalities between your

audience and that ofyour potential

sponsor

What do your fans eat, drink, like, consume, wear,

etc.

Who is your audience?

Online searches for Glastonbury 2016:what people were Googling

Where is Glastonbury festival?

How long is Glastonbury festival?

How big is Glastonbury festival?

What is Glastonbury festival?

How often is Glastonbury festival held?

• Gigwise • Mountain • Warehouse • Skiddle • Tesco • Her Packing List • All Noise • Go outdoors

Sites taking advantage of these searches:

Does your event need sponsorship?

Shambhala Music Festival in

Canada, with 10,000 attendees, has no corporate

sponsors

Added value of sponsors through

money

products or

goods

know how services

exposure

experience

What do you want from a sponsor? Asking for money requires a different approach than asking for media exposure. Don’t just approach any company.

Your sponsor needs to ADD VALUE to the overall event experience.

If there is no added value (could come from money, products, know how, services, media exposure), than why are you talking to that company?

WHAT CAN YOU OFFER YOUR SPONSORS?

know your own event

know your audience

= what you can tell

potential sponsors

How companies can sponsor your event

• Introduce a new product or service• Promote their product or company (branding)• Increase awareness• Join in your marketing efforts• Use your event to impress their relationship with their clients

Know what you can offer your

sponsors. Do not promise them something you cannot deliver

If you promise sponsors branding opportunities you need to be able to

live up to that promise

What is your:marketing plan promotion planwebsite traffic

social media data

Overall you need to plan your sponsorship outreach campaign. Keep in mind that larger companies set their annual budget once a year.

Think of your event story and make sure it is compelling and worthwhile for potential sponsors.

For more information about event marketing

visit

EventTutor.com

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