Tips for Finding an Event Sponsor

What do you find most challenging about event

sponsorships?

Audience Poll Question

7 Tips for Getting and Keeping Event Sponsors Webinar

7 Tips for Getting and Keeping Event Sponsors

Keiko TokudaDirector of Marketing

• Global online event registration and ticketing software

• 100,000s of event organizers use our simple, built-in tools to:

• Customize their event page• Understand their audience• Promote their event• Manage event entry

Meet your speakers

Laura HuddleSenior Marketer

Meet your speakers

Andrew ReidCo-founder and CTO

SponsorHub@freereid

• Started as a marketplace but has evolved

• Software allows sponsorship buyers and sellers to:

• Analyze • Optimize• Use digital data to form

benchmarks, rankings, indices

#SponsorshipTips

@sponsorhub @eventbrite

[Your Name][Today’s Date]

#SponsorshipTips

7 Tips to Getting and Keeping Sponsors

1. Know your audience

2. Brainstorm what’s brandable

3. Make a list

4. Know your sponsors

5. Be specific

6. Measure what’s important

7. Get endorsements


#SponsorshipTips

What percentage of your revenue is derived from

sponsorships?


1) Less than 10%

2) 10-25%

3) 26-50%

4) More than 50%


Problem: Consumers are Tuning Out

5

Marketers:It’s difficult to cut through the clutter…

Customers tune out.


#SponsorshipTips10

69%

10%

9%

5%4%

3%

Sponsorship Market Share by Vertical

Sports ($36 bn)

Entertainment ($5.3 bn)

Causes ($4.77 bn)

Arts ($2.65 bn)

Festivals ($2.12 bn)

Associations ($1.59 bn)Via IEG, 2013 Survey

$53 billion global sponsorship market (which is huge… bigger than search!!)


Ask not what sponsors can do for you…


#SponsorshipTips12

Ask what YOU can do for sponsors.


#SponsorshipTips

Tip #1: Know your audience


#SponsorshipTips

Your Participants

• Gender

• Income

• Age

• Ethnicity

• Company

• Job Titles

• Location

Who attends your event?

Source: Jazz & Rib Fest 2014 Sponsorship Deck on SlideShare


#SponsorshipTips

Provide key insights about your audience.

• Are they decision-makers or key influencers?

• What are their product or brand preferences?

• How often do they participate in activities?

• Do they own a smartphone? Use social media?

Source: Conquer! Denver CrossFit Sponsorship Deck on SlideShare


#SponsorshipTips

Collect information from participants

during registration.

• Customize questions to ask attendees

• Collect and analyze on the backend

Don’t ask too many questions!

Source: Eventbrite 2014


#SponsorshipTips

See where your attendees are from.



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Gather more info with post-event surveys.

• General event feedback

• Experience with sponsors

• Motivations for participation



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See who has engaged with your Facebook Page.


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Access demographic & psychographic data through multiple sources.

Source: SponsorHub 2014


#SponsorshipTips

What do you offer as part of your sponsorship opportunities?


1) On-site signage

2) Logo on website

3) Mentions in event advertising

4) Dedicated PR and publicity

5) Access to influencers & celebrities

6) Tickets and hospitality at event

7) Email database or mailing list

8) Co-branding opportunities

9) All of the above


#SponsorshipTips

Tip #2: Brainstorm What’s Brandable

What’s Unique?

Who Cares?

Quantifiable Benefit?

Access to unique people, content, locations, media

Name a brand that can benefit.

How can the benefits to the brand be quantified?


How valuable are the following benefits to you?

What’s most important to sponsors

23%

25%

27%

28%

30%

31%

41%

42%

43%

58%Category exclusivity

On-site signage

Broadcast ad opportunities

Rights to property marks and logo

Title of proprietary area

Access to property content

Access to personalities/spokesperson

Tickets and hospitality

Access to mailing list/database

Right to promote co-branded products/services

Source: 2014 IEG Sponsorship Decision-Maker Survey


#SponsorshipTips

Head shaving sponsored by Bic


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Tip #3: Make a list of potential sponsors


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Start with people you know

• Friends, family • Board members• Volunteers and staff• Customers• LinkedIn network


#SponsorshipTips

Tap your event participants

“We try to see what athletes do for a living. We don’t spam them and come on with a hard sell, but we know

they like our race, and over time they will make a connection between their business and our business.”

- John Korff, former NYC Tri event owner and president of Korff Enterprises


#SponsorshipTips

B2B Events • Competitors of sponsors of

other events• Tradeshow exhibitors

B2C Events• Supporters of your cause • Local businesses with

grand openings


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Once you make a list, gather more information.

1. Research what sponsorships they’ve done before

2. Find out who makes sponsorship decisions

3. Understand when they make these decisions


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Tip #4: Know Your Sponsors

Branding / PRAwareness

Media Value

Social Media BuzzProduct Placement

SamplingPrestige

Speaking OpportunitiesHospitality

Different sponsor types, different needs…

B2B B2C


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Benefits B2C Sponsors SeekDeep integration, Deep experience, Broad reach

• Product Engagements

• Samples

• Pours

• Plays

• Impressions

• Brand Metrics

• Recall

• Experientials

• Conversions

• Sales

• Increased Spend

• Leads


#SponsorshipTips

Benefits B2B Sponsors Seek

Brands pay to have executives “speak” at events because they want to establish thought leadership.

• Deliver the audience • Not necessarily keynote address:

• Panels• Fireside chats• Pitches, launches etc.

Brands often look for ways to “carve-out” unique VIP spaces and experiences for client entertainment.

• Be creative with carve-outs for VIP’s• Be as extravagant as possible• Create one-on-one interactions


#SponsorshipTips

Tip #5: Be specific with your sponsors

Forget unique selling points…

The goal is to speak to business leaders about specific ways that you can help them

meet their goals.


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The Perfect Pitch Format: Emotion & Math

• Research on individuals attending

• Verify assumptions and ask about business goals

• Story behind your event (focus on growth)

• Event by the numbers• Attendees vs. extended audience

• Social stats (including advanced stats if larger)

• Your audience:

• Demographics

• Buying Power

• The experience• Use cases of integration if possible

• Offer opportunity to interact physically if possible

• Next steps• Thought starters

• If possible make an ask directly, based on confirmed alignment


#SponsorshipTips

What do you measure to quantify the value of your event?


1) Total audience

2) Audience demographics

3) Audience sentiment

4) Digital impressions

5) Social media engagement

6) Broadcast impressions

7) All of the above


#SponsorshipTips

Tip #6: Measure What’s Important

% Value % Measurement Cost

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Digital

Onsite

Social/PR

TV

Program Value Generation vs. Measurement Cost By Category


Buckets of Measurement

Audience

Media Value

Onsite Impressions, Engagements

Leads, Conversions


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Tip #7: Get endorsements

“We are so excited to take on the role of presenting sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival and to marry AT&T’s innovation and technology leadership with the wonderful

creativity and imagination of Tribeca’s storytellers.”

Cathy Coughlin, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President and Global Marketing Officer, AT&T Inc.


#SponsorshipTips

“Radioshack loves Maker Faire because it’s the gateway to making… and we’re here because we want to be part of it.”

“Intel is at Maker Faire because we’re a big supporter of Science, Engineering and Mathematics training… and Maker Faire is a great way to get informal training.”

“The reason why Oracle is at Maker Faire is because we’re about people who are pushing the edges of their creativity.”

“Chevrolet is here at Maker Faire because these are influential people, these are makers.”


#SponsorshipTips

7 Tips to Getting and Keeping Sponsors

1. Know your audience

2. Brainstorm what’s brandable

3. Make a list

4. Know your sponsors

5. Be specific

6. Measure what’s important

7. Get endorsements


#SponsorshipTips

Questions?


thank you

Tips for Finding an Event Sponsor

Marketing

Transcript of Tips for Finding an Event Sponsor