Why Sponsors Bring Major Value to Your Event

Sponsoring events allows brands to improve brand awareness and generate leads. Brands often jump at sponsorship opportunities, especially for events that perfectly align with their target audience. 

But do the benefits go the other way, too? If you approach finding the right sponsors for your event, the answer is a resounding yes. Through strategic sponsorships, you can take your in-person, virtual, and hybrid events to the next level and make a lasting impact on your attendees. 

So, whether you're hosting a user group, an industry trade show, or something altogether different, it's well worth tracking down and inviting the right sponsors to participate. Ready to learn more about how you can benefit from event sponsorships? Here's what you need to know. 

What is an Event Sponsorship? 

An event sponsorship is a strategic partnership between the event organizer and brands interested in showcasing their products and services at the event. The event helps sponsors promote their brands to a well-curated audience, collect leads, land sales, and gain a loyal following. In exchange, the event organizer receives funds, goods, services, and advertising support to help promote their virtual or in-person event. 

Together, the event organizer and event sponsors can leverage in-person and virtual event solutions and tools to optimize the event experience and achieve their event goals. For this arrangement to work at its best, however, sponsors should ideally already operate within the event's focus industry. For example, a sponsor that sells digital advertising would likely want to participate in a tradeshow for the e-commerce industry. 

Benefits of Finding Well-Aligned Event Sponsors 

If you can attract well-aligned event sponsors, many incredible benefits will come your way, including: 

Offset Event Costs

While organizing an event, it's common to wish for a bottomless budget that allows you to pull out all the bells and whistles, such as securing the perfect in-person event venue, investing in top-notch event technology, or building a state-of-the-art virtual event space. Unfortunately, all these bells and whistles add to your expenses, potentially forcing you to pick and choose. But you can skip the compromises by bringing in more event sponsors to offset these costs.

By offering opportunities such as banner ads and video commercials, virtual and hybrid events create more opportunities to draw in sponsorship dollars. As an event organizer, you can get inventive. For example, for a hybrid event, organizers can build a menu of sponsorship opportunities leveraging physical and virtual experiences, such as offering free digital ads for sponsors who purchase a physical booth. You can start to increase the value of the sponsorship, and you might be able to sell more. Another added benefit to a virtual or hybrid event: there's no limit to the number of virtual booths, which means event organizers can contract with 50 booth sponsors, not five, further increasing sponsorship revenue opportunities.

Boost Awareness 

By bringing on sponsors, your marketing reach increases considerably. Your sponsors will be marketing their presence at the event via email marketing, blog posts, social media promotions, and more, further ensuring your event lands in front of well-vetted audiences with an existing interest in your offerings. Word will spread faster across the industry than through your marketing activities alone, bringing attendees to your doorstep while drumming up interest from more potential sponsors. 

Leverage Social Proof 

With the right sponsors onboard, the credibility of your event increases by leaps and bounds. Sponsors provide valuable social proof that helps elevate your event's brand image. 

Build Engagement 

Although attracting attendees to your event is a huge priority, your event's true success hinges on audience engagement. Having the right engagement tools available is vital, but you also need your attendees to engage in the event directly. Make sure your sponsors have plenty of opportunities to brand physical and virtual event spaces and activities such as live chats, networking lounges, booths, and tools such as virtual photo booths, social media walls, etc. Your event attendees will likely be eager to participate in all the action, making your event memorable and increasing the likelihood of repeat attendance. 

Provide Extra Perks 

If your sponsors want to go above and beyond to support your event, they can bring many extra perks to the table. For example, they might add more value to your event by handing out physical or virtual swag, running sweepstakes, and offering product experiences. Event tech integrations will also make sponsorship activities such as polls and quizzes, chat rooms, and music possible. 

No matter what your sponsors decide to offer, the perks will leave a lasting positive impression on your attendees and increase word-of-mouth about your event. So, try to cast a wide net and bring in sponsors that want to delight attendees and keep them coming back for more. 

Ultimately, everyone wins when event organizers and sponsors work together. Your event will build a reputation as a go-to professional affair in your industry, and your sponsors will gain additional brand recognition. Above all else, your attendees will get the most out of the experience, landing your events on their calendar year after year. 

Types of Sponsors to Seek for Your Event 

There are many types of event sponsors to seek out for your event, including: 

Financial

Financial sponsors bring cash to the table to promote their brand and other perks. The total amount of money they pay for the sponsorship opportunity should correlate with their benefits. Examples of benefits include:

• A logo display in the virtual lobby.
• A booth in a virtual exhibition hall.
• An in-event advertising alert.

In-Kind

In-kind sponsors provide goods and services instead of backing your event with direct payment. These sponsors might offer:

• Food and beverages for in-person attendees
• A location for hosting your in-person venue
• Access to key virtual event apps
• Sweepstakes, prizes, and gifts 

These sponsors' contributions can help keep your event well within budget. 

Media

Media sponsors help promote your event through social media and other effective advertising channels. As your sponsor, they'll create your marketing campaigns and then run them until the day of your event to bring people through the doors. This allows you to step away from the day-to-day marketing without compromising on attendance. 

What Are Event Sponsorship Levels?

Event sponsorship levels, or tiers, are designed to encourage individuals or organizations to contribute more generously to your event or cause. To make these tiers appealing, it's essential to offer enticing perks and rewards. For instance, sponsors at a higher level might gain visibility through branded materials like step-and-repeat banners or exclusive signage at your event. If your event presents a significant marketing opportunity, it could attract prominent, high-level sponsors.

Even smaller contributors can enjoy meaningful benefits. Businesses or individuals donating at lower tiers might enhance their brand visibility by promoting the event through their marketing channels. Alternatively, sponsors could provide in-kind contributions, such as gift bags or raffle prizes, to showcase their brand.

When thoughtfully crafted, sponsorship packages create a win-win scenario, delivering value to sponsors while driving support and resources for your event.

Pros and Cons of Event Sponsorship Levels

Although sponsorship tiers are pretty standard, they're starting to fall out of style because the setup is a bit old-fashioned, so while sponsorship tiers bring various benefits, you also have to understand the downsides if you’re going to avoid or mitigate them. Here's a rundown of the ups and downs of event sponsorship packages: 

• Pro: Entices Sponsors to Give More - By adding more perks or rewards to a higher sponsorship tier, you can inspire sponsors to give more money than they would otherwise. Ideally, all sponsors would be at one of the top levels so you can raise more funds for your event. 
• Con: Lots of Guesswork Involved - The traditional method of building event sponsorship levels is to develop your own perks and promote them to potential prospects. However, this process isn’t collaborative, so sponsors may not get what they really want and therefore they're not motivated to donate. Fortunately, it's easy to discuss benefits packages with sponsors directly, so event planners and marketers can work with sponsors to create a relationship that’s mutually beneficial. 
• Pro: Expand your Audience - Attracting sponsors is an excellent way to add some visibility to your event or cause. For example, if you're working with a new charity, reaching out to sponsors can elevate the event and potentially attract more guests. The key is finding sponsors that share your values and offer products or services that align with the event. 
• Con: Limited Donation Options - If event sponsorship levels aim to bring in more money, you may be hurting yourself if you set the highest level too low. Why would a sponsor go above and beyond the top tier if they don't receive anything extra? Also, if other people want to donate, they may feel like they have to participate in your sponsorship program, which might be off-putting for some individuals or groups. 
• Pro: Built-in Marketing - As you accumulate new sponsors, they can market your event to their audiences, boosting your event awareness and potentially drawing larger crowds. Because event marketing is crucial for success, this benefit can be quite valuable. 
• Con: More Work - If you're providing lots of perks and benefits to your sponsors, you'll have to put in a lot of work before and after the event. For example, if you're offering branded signage or gift bags, you have to create and print them yourself. This process can also increase your expenses, thus requiring more sponsors… and the cycle continues. 

How to Create Your Event Sponsorship Levels

Event sponsorships are an excellent way to defray event costs or generate revenue. Virtual and hybrid events can give sponsors access to a larger audience, which makes them attractive to potential sponsors. Also, they give sponsors more ways to engage. For example, sponsors can host a booth or they can display digital banner ads. They can also run video commercials or send mobile push notifications.  

Sell sponsorship packages (e.g., Silver, Gold, Platinum) with varying investment levels. Allow sponsors to host an entire webcast session, brand a networking lounge, live stream a booth event, and/or sponsor a game or a prize giveaway. Once signed, include your sponsors in your integrated event promotion—mentions and advertising in emails, e-newsletters, banner ads, and registration pages.

To create your event sponsorship levels, simply follow these steps:

1. Determine your Support Needs 

Determine how much financial support you need to pull off your ideal event. To calculate the delta, look at your existing funding and compare it to your budget and/or revenue goals. This equals the amount of money you need to raise through sponsorships. 

2. Build Out Sponsorship Levels 

Once you have an ideal figure, you can start identifying your event sponsorship levels. For example, if you need $50,000, set the top sponsorship level at around $7,500. Then, select the mid-tier sponsorship at $5,000 and the lowest at $2,500. Want even more levels? Go ahead and add them as you see fit. Name each level with a tie-in to your event, if possible. If not, you can use a "silver, gold, platinum" setup.

3. Define Sponsorship Benefits 

As sponsors spend or contribute more, their benefits should increase. For example, you might want to offer:

• Silver: Sponsor's logo on your website for the duration of the event, banner ad at the in-person or virtual venue, and six complimentary tickets to the event.
• Gold: All silver tier benefits, plus logo display in all email event promotions, signage in the registration lounge, and two complimentary VIP tickets.
• Platinum: All gold and silver tier benefits, along with a half-page ad in the event program, a vendor booth, and a featured presentation on the agenda.

Sweeten the deal as you move up through the sponsorship tiers while remaining realistic about what you can offer each sponsor. 

After completing these steps, you can build out your sponsorship packages. The packages should clearly define each tier's contributions and benefits, so prospective sponsors can easily weigh their options.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Event Sponsorship Tiers

Effective event sponsorship management involves anticipating potential challenges and addressing them proactively. Here are some key strategies to help you build and optimize your sponsorship packages and tiers:

1. Align Sponsorship Packages with Your Event Type

With the rise of virtual and hybrid events, your sponsorship approach must adapt to the event format. For example:

• In-Person Events: Displaying multiple sponsors' signage is straightforward and visible.
• Virtual Events: Screen real estate is limited, so consider rotating sponsor content, such as featuring one sponsor at the start and another during a panel discussion. Offer opportunities for sponsors to share promotional videos or content through the virtual platform.
• Tech Readiness: Ensure sponsors are familiar with the event technology to avoid glitches during live segments.

2. Communicate Directly with Sponsors

Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach by offering customizable sponsorship packages. Initiate discussions with sponsors to tailor benefits to their goals. Examples include:

• Distributing free product samples at the event.
• Adding a sponsor’s CTA to your event page or marketing materials.
  This approach ensures sponsors receive value and reduces unnecessary guesswork for your team. However, set clear boundaries to manage requests you can’t accommodate.

3. Select Sponsors Strategically

Choose sponsors whose values align with your event's purpose. For instance, if you're raising funds for an animal rights charity, avoid sponsors like meat packing companies. Instead, partner with brands promoting sustainable, plant-based products. Proactively identify and invite ideal sponsors. Customize your outreach to highlight how their partnership will benefit both parties. Don’t shy away from pitching to larger brands—they may see value in supporting your event, even if it’s smaller in scale.

Idea: Find Sponsors that Align with your Brand 

The perfect sponsors may not immediately come to you, especially when launching your inaugural event. Chances are, you'll need to do the initial searches to find the best brands to solicit for sponsorships.

Start by looking at the top brands in your industry and build a marketing list. Suppose you're hosting an automotive event, for example. You might want to aim high by reaching out to car manufacturers, high-end parts suppliers, and the leaders in the automotive fluid industry. Next, look at their main competitors if you don't get enough bites. Don't forget to set your sights on newcomers in the industry as well.

4. Plan for the Workload

Assess the resources and time required to deliver sponsor benefits. For instance:

• If top-tier sponsors get custom signage, plan for design, printing, and delivery well in advance.
• Have a detailed timeline and execution plan to avoid last-minute issues.
  Delivering high-quality sponsorship perks enhances your event's reputation and sponsor relationships.

5. Formalize Sponsorship Agreements

Verbal commitments can be risky. Always draft contracts outlining sponsor obligations and deliverables, and ensure both parties sign. This protects your interests and helps prevent miscommunication or unmet expectations.

6. Start Early

Securing sponsors should be one of the first steps in your event planning process. Strong sponsorships influence event direction, budget, and execution, making them a critical foundation for success.

By following these tips, you can ensure that your sponsorship tiers deliver value to sponsors, meet your event’s needs, and create a seamless experience for all involved.

Want Help Ensuring the Success of Your Events? 

Although it's plenty rewarding, planning events is a huge undertaking. Fortunately, you don't have to go it alone. 

By partnering with our team at 6Connex, you can create successful in-person, virtual, and hybrid events time and again. Our all-in-one event platform streamlines the planning process while elevating the quality of your event in every way. 

Explore the possibilities! We invite you to request a virtual event platform demo today. You'll get all the insights and support you need to pull off the most ambitious events without breaking a sweat.

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Sources:

https://floor.bz/blog/types-of-event-sponsorships/

https://eventee.co/blog/why-is-event-sponsorship-important-and-how-to-find-your-perfect-sponsor/

https://spotme.com/blog/event-sponsorship/

https://www.glueup.com/blog/event-sponsorship-types