How to find sponsors for your event?
Even though finding sponsors is just one piece to the event puzzle, it’s vital for your event. For many event organizers, potential sponsors are hard to find. Providing sponsorship involves a lot of hustle compared to other organizational initiatives. But this doesn’t have always to be so difficult.
Follow this 4-step guide that will help you find sponsors, and build smart relationships with them, one step at a time:
1. Build a list of potential sponsors
The first step is to create a list of sponsors. Here you should think about - who could be interested to support your event?
When researching potential sponsors, start with your personal network. Then find out who has sponsored similar events in your city in the past and which companies would be interested to be presented to your audience.
Contact the companies from your list to ask who makes sponsorship decisions, so that your proposal goes to the right person. As you build your list, create a spreadsheet to keep track of your outreach progress.
2. Make the first contact online
The first email you will send to potential sponsors should be concise and to the point. Let them know why you chose to reach out to them specifically, and most important - give them the answer to the question: why should they sponsor your event?
Provide them with the next information:
-Your event’s mission or cause (what differentiates your event from others)
-Your event’s audience (show how many people a sponsor could reach and what defines your audience)
- How they will benefit (on-stage announcements, logo placements, website marketing, email marketing, social media/press mentions, etc.)
At the end of the email request for a short meeting, so you can work together to customize your proposal.
3. Follow up with those who didn’t respond
It’s important to remain consistent and maintain close contact, especially when you don’t hear back from your leads right away. Simple statements that require a short feedback work the best here. Sometimes your prospects simply don’t like what you’re offering. Try to provide as many alternatives as possible, whether it’s about the channel of communication, your sponsorship package, or any other important aspects of the pitch.
4. Measure ROI data and present it to the sponsors after the event
After the event is finished, be prepared to supply each of your sponsors with evidence that you fulfilled your commitments to them. This can be done by:
- taking photos
- uploading WikiTalk videos on the YouTube Channel and sharing links with sponsors
- monitoring media coverage
- headcount
- social media mentions
- attendee data collected (satisfaction, pre/post awareness, etc.)
- unique website visitors
or any other evidence that proves your event was successful.
Securing event sponsors is never an easy task, but with the right resources and strategy, this can be much simpler and more enjoyable than you expect. The secret to how to get event sponsors is to understand their needs and be flexible enough to meet them. And in the end, your main goal is to organize an exceptional event that people will enjoy and talk about!
