Event sponsor

Great events are driven by great ideas, full of ambition and creativity. However, the reality is that the better your ideas, the more funding you are likely to need. For that reason, sponsors are essential, but how exactly do you get them? Here, we’re going to look at four methods of finding the sponsorship your event needs and what it takes to attract it.

Talk to event organizers

You are not the first person to try put an event together. You may have event organizers with some experience on your side. If that’s the case, talk to them about sponsors they have worked with in the past. If you have attended events run by others or are on good terms with other organizers, reach out to them, too. Never underestimate the power of networking. You may even gain some helpful tips and insights along the way. If they’re a direct competitor, they may not be so keen to help, of course.

Look at past events like yours

If you have seen events similar to yours in the past but you don’t know the organizers, you might not want to get in touch solely to ask a favor of them. Instead, you may want to look directly at the sponsors instead. Once you know your event goals and your sponsor criteria, start looking through the sponsor listings for those events. List all the sponsors and narrow them down to the most applicable. Make sure they have a higher potential inclination to sponsor your event, too. Find the individuals from those companies most readily able to make the decision to sponsor an event. Many of these stakeholders can be found easily through social platforms like LinkedIn. Once you find them, send them a personalized pitch detailing your offer.

Market your event widely

You want sponsors with a marketing and advertising department since they can lend plenty of outreach to your event. Those with active marketing teams also tend to have an eye on the marketing in their sector. Put time and effort into event marketing through channels like social media and press releases. The better your marketing, the more likely you are to catch the interest of a marketing head of a potential sponsor.

Use sites built to connect sponsors and events

There are online communities and platforms built specifically for the purpose of connecting event organizers and sponsors to one another. Resources like SponsorMyEvent, SponsorPitch, and SponsorPark not only have active communities but they also have tools that allow you to quickly put together your proposals. It’s a good idea to have set criteria for sponsorship so that any interested parties can quickly see what you have to offer and what you need in return. Besides helping you reach out to sponsors, these platforms can be great for better understanding what your event sponsorship package is going to look like.

Your sponsor (or sponsors) can be a crucial part of your event’s success. Make sure that you have a proposal that is built to catch their interest, clearly outlining the potential reach of your event and the links to their own aims. The more you show the event’s viability, the more interested they are likely to be.