Event Planning Essentials: How to Get Sponsors

Who doesn’t love an event? Whether it’s a professional conference or an event within a field you’re interested in, events are a fun, social way to make connections. Behind the scenes of course, there is a lot more to think about – like how to get sponsors to work with you and support your event.

Event sponsors can be hugely beneficial to you, so it’s vital that you choose the right ones for your event. Below, we’ve pulled together a list of our key tips on getting event sponsors to help you have the best chance for success…

Why are event sponsors important?

We touched on it briefly, but just why are event sponsors important? Where, and in what capacity, can they assist you? For organisers, there are four primary benefits of event sponsors:

Financial aid: one key role of event sponsors could be to provide financial support. This could help you open in a larger venue, attract more visitors, or include more incentives/experiences for attendees.

Top tip: with or without an event sponsor, you need to choose a venue that works for you. At ACC Liverpool, our purpose-built Event Spaces works with you to provide a super event experience. Plus, as your sponsorship grows, so can we! Access to various areas across our campus means you can improve year after year, all in the heart of Liverpool.

Industry reputation: obtaining a sponsorship from established companies within your industry can help fledgling brands improve their reputation. This credibility can help to establish future partnerships, and/or encourage more people to attend your event in the first place.
Build brand awareness: if you have a small following, aligning with a brand can help you reach their audiences for better exposure. This improves your own brand awareness and opens up your event to a larger range of people.
Increase engagement: the right event sponsor can help to increase attendee engagement with your event as they are more inclined to actively participate in activities, discussions etc.

Of course, event sponsorship is a two-way street, and part of knowing how to get sponsors is understanding this. While you benefit from their experience, knowledge, reputation, and/or financial support; your sponsor gets access to your audience, receives social recognition for their sponsorship, and could even get subsidised or free attendance at your event itself.

How to get sponsors?

With this in mind, let’s move onto the more practical information; namely, how to get event sponsors to work with you. To help you out, we’ve created a brief guide to finding sponsors, and what you need to consider before applying for, or committing to, a partnership.

Be Specific

When you approach a potential event sponsor, the last thing you want is to be vague. Event sponsors are potentially going to be spending a lot of money, time, and/or energy working with you. Therefore, clarity and specificity is the name of the game – which means you need to know exactly what you’re aiming to achieve from your event.

For example, are you:

Selling something?
Aiming to increase your brand awareness?
Offering professional networking services?
Providing an experience to attendees?
Hosting a conference?

These will all inform how and why a potential sponsor should work with you, and will be information they will require before agreeing to anything.

You will also need to be specific about what you’re looking for from your sponsor. Are you:

Looking for financial support?
Asking for help with planning?
Wanting to draw upon their industry contacts?
Hoping to use their industry reputation and authority to improve attendance?

Being clear about your event goals even before approaching a sponsor can help you to narrow down potential candidates for a more efficient research and application process. It also stops you from wasting time – both your own, and a potential sponsor.

Be informed by your target audiences

Your target audience informs a lot of the decisions you’ll make as an event organiser. So, why should choosing an event sponsor be any different? When you’re researching potential sponsors, look for those that have similar or the same target audiences as your brand. This way, sponsors may be more inclined to work with you, as they will benefit more from a target audience that aligns with their brand.

However, you should combine this with research into what your audiences are interested in before committing to a sponsor. This is important because many potential sponsors could have a similar intended audience as you, but might not align with your values or brand message. When the wrong sponsor could alienate your key audience, this is definitely something you’ll need to consider.

Top tip: this isn’t the only area that should align with your values; your venue, chosen vendors, and other participants within your event should reflect the vision of your brand – like Sustainability, inclusivity, and accessibility for everyone.

Data is key here. Understanding areas in which your audiences search can lead you to brands that align with their interests and values who could sponsor your event – even if they’re not strictly within your specific industry.

Note: with increased privacy regulations coming into effect, you will need to consider where you get your data from. Check out our article on Why You Should Be Capturing First Party Data at Your Events & How to Do it for more information…

Do your research

Before you even consider approaching potential sponsors, make sure you’ve done your research. This will help you create a shortlist of the best potential sponsors for your event both within and outside of your specific industry. Not only does this allow you to approach event sponsors confidently, but it reduces any wasted time and effort on both sides.

One of your first steps should be to research sponsors within your industry. Look at your own, or competitor events, and research any previous sponsors. If a brand has already been active within an industry, they may be more likely to say yes when the opportunity arises again.

Next, you can look at brands who have previously sponsored similar events to yours, regardless of whether they sit within your industry. If a sponsor has already helped with an event like yours, they will have more valuable insights and experience that you may be able to draw upon.

Note: once you’ve got your shortlist, make sure to research these brands properly. This includes looking into their values, understanding the history of their company, their intended audience etc. This will help you make a more informed decision, whilst also helping you put together a customised proposal.

Create a super performance

Once you’ve narrowed down the specifics of what you want from potential sponsors, and who you want to reach out to, it’s time to put together your proposal. This is obviously incredibly important, and you should spend quite some time on making sure you have enough detail before sending. The proposal is often the first or second contact a potential sponsor is having with you, so you need to make a good impression.

Key elements you should include in your proposal are:

Detailed information about the event: this is your chance to introduce the event to a potential sponsor, including information such as the reason for the event, any themes, proposed size, duration, potential locations etc. The more information, the better. You can also highlight any background or history that is relevant. For example, is it an anniversary year for your brand or company, or even the event itself?
Information about your audience: take the time to explain any relevant information about your audience, including demographics, predicted attendance, levels of engagement with previous materials or events.
Reasons for sponsoring: this is the big one. You need to offer reasons why sponsoring you will benefit a business. This could be socially or financially, it could improve their reputation or offer positive publicity – whatever the benefits may be, make sure to include them.
Opportunities and sponsorship package information: following on from why they should sponsor you, this is the time to offer specific information on what you want, and what exactly you’re willing to offer. This could be a speaking slot at a conference, a physical presence at the event, their logo on the branding and marketing etc. By offering tiered sponsorship packages, brands can choose an option that works for them and their level of commitment.
Social proof and/or testimonies: your proposal should include information that supports your credibility, and shows you’re a viable and reliable brand to sponsor. You can include logos, information about previous events, or even testimonies from previous sponsors or teams you’ve worked with.
A call to action/next steps: never leave a proposal open-ended. Instead, always finish with a call to action that invites a potential sponsor to take the next steps in the relationship. This encourages them to respond in a timely manner.

Offer incentives

We’ve already said this; but, if an event sponsor is going to commit their time and money to your event, you’ll need to clearly explain what they will get in return. Offering incentives is a good way to encourage businesses to work with you and is usually part of a sponsorship package.

Your research should have shown what this brand’s aims are – so try to tailor the incentives offered in your proposal to align with these. For example, say you’re hosting a conference. If a potential event sponsor usually looks for ways to boost their industry reputation, offer a speaking slot to one of their members. Alternatively, if you’re running an industry networking event, you could offer to invite some of their team to attend for free.

Host your next event at ACC Liverpool

Knowing how to get a sponsor is one thing, but you should also choose a venue that can grow and succeed with you. At ACC Liverpool, we have a world-class events campus for you to explore. But it’s not just the Venue – working with us offers you the opportunity to connect with our dedicated in-house teams, utilise our incredible Services, and access our superb Inclusivity Toolkit.

Choosing Event Venues: Why Location Matters | How to Promote Sustainable Travel to Your Event | Exploring the Importance of Wellness at Events: A Guide

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