What Is Event Sponsorship & How Do I Incorporate It In My Next Event?
Event sponsorship can bring big rewards to all parties… And if you’ve found your way to this post because you are wondering what it looks like and who it can benefit then you have come to the right place!
We caught up with Sleeks “Event Sponsorship Savant” Alex Jackson who has over 15 specialist years of experience to find out more...
It may seem an obvious question… but it’s a good one to start with! What exactly is Event Sponsorship?
A great place to start! When a client hosts an event they can generate revenue by making certain aspects of it available for sponsorship.
The potential sponsors are generally either strategic partners, offer similar or complementary services, target a kindred customer demographic or they may simply wish to have their brand aligned with that of the event host.
Ok, so if one of Sleek's clients is hosting an event and I want my business to be a part of it, I can sponsor part of the event?
Exactly - the benefits to your business can mean brand exposure with something as simple as sponsoring digital signage or you can use it to generate direct sales by purchasing a booth for your Sales team to be face to face with potential clients on-site. It all depends on the event of course but ultimately anything can be sponsored - from the WiFi password through to the keynote address! It can get really creative and it doesn’t matter if the event is for 12 people or 12,000, we can create and manage opportunities to suit.
So how does an agency like Sleek fit into this process?
At Sleek, we are resourceful and versatile so that we can fit any way the event host wants us to! We can identify and package the sponsorship opportunities, we even handle sales too…… and we can manage the whole process!
For one client we created their sponsorship prospectus across the whole of EMEA which means analysing the hard costs vs margin in each location to ensure uniform pricing and benefits across the region.
One of our key strengths is managing the sponsor's experience once they have come on board.
We have a custom-built portal to assist with this which is honestly just brilliant. This bespoke piece of software is branded to the event host and enables us to create an incredibly streamlined experience for sponsors - they can find all the latest information in one place, upload their artwork, review what is still outstanding and so much more via an incredibly easy to use interface. The portal also allows our Sponsorship Team to easily generate & update emails and issue reminders. We are often working across multiple time zones so this is critical to providing a consistent very high standard of service.
And on the event itself?
We set up a help desk for sponsors so they feel fully supported on the day - There’s nothing like the buzz of being on-site and I love meeting the sponsors in person, seeing everything come together.
Ok so I’m hosting an event - why should I let Sleek manage the sponsorship?
Direct question!
Because the next time you host it you’ll have the same sponsors sign up again plus more…We have a very high rebooking rate and that’s due to our personable approach, ensuring a high standard of customer service and the loyalty it generates towards brands we manage events for.
Ultimately we have the experience, tools and creativity to generate revenue for the host and create real value for the brands sponsoring.
We hope this has helped you get to grips with what a Sleek Event Sponsorship could look like for you. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about Sleek (or the Events world in general!), please do give us a shout at hello@sleekevents.com. We’d love to hear from you.