Many benefits you can offer sponsors

By Kim Harrison,

Consultant, Author and Principal of www.cuttingedgepr.com

Are you scratching your head trying to work out what goodies you can offer to entice potential sponsors? The following 59 ideas can help as thought starters for you. Don’t take all the suggestions literally – you should use the list to spark further ideas that uniquely suit your own event. You can use the benefits in different combinations for different levels of sponsorship and different types of companies you are pursuing.

But firstly you should conduct research on each potential sponsor to identify the types of benefits you think they would be most attracted to. You can look at previous sponsorships in which they have been engaged, review their current sponsorship policy or even phone them to talk with the executive responsible for sponsorships. Tailoring the benefits to their specific interests is the best way to approach a sponsor. And state in your proposal document that you have specially prepared the benefits to suit their requirements. That’s the sort of statement they want to see.

These days, sponsors want more than television exposure. They want creative ways to develop a relationship with current and potential customers. They want to connect more strongly to their customers.Ideally, the way to start doing this is to use market research to find out about the composition of the target audience. Sponsors want to integrate the sponsorship into their customer relationship and marketing programs. The sponsorship is used to enhance the audience’s emotional connection to the sponsor's brand through their experience with the event or activity. The onus is therefore on you to use a big creative idea supported by various sponsor benefits.

Fifty nine ideas for benefits are outlined below:

1. Overall naming rights

2. Naming rights to a physical section, area or group

3. Naming rights for a given time period such as part of a day at an exhibition, trade show or sports event, a full day, weekend or week

4. Naming rights for an event-based award or trophy

5. Naming rights to one of several events

6. Naming rights to a related or minor event

7. Major sponsorship

8. Supporting sponsorship

9. Official product status

10. Preferred supplier status

11. Exclusivity among sponsors at a given level

12. Use of logos, images or trademarks

13. Merchandising rights

14. Product endorsement

15. Input into choice of venue, route or timing

16. Choice of sponsor venue for launch, main event or supporting event

17. On-site product sampling opportunities

18. Demonstration or display opportunities

19. Perimeter signage – full, partial or non-telecast view

20. Event signage, exclusive or non-exclusive

21. Signage on buildings, structures, vehicles, competitor uniforms, event staff

22. Hospitality – tickets to the event, tickets to corporate boxes, reserved seating etc

23. Introductions to celebrities (‘talent’)

24. Customized hospitality event to suit the sponsor’s VIP audience

25. Internet-related benefits such as content for the sponsor website

26. Provision of ‘web events’ created especially such as chat with ‘talent’

27. Banner or pull-through ads on the event website

28. Promotion or contest on the event website

29. Naming rights to the event website

30. Loyalty benefits – access to the event or area for a target group

31. Early access to tickets before public sales

32. Blocks of tickets for loyal customers, eg sports grand final or other sports

33. Database marketing – access to event-generated database for direct mailing

34. Opportunity to provide inserts to event-based mail outs

35. Opportunity to use database to draw prizes, tickets etc

36. Participation in the event by employees, shareholders

37. Access to discounts, merchandise etc

38. Provision of ‘talent’ to meet with selected staff

39. Related creation of an event specifically for staff

40. Establishment of staff volunteer program

41. Opportunity to set up staff recruitment display and desk

42. Distribution of staff recruitment information

43. Inclusion in all media releases and other media contacts

44. Communication program for sponsor’s market – consumer or trade

45. Ticket entitlements, signage, samplings at related events, parties, receptions, shows, launches

46. Specially designed new event to suit sponsor

47. Production of point-of-sale material for sponsor to distribute

48. Sponsor provision of ‘talent’ to enhance association

49. Proofs of purchase for discount admission, parking, merchandise

50. Opportunity to provide prizes for media or promotional activities

51. Coupons or advertising on the reverse side of tickets

52. Coupon redemption opportunities

53. Inclusion in all advertising and event promotional pieces

54. Promotional media advertising based on the event

55. Advertising in event program or catalogue

56. Opportunity to provide contra – free equipment, services, technology or staff as part of the value of the sponsorship deal

57. Rights to input into the organization of main sponsor-related events such as hospitality arrangements and awards

58. Support of a sponsor’s worthy cause – involve the sponsor’s nominated charity in the event or activity

59. Donation of some of the ticket revenue to the sponsor’s nominated charity

About the Author

Kim Harrison is a recognized authority in the public relations field. His website, www.cuttingedgepr.com, provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on public relations techniques and management.