8+ Sample Event Sponsorship Proposal

What Is an Event Sponsorship Proposal?

Event sponsorship proposal is a formal pitch to do business. It requires to be well-thought and it must contain adequate information for a company or prospect sponsor to get a detailed understanding of what it is being offered.

Companies would sponsor events in the expectation of moving their own brands or organizations forward. If an event shows an opportunity for them to do that, it will most probably be able to secure partners and improve the viewpoint of the event.

In addition, it should be renowned that not all events will be tempting to potential sponsors. For instance, internal events rarely offer enough value to other companies for them to participate in an event sponsorship opportunity—though there are exclusions.

What Is the Importance of Event Sponsorship?

The importance of event sponsorship is that it continues to be an efficient way of building and growing the prominence of a brand. Collaborating with the right event can be a flawless way of finding prospective clients, the competitors and imminent stakeholders, that is good for your business.

As for the coordinators, event sponsorship is the easiest way to guarantee maximum audience reach as it minimizes event costs for the participants, while also adding value. Additionally, for the participants, sponsorship means opportunities to partner up, promote, and join other businesses and stand in for each other’s needs.

Through various levels of sponsorship, packages can be prudently created to suit your brand’s specific needs and requirements, ensuring you take full advantage of every opportunity that event sponsorship conveys. Whether it is because you want to show you are moving into a new area, your business is a market leader, or you just merely want to improve your brand’s existence, event sponsorship could be the best boost your business needs.

What Is an Event Sponsor?

An event sponsor is a company that supports an event, usually by giving certain funds, in exchange of something valuable. Most of the time, this “something valuable” or “ex-deal” comes in the form of amplified brand exposure, public speaking opportunities at the event, access to attendee data, or reduced price on event tickets.

These sponsors may also be cautious of virtual events, comparable to how event planners worry about providing value for their virtual sponsors.

5 Benefits of Event Sponsorship

Events provide an audience. They provide access to a niche market which offers sponsors the opportunity to connect with an engaged audience whether it be sporting, business or networking events.Sponsorship packages are supple. The packages can be tailored explicitly to meet your brand’s needs since event packages are rarely pre-set.Events are tending to be more digital. Events have become more digital because of the use of social media and technology on the rise. This is a great advantage in terms of sponsorship as the spectators of the event can become wider online.Positive publicity. Sponsorships allow businesses to be known as supporting the community and contributing to its progress, forming vast goodwill.Boost Business Relations. Events give sponsors a chance to connect with new businesses, making new relationships and the opportunity to share about their brand.

Make that sponsorship proposal stand out in 4 ways:

By this point, to complete your sponsorship proposal with a wow factor, you need to really stand out. After drafting out your pitch deck, consider adding any of these four imaginative ideas to freshen up your content:

1. Social media difference

Exposure on social media can be a huge selling point for some potential sponsors. Here are a few ways to ramp up your social media offerings:

Advertise the event hashtag early. Start by causing excitement on platforms prior to the event. This is a truly effective low-cost benefit to sponsors. It is easy to create sponsor-approved posts using the event hashtag before the actual event.

Give the sponsor a place in push notifications. One more great benefit is to add sponsor approved push notification from your conference app. Ensure that the sponsor’s post is not a straight sales pitch, though. An effective notification places the sponsor as a thought leader which focuses on the sponsor’s benefit to the attendees. Remember that quality content is always the goal.

Go live. Facebook Live and Instagram Live events are great benefits to top-level sponsors. One selection could be for the conference moderator to hold a live chat with speakers after an education session. Make sure the speaker is aligned with the sponsor’s products and services.

2. Video series for sponsors

Produce a video series based on the live event content as well as specific sponsor goals, such as customer retention or sales leads. Hire a videographer to create videos that feature footage from live event and personal interviews with speakers, attendees, or sponsor representatives. These videos can be for useful for the sponsor’s website, social media feeds, and newsletters.

3. Create event restatements

After the event, write a white paper based on the content at the event, including the interviews with experts. Freelance writers are easy to hire at a reasonable hourly rate if you do not have a content manager on your staff. An event recap will be used for a co-branded email to “fostering” attendees by providing sales leads and branding for sponsors. A longer white paper will be created for the sponsor to use on a platform of their choosing: customer newsletter, website, blog, etc.

4. Offer a VIP package

A VIP program is a niche approach for top-level sponsorship proposals. This helps sponsors increase sales and lead generation within the framework of a traditional trade show.

How Do You Write an Event Sponsorship Proposal?

Securing sponsors is known as one of the top three most challenging aspects of the job as an event planner. It is connected with finding ways on how to reach new attendees, and thoroughly followed by booking speakers.

But still, enlisting a sponsor for your event does not have to be so difficult. This guide below will allow you methodically create, contact, and match with the perfect possible event sponsors for you:

Step 1: Be clear with your offer.

What makes your event so great? That is the question that is supposed to attempt to answer in your proposal. Include at least one part from each of the three following areas in a draft to make a well-versed argument:

  1. Expected results. Give direct benefits that you can convincingly promise the sponsor will see through partnering with your event. One of the most common advantages that gives impact to event sponsors include social media impressions, gathering new leads, and publicizing their brand or company to a new market.
  2. Marketing strategy. Build a solid plan that shows your potential for success because it will help them feel confident in their decision. Make sure to share with them some of your visions for the event as well. Be well-prepared!
  3. Target audience. Demographic material and data from past events are exclusively helpful when drafting your proposal. These things reveal all the ways a sponsorship is equally beneficial. Most sponsors join events to get exposure to overlying markets or get access to new reach or demographics.

Overall, each offer should show value to the potential sponsors. Value is an extensive term. But, look at the event through their perspective to quickly figure out which elements are the most interesting for their needs and goals.

Step 2: Draft a sponsorship proposal.

  1. Start with the introduction. A very likeable image paired with the company’s name, the potential sponsor’s name, and the date.
  2. Why the letter matters. A genuine explanation about the importance of your event and what sponsors can offer to help. All the amazing, data-supported ways you strategize to help them benefit from sponsoring this event.
  3. Meet the team. Discreetly encourage the viewer that your team is both dependable and qualified to deliver the proposed value by providing photos and brief bios that introduce their direct points of contact.
  4. Sponsorship levels. Lay out all their options if you plan to offer a few different packages or tiers.
  5. How they are going to be represented. Give a detailed presentation on how they can expect to see their sponsorship before, during, and after the event through online and in the actual location.

Step 3: Create a sponsor desired list.

Remain with the quality over quantity since you will be spending a lot of time into each possible option. There are three main criteria you should use when considering a potential sponsor:

  1. Your ultimate goal is to find a sponsor with a significant audience cross over. Ensure that the sponsor is a good fit with your company brand and your event.
  2. Location. This will depend on your products or services but, the location is a factor that needs to be considered if you expect a partner to send executives to the event.
  3. Sponsorship history. Most sponsors are already aware about the value of this type of partnership because they have been a part of it before and have had good results. They might however conduct an evaluation to see if your brand connects with theirs.

Step 4: Determine sponsor compatibility.

Make use of the charts when defining sponsorship by making your own spreadsheet that answers the following questions:

Rank your potential partners in order from most compatible to least for you to know whom you will be sending proposals to.

FAQs

Should a sponsorship package comprise accommodation and travel expenses?

Accommodation and travel expenses are not typically covered in a sponsorship package. However, there sure is a reduced room rate for the hotel accommodation.

What are the payment terms and conditions?

Generally, all sponsorship fees shall be settled ten (10) days from the invoice date or ten (10) calendar days before the event. Upon receipt of a signed agreement, an invoice will be issued to the sponsor. The event planner shall have no contractual obligation to the sponsor until it receives and accepts the offer with an authorized signature. If a sponsored event is cancelled, the planner will refund the sponsorship fee paid, less 25% for marketing and logistical expenses. On the other hand, the sponsor can apply the full sponsorship fee to the rescheduled event or another event within 12 months from the signing date of the agreement.

How do I send materials to the venue?

The contract details when and where the materials should be sent. A shipping label is included for an easy reference. Make sure to have these items delivered five (5) days before the event.

What benefits will I enjoy as a sponsor?

Networking lunches, refreshment breaks, and social events will allow you to meet with delegates, speakers, and other industry experts. Moreover, the event planner creates a perfect platform for you to reach a targeted audience, where you can expand your commercial network and increase business opportunities.

Additionally, the integrated marketing promotions will guarantee widespread exposure, and the thematic venue design will make you highly visible at the event. Event sponsorship is your most effective, all-in-one marketing strategy to achieve guaranteed results and business accomplishment.

Why are event sponsorships valuable?

This depends on the brand or organization and the kind of event you plan on hosting. But in general, securing event sponsors is worth the effort for two main reasons: Budget. Hosting an event is an expensive work. Ticket sales alone are rarely enough to break even—at least not while keeping ticket prices affordable. An event planner should be able to secure event sponsorships. Recently, nearly 58% of event marketers believe their event budget will reduce. If the predictions are true, event planners will be even more constrained to find sponsors to fund their events, be it in-person or virtual. Securing event sponsorship funds will let you plan a financially viable event and keep ticket prices down, ensuring more attendees will be able to attend and support. And with the recent shift to the barrier of entry and thus, means greater reach for event planners. Resources. Sponsors may be able to give your event with other resources and perks beyond just money and reliability. For instance, maybe your event partners with a local restaurant. In exchange for promoting their business to all of your guests and participants, they will allow you to use their event space and will provide catered lunches. Some other perk that sponsoring companies can provide is enlarged exposure for your event. For example, say a customer of a sponsoring company is browsing and checking that particular sponsor’s social media feed and sees that they have partnered with you. The customer may decide to attend your event because they trust and the sponsoring company.

It is hard to prepare and take event sponsorship proposals to a whole new level when you have less idea and experience. However, by making sure you have genuine intentions, businesses will eventually look forward to celebrating more events with you in the forthcoming. Always make sure to speak about how everything will benefit them and in turn, how your relationship with them will eventually flourish and grow together.

The thing about events is that it does not just bring people together, it also leaves good memories that can still be doable in the next event. Being able to communicate properly will result to what you are expecting. Just be honest and ensure everything is laid out really well to avoid conflict.