Attract sponsors to your Hybrid Events

Sponsorship is a very profitable aspect of events (live, digital, and hybrid) and is something you ought to consider as an organiser.

Let’s now explore 6 tips for putting together attractive sponsorship packages.

1. BE AWARE OF THEIR GOALS

Suppliers who pay to sponsor your event aren't doing you a favour; they're paying because they expect a high return on investment. Make sure you understand their objectives and main goals for sponsoring so you can help them as much as possible. Is it a lead generation strategy? What is the brand's level of awareness? What about a product launch?

Whatever their reason for sponsoring, make sure you understand what they want and how you can assist them in achieving it.

If you believe the partnership will be profitable, you could also tailor your packages to specific sponsors. Remember that the better their experience (and ROI), the more likely they are to partner with your future events.

It's also worth noting that there are two kinds of audiences here: in-person and virtual. Make certain that you understand what your sponsors hope to gain from both, and structure the packages accordingly.

2. CREATE VARIOUS TYPES OF PACKAGES

Understanding your sponsors' aims and objectives is critical, but so is being adaptable in order to accommodate these objectives. Make different tiers to accommodate various budgets. Why not provide three or four distinct package tiers? (For instance –, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum). This will provide a sense of exclusivity to the top tiers while also encouraging sponsors with smaller budgets to participate.

Make sure there's enough of a difference between each tier; otherwise, sponsors might pick the cheapest option if it's nearly identical to the most expensive. Make your packages with the sponsor in mind; which package would you select and why?

Standardised packages are great for helping sponsors visualise what sponsorship might look like for them. But if the packages aren't tailored to their objectives, then they won't be effective, and they will not be on board.

3. OFFER A VARIETY OF BRANDING OPPORTUNITIES

A hybrid event offers numerous branding opportunities. In addition to all of the standard venue branding, sponsors can get front and centre on the virtual event platform you're using for the virtual audience.

Here are some examples of branding opportunities:

• Venue branding, pamphlets, and other marketing materials

• Session sponsorship or participation on panels

• Sponsoring networking breaks

• Branding on the virtual event platform, such as the homepage, push notifications, delegate emails, and in-session advertisements

4. GIVE SPONSORS ACCESS TO BOTH TYPES OF AUDIENCES

Provide them with the resources they need to reach both in-person and virtual attendees. Engaging with an in-person audience is relatively simple, but they may need some help engaging with a virtual audience at the same time.

Allow them to choose between having two separate booths (one in-person and one on the virtual platform) or simply having an extra company representative on the physical booth to handle virtual meetings and enquiries.

It is in your best interests as the organiser to ensure that the virtual audience has access to the sponsors and vice versa - you must provide value to both sponsors and attendees, so don't neglect either.

5. PROVIDE THEM WITH DETAILED REPORTING

Companies will not sponsor an event unless they understand how beneficial it will be to them. Show previous event statistics to potential sponsors, inform them about the metrics you will be able to measure, and provide a sample data insight report. Sponsors must be confident in their ability to demonstrate ROI to their stakeholders and have complete visibility of their specific metrics.

Here are some examples of common data insights that sponsors will expect:

• Attendance figures

• Demographics and contact information for attendees

• How many leads did they obtain?

• Booth traffic statistics (online and in-person)

• Stats on engagement

• Survey responses and or feedback from social media

6. MANAGING YOUR SPONSORS DURING THE PROCESS

Sponsors may be unfamiliar with the format of a hybrid event, so provide them with a comprehensive event guide, including how it will work, what it means for them as sponsors, and all the tools and information they'll need to avoid stress on the day. Giving them access to the virtual event platform, any passwords, instructions on how to set up their virtual booth, and so on are all part of this.

Keeping sponsors informed is critical to ensuring that everyone has a positive experience.