How to Leverage Your Position as an Event Sponsor

Among the many different ways to market your products or services to your consumer-base, event sponsorship provides a unique opportunity for brands to gain meaningful access to their target audiences while establishing a face-to-face human connection. To best capitalize on your investment, ensure that you’ve done your demographic research, as you want to make the most of your time and resources. Event sponsorship is extremely valuable because it provides a charitable opportunity to align your brand with the values of an event and presents you with on-the-ground experiential marketing influence that other forms of marketing can’t deliver. Here are some ways your brand can make the most of event sponsorship.

Establish a lasting, mutually beneficial relationship

Sponsoring an event provides your brand the opportunity to establish a mutually beneficial relationship between you, event organizers, suppliers and other vendors; relationships that you can nurture as your business grows. The key to developing a relationship with your event vendor is finding a clutch point-of-contact. It’s likely you’ll be put in contact with someone in a designated sponsorship role, but it’s vitally important that this person can liaise with you on your specific brand needs, get back to you in a timely manner, answer your questions and deliver on your activation needs.   Typically, events have pre-determined sponsorship packages for you to work within, but don’t be afraid to ask about customization (of course, within reason). Events typically provide benefits including featured ads, branded signage and radio spots for their sponsors, but don’t be afraid to get creative within the boundaries they’ve set or work with your contact to establish some wiggle-room, if possible. Just remember, the more services you require from a vendor, the more liberal you’ll need to be with your dollar amount. Who knows, the right partnership between an event vendor and your brand might just lead to an amazing brand marketing opportunity that attendees grow to anticipate year after year!

Increase visibility in a way people care about

It goes without saying that sponsoring an event is a valuable opportunity to increase brand awareness. Depending on your level of sponsorship, event attendees could drink from cups with your logo on it, hear your brand’s messaging during intermission, or even strike up a conversation with your brand ambassador.   Avoid only providing swag. Yes people love free things. And yes, they will walk around the event carrying your branded items, but what is the benefit they’re receiving from that empty water bottle? Is it an outdoor event on a hot day, with an opportunity for them to fill it with water? If it doesn’t provide utility, it’s extra weight to carry around, or another item destined for landfill. For more ideas on how to engage your audience and establish connections, learn about experiential marketing with Reef.

Get in early

If possible, be the first in this space. Being the first of your competition to sponsor an event and go where your consumers are (and your competition is not) allows you to make a human connection, free of distractions. Build lasting relationships with vendors and strengthen your brand’s image by associating it with your chosen event allows you to carve out a space year after year for your brand. Why would an event sponsorship team approach anyone else when you worked together so well last year? Get in early, make a splash, and keep returning with cool and innovative ideas.

Strengthen customer relations

Set yourself apart from your competition by turning event attendees into your loudest supporters by engaging one-on-one with them. Being on the ground at an event provides your brand the opportunity to make a human connection that traditional marketing can’t give you. Hire people to be the face of your brand that can speak passionately about your products or services. If you’ve chosen the right event, event attendees will have heard of your brand, or may have even tried your products before, so now is your chance to elevate their perception and invite them behind the scenes to connect with you.   Event sponsorship can be a huge undertaking, but don’t let that dissuade you from jumping in and making a huge brand splash! At Reef, we can help you find the right event to work with and elevate your live marketing activation with fresh ideas and custom fabrications.