Why are theater seats always red? (and what that has to do with experience)

How do you attract sponsors and partners for your event? For many events, ticket sales revenue only covers a portion of the costs. If you also don't have a large budget, sponsorship and partnerships can offer a solution. But how do you actually secure sponsors and partners for your event?

It is not easy to attract sponsors for the event you are organizing. You will need to take plenty of time to find and connect with companies. A convincing sponsorship proposal is important in this regard. But before you can draft that, it is good to understand why companies sponsor events. By thinking about how you can create value for a sponsor with your event, the chance of finding the right sponsor is much greater.

Drivers

You will have to ask yourself: What’s in it for them? Because by sponsoring your event, a company will also want to achieve something. This could be, for example:
• Building awareness for a brand, new product, or service
• Generating new leads
• Getting in touch with potential employees or cooperation partners

If you know what the key drivers are for companies looking for sponsorship opportunities, you can capitalize on them. You can offer options for banner ads or sampling, but perhaps a company would benefit more from publishing content on your well-visited event website, or would value being able to directly connect with your event visitors. By including a list of sponsorship opportunities that your event has to offer in your sponsorship proposal, you make it clear how your event can contribute to, for example, greater brand awareness or lead to more revenue.

Partnerships

A partnership goes a step further than a sponsorship deal. Here, you enter into an intensive and sometimes even long-term collaboration with a company, from which you both benefit. For example, you can connect a knowledge partner to your event who provides the keynote speakers. Or a tech partner who uses their technology to create a true experience for visitors. Brand fit is a prerequisite for a partnership. Partners must be a good match for each other; only then will a partnership be a success for both parties.

Own network 

Then the question remains: which companies are you going to approach? To find potential sponsors, social media can be an effective tool. Through social media, you can quickly find out if you serve the same target group and if your values align. Or look at which brands have sponsored similar events. They might also be interested in your event. But the greatest opportunities lie with companies in your own network or those you have done business with in the past. This means potential sponsors and partners are often closer than you think.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Meerbusiness (@meerbussinesamsterdam) on Jan 28, 2019 at 5:39am PST

Organizing an event in Amsterdam? Theater Amsterdam is the place for congresses, conferences, or concerts. Want to know more? Feel free to contact us.