Uppsala Convention Bureau

How to be successful with your sponsoring

Sponsoring is about creating business benefits for three parties – for you as the organiser, the company as the sponsor and primarily for your target group.

Selling sponsoring means that you as organiser sell the right to be associated with your meeting or event and a target group that consumes what you are doing. Sponsoring is an easy way for companies to reach target groups when they are at their most passionate and observant.

How to be successful with sponsoring

  1. You have to do your homework before you can sell sponsoring effectively. You have to know your target group, read our segment on measurement and analysis of your meeting or event. You should also have a business plan that you can easily communicate; see our section on Planning tools.
  2. Selling sponsoring takes time – it’s largely about relationships. You should start your sales pitch at least a year in advance to get a good result. Therefore, you should include it in your business and project plan.
  3. The most common driving forces behind companies who offer sponsorship can generally be summarised as follows:
    • to create knowledge of and preference for the company
    • to sell goods or a service
    • to do something for their staff or customers

Find out and listen carefully to the challenges that the companies have. Discuss the objectives of a sponsorship. Help the companies be creative. You are the one who knows your target group, what they like, what they don’t like. Agree on a target that you can contribute to achieve.

  1. Help the companies to activate their sponsorship. Company law is only an entry ticket into the target group; it is then up to the companies to make the most of that entry ticket. As organiser, you can and should help the companies to activate their sponsorship in such a way that adds something to the target group. You will benefit from this.
  2. Get paid correctly. How many contacts with the target group can you offer? What is it worth to your company? What difference can you make to how the target group recognises a particular brand? Value what you have and dare to charge – if you have data on the effects, it is much easier to get paid correctly.
  3. Measure, measure, measure! If you want to retain and create new collaborations, the most effective way is through knowing the most about your event, your target group and the effects of the collaboration that you are offering. It is therefore key that you spend a lot of time and energy on reporting back on the effects of the sponsor collaboration and provide suggestions on how it could be better – be proactive! This point succeeds in getting organisers to do the implementing, but is in huge demand by companies purchasing sponsoring (they must be able to justify their investments).

More good tips:

What goods and services do you need to hold your event or meeting? Keep an eye on your costs – these are largely sponsorable, as it is generally easier to make a decision for a company to sponsor with its goods and services rather than providing a project with money. Cost reductions can therefore be an effective way to get going with sponsorship.

How can you extend your event or meeting? How do you communicate with your target group before and after? This should also be included in your sponsorship offer.