Getting corporate sponsorship is not easy, but certainly not impossible. Whatever type of event you are hosting, you can get sponsors. The only thing you should keep in your mind is never underestimate your work and experience — don’t think you are too small or possess less experience to ask for big sponsorship. If you don’t have knowledge/experience, surround yourself with people carrying more experience than you.
Don’ demean your value — always remember by asking for event sponsorship you are helping a company market itself. It’s a give and take relationship!
Here are the top five tips you should follow to attract corporate sponsorship for your event.
How to Get Corporate Sponsorship?
1. Research about your potential sponsors — You should know the potential sponsor well before sending the initial enquiry. Typically, sponsor are companies with huge advertising or marketing budget, big renowned companies, or new companies trying to establish their brand.
2. Draft a great sponsor proposal — It has to be very convincing! Start with story to make an emotional connection with the reader — the story could be of yours/company or of someone whose life you changed. It should clearly mention your mission statement — what you do and why you do. Your proposal should highlight all the important details — the expected footfalls, the type of audience that will be attending the event, the marketing opportunities at the event etc. Your proposal should show them the benefits they’ll get if they sponsor your event. It should describe/sketch the theme of your event.
3. Approach the right person in the company and understand them — Once you have a list of potential sponsor, contact them and find out who is responsible for buying sponsorship for events. The contact person depends on the size of the company:
· Small companies — owner or director
· Mid-size companies — marketing or advertising manager
· Large companies — a person dedicated specially for this (the designation may vary from company to company)
Send them the proposal and follow-up to fix a meeting. Always be on time or early for an appointment. In the initial meeting, try to understand the company’s expectations — what are they expecting out of an event sponsorship — of course advertising, but in what way or through which mean? Do they need huge media coverage? Are they looking for access to a specific type of audience? Editorial media coverage? Have a clear expectation chart before promising anything. Remember, this is a relationship business!
4. Enter into a legal agreement — When you and your event sponsor have decided the best package to meet your requirements, put this in a legal agreement. Add details like terms of payment, logo specifications, and benefits to attendees from the sponsoring company and so on. Legal advice is essential to confirm the contract is reasonable to both the parties.
5. Supply post event details — Once the event is done, be prepared to roll out each of your sponsor with evidence that you fulfilled your obligations. This could be the copies of the media coverage, event photo and videos, generated impressions, facts & figures in the desired form etc. Also send them formal thank-you letters/emails.
