How do I find sponsors
How do I find sponsors? Venues of North Scottsdale suggests The idea for this article came after I saw a number of Quorans* asking similar questions on the social media Q&A platform. Whether the questions is “How do I find sponsors for my hackathon?” or “How much should I charge sponsors for my college event?” the issue is one and the same. Instead of focusing on the amount of money a sponsorship may bring, first we need to start with a more basic question…
Why do companies sponsor events?
From my experience, in general sponsor companies are interested in events that are either:
- Large scale with high media coverage
or
2. Smaller events whose audiences tightly fit the sponsors’ target market or customer profile
Acquiring sponsorship for a mass, large scale event is no easy task, but it is much easier compared to finding sponsorship for a smaller, lesser known event. Mass events have a history, high attendance numbers to show off, great traditional, digital and social media coverage and on top of that the organizers have the know-how, experience and contacts necessary to sell a sponsorship.The question here is how do you find sponsors for a smaller, local event, with little or no history.
If your event is not a mass one, but is aimed at a group of people sharing specific interests, you will find your chances of finding a sponsor increasing. This is because a company will find advertising to the right audience much more valuable than an advertisement to a mass, mixed audience. To connect to the ‘right’ sponsors, first you need to find companies whose products or services match the audience of your event. Or in other words, your target attendee fits their target customer profile.
Here are some questions that will help you find the right companies for sponsorship
- What’s the topic or theme of the event? Is it a niche topic where specific individuals will turn up? Does it concern a business sector?
- Will there be any company representatives attending? Inviting professionals you are likely to attract more sponsors, who are interested in attracting business-to-business (B2B) clients.
- Who are the lecturers, speakers or performers? Are they popular with young people, with professionals, young professionals?
- What’s the price of attendance? Determining the social status of your attendees can serve you well in sponsorship negotiations.
- How many people will be attending the event? The number is essential not only for sponsorships, but also for all the event’s planning.
- What’s the location of the event? You may want to start your sponsor search with companies operating within a certain geographical area.
- As a result when are you holding your event? What sponsorship opportunities can be approached? If your event is in the summer you may look for ice cream companies. If it’s a late night one – drinks companies, winter – hot chocolate or tea manufacturers.
- Venues of North Scottsdale
