Sponsors. Those lovely folks who help foot the bill and promote your event. But how on earth do you get them to notice you, let alone commit?
Whether you’re orchestrating a festival that rivals Glastonbury or a webinar that only your mum and her book club might attend, the same rules apply.
The secret sauce? Creating an offer that’s so irresistible, sponsors will be tripping over themselves to work with you.
That’s why we’ve created this guide.
At Eventbrite, we support a bustling community of event creators seeking sponsorships. Our 2023 Event Trends Report even revealed that a quarter of our creators harness the power of sponsorships to craft unforgettable experiences for potential customers.
This guide will take you on a whirlwind tour of eight expert-approved steps to bag those event sponsors. We’ll also delve into the different sponsorship types, how to align sponsors with your event marketing strategy, and a whole lot more.
Table of contents
Why is it important to get sponsorship for your upcoming event?
How does event sponsorship work?
How to get sponsored in 8 simple steps
Why is it important to get sponsorship for your upcoming event?
Let’s not beat around the bush: Event costs are rising.
According to CWT’s latest Global Business Travel Forecast, the average cost per attendee for business meetings and events has gone up from around £125 in 2022 to a forecasted £137 in 2024. Energy prices, travel expenses, and food prices have all had an impact on costs for venue owners and event creators — which is why we’ve seen scores of popular UK venues struggling to stay open.
Yet, while event costs are going up, creators tell us their budgets are pretty much static. Our 2023 Eventbrite Trends Report found that “insufficient budget” is now the top concern expressed by event creators — and it’s a bigger concern among UK creators than in any other country we surveyed. Only 38% of event creators said they were expecting their budgets to increase in 2023.
To keep providing guests with a great experience, you need to bridge that gap. That’s why 23% of UK event creators are now using sponsorship deals or partnerships with brands as a source of revenue to fund events.
Sponsorships can make up for any budget shortfalls to meet the rising expectations of your customer base and provide amazing events. You’ve just got to make sure you understand how sponsorships work and know where to find potential sponsorship opportunities.
How does event sponsorship work?
In its most basic form, event sponsorship is when a business or some other organisation provides financial assistance or resources to help facilitate the planning and operation of an event.
But there are a few different types of sponsorship opportunities out there. The most common partnerships you’ll see are:
- Monetary sponsorship: when a business owner offers a cash injection to support an event
- In-kind sponsorship: when sponsors provide goods or services instead of monetary support
- Brand sponsorship (or brand partnership): when you accept resources from a company and offer them access to your name, branding, and reputation as a result
For example, you might sell a sponsorship package that enables a company to use your logo on its website and brag about sponsoring your event for one year. On the flip side, you might accept sponsor funding in exchange for agreeing to put your sponsor’s name and logo on all of your marketing materials.
How to get sponsored in 8 simple steps
Now that we’ve chewed over the why’s and how’s of sponsorship and the myriad of deals you can clinch, let’s talk about crafting and securing bespoke sponsorship opportunities.
To crack that nut, we’ve picked the brains of several industry experts and business owners from across the UK. They’ve dished out some pro tips that’ll help you secure the funding and support you need to create stellar events.
Step 1: Understand why companies sponsor events
What are the benefits of event sponsoring? Sponsorship is a marketing technique that brands use to connect with potential customers and build an engaged audience (aka your attendees). This means the sponsors you’re seeking have a goal in mind.
“As an event planner, the onus is to research and understand potential sponsors, values, and goals,” says Karina Garibay, chief of staff at female-founded events agency 196.
“We need to be well-versed in what benefits a potential sponsor can gain, such as exposure, networking, media attention, or lead generation. We must also be prepared to advise a potential beneficiary of whether a sponsor can bring value without compromising their reputation.”
Access to specific audiences
Events are good at bringing people together who share a common interest. Through sponsorships, brands can tap into a target audience. This is especially useful for advertising to clients a company wouldn’t otherwise reach.
Brand awareness
Event sponsorship allows businesses to advertise their name, products, and services. Like TV adverts and billboards, displaying your branding across a festival generates leads.
Brand credibility
People notice if a business volunteers at a fundraiser or supports community events. Sponsorships increase a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Shared publicity
You and your sponsors can share mutual benefits by partnering. This can be especially true when partnering with a local business. For example, a local bookstore at a festival attracting thousands provides the experience of a unified community front for all involved.
Recruit new employees or community members
Through sponsorships, brands can advertise partnering and job opportunities to the public. This reduces the time and money spent on recruiting.
Step 2: Choose the right sponsors for your event
The ideal sponsor will be as excited to work with you as you are to work with them.
Sometimes, they’re right around the corner from you. Other times, it takes some digging to find them. Use proven marketing methods to make the search easier.
Identify your audience
To find sponsors that fit your audience, learn about your attendees — their interests, key behaviours, and spending habits.
There are several places to start mining this information.
- Your event ticketing platform: Depending on the information attendees provide when registering, you already have a built-in database of demographics.
- Tracking technology: Who’s visiting your website? Tools like Google Analytics will tell you where they live, what sites they visit, and where they land on your site.
- Social media: If you advertise on social channels like X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram, you have access to lots of data. Facebook’s “Audience Insights,” for example, can tell you what pages your target audience has liked and how they spend their money online. Use Eventbrite marketing tools to make this process more streamlined.
Looking at these various sources of data, you might learn that more than half of your target audience likes winery pages. In that case, a wine shop would be a smart sponsor. Or you might find that 70% of those who clicked on your ad live within a single city. So if you want a local sponsor, you should concentrate on a sponsor from that area.
Find brands that align with your fans
Make a broad list of companies that align with your fans’ interests.
“Selecting the right sponsors requires aligning their values and target audience with your event’s objectives,” explains Renae Smith, founder of The Atticism PR & Brand Development.
“Consider brands that resonate with your event’s theme and message. A harmonious partnership enhances the authenticity of the collaboration and provides a more impactful experience for attendees.”
For example, if your attendees like camping, include outdoor retailers on your list. If they express an interest in luxury travel, spas and resorts should be on the table. If they show an interest in art, local galleries and supply stores will be good options.
Then, get specific. Start making a list of brands you’d like to approach.
You might know that you want to woo breweries, for instance — but which ones? According to Statista, there are 2,426 breweries in the UK.
One way to filter is by browsing social media to determine which of these breweries would resonate with your attendees. What brands are trending? Does one specialise in gluten-free beer?
Research companies and similar events
Once you have a list of organisations, start digging deeper. Scroll through their socials and check their websites. What topics do they promote? Have they sponsored events before?
Then, work in reverse. Look up events like yours and find out who sponsored them. There’s a good chance your event will also interest those companies.
Step 3: Use online tools to find potential sponsors
Contacting successful leads the first time around saves you time and money. Online platforms can help you identify strong potential sponsors. They work as a marketplace for event planners and brands who want to become sponsors.
Pick a platform that fits your style, such as:
- Sponseasy: a user-friendly application for identifying leads and designing aesthetic proposals. Use it to pitch, sell, and close sponsorships.
- SponsorMyEvent: used by some of the biggest names in the industry. It facilitates relationships between sponsors and event planners.
- SponsorPark: a strategic marketing consultancy. The platform strengthens partnerships between events and sponsors with a curated touch.
- SponsorPitch: uses analytics to provide data-driven leads at your fingertips. Choose them to identify sponsors and analyse your competition.
- OpenSponsorship: focuses on sports, athletes, and teams, so it’s suitable for events or audiences in the sports entertainment category.
Once you have your shortlist of potential sponsors, it’s time to create a pitch.
Sell out your event with a professional listing on Eventbrite.
Step 4: Create an event sponsorship proposal letter
A strong proposal secures sponsors. Your proposal should be short, snappy, and supportive of your broader sales pitch. Prepare yours from scratch or use our event sponsorship email templates.
Having a solid introduction or follow-up in the form of a PDF or PowerPoint presentation can play a pivotal role in your success. These are called sponsorship pitch decks.
Once your pitch is ready, it’s time to reach out to the potential sponsors on your shortlist.
Step 5: Approach key decision-makers to sponsor your event
Not sure how to approach sponsors for an event? There are many ways to kick off the relationship. Especially with local business sponsorships, you may already share a mutual friend or have met the person in real life.
Strike up a conversation with any contacts you have at the company and see if you can get the name of a sponsorship decision-maker.
If you’re starting from scratch, getting to the right person can take time. Don’t give up. Try reaching out through LinkedIn, social media, or the internet’s oldest and most trusted tool: email.
The effectiveness of your event sponsorship email often depends on the quality of your writing.
To help you out, we brought in Taylor Price, Brand and Content Marketing Lead at Observable and former Creative Strategy Manager at Grammarly.
“When it comes to email, words matter,” says Price. “The words you choose need to convince someone that your email is worth opening. And that starts with a good subject line.”
Here are seven cold business email event sponsorship guidelines to take note of:
1. Give sponsors a reason to open your email
As you begin to approach brands for business sponsorship, remember that your goal is not to sell sponsorship.
“The average person receives over 120 emails a day,” says Price. “If your subject line asks too much or comes off as needy, it’s likely to end up in the trash.”
Instead, write a subject line that gives the sponsor context for why you’re reaching out to them.
“Imagine you made contact with someone that works for a prospective sponsor at a recent networking event,” Price says.
“If you’re convinced they’d remember you favourably, it’s always helpful to bring it up.”
A subject line that says “Met you at [event]. Let’s connect!” sets the context for your message and extends an invitation to continue the relationship. The same strategy works when emailing a referral, too. All you have to do is say, “[Referrer name] recommended I get in touch.”
2. Start off strong
Convincing a prospective sponsor to open your email is just the beginning. Your next challenge is keeping their attention — come off too pushy, and they’ll wonder why they opened it in the first place.
The same applies if you aren’t clear about what you are asking. For example, avoid overused phrases like “hope you’re doing well.”
“It’s a stock opening that we’re all too familiar with,” Price says. “For in-person conversations, it’s socially mandated. But on email, you risk sounding insincere.”
There are better ways to break the ice and get down to business.
“If you’re writing a high-stakes email that needs to get results, it never hurts to do your homework,” says Price.
“You don’t have to stalk someone on social media but doing a little research can go a long way. Include a sentence or two at the opening of your email to show you’re familiar with the recipient’s work.”
Let’s say your prospect was recently recognised as an industry leader by a well-respected publication. A brief note congratulating them on their accomplishments shows that you’re interested in their goals.
3. Mention connections
“Again, mentioning a mutual connection is a huge plus,” says Price. “People are much more receptive if you’ve been referred by someone they know and respect.”
While it’s important to give context to your relationship with the sponsor, don’t write a novel. Once you’ve briefly mentioned your mutual connection, transition into the purpose of your email.
Here’s an example: “I recently had lunch with [referrer name], who shared some of your ideas. I was blown away! I think your approach would be a perfect fit for a project I’m working on.”
4. Seek their expert opinion
Remember: sponsorship is supposed to be a win-win. Make your prospective sponsor feel like a resource. “We like to be thought of as experts,” says Price. “We like to know that our opinions matter.”
The key to success, according to Price, is making your request seem effortless. “Keep in mind that you’re not the only person asking for their time,” he says. “If you let them know how long your request will take, they’ll be more likely to respond — and commit.”
You can demonstrate your respect for their time by keeping your request concise. “Spare 15 minutes to give your expert feedback” is only eight words long and perfectly articulates the request.
5. Ask for the referral or meeting
By now, the potential sponsor should know who you are and what you’re doing. The last piece of the puzzle is telling them what you want them to do. Be explicit and include a clear call to action.
“Would you be able to put me in touch with [referrer name]?” or “Does 3pm work for a phone call?” are questions that ask them to commit.
Step 6: Persuade companies to sponsor your event
Winning over potential sponsors takes more than mutual connections and a savvy pitch. To get sponsored, you’ll need to prove the value of sponsoring your event.
“Data plays a crucial role in demonstrating the potential return on investment for sponsors,” says Renae Smith.
“Provide metrics from previous events, such as attendee demographics, engagement, and post-event reach, to showcase the value sponsors can gain from the partnership.”
Here are five key pieces of data that’ll help you secure event sponsorships.
1. Attendee demographics
Sponsors want to know if your event attracts their target audience. Go beyond age, gender, and location. Provide education level, job title, and income to determine purchasing power.
2. Non-attendee demographics
Your guests aren’t the only people attending your event.
You might have vendors, media coverage, and other sponsors onboard. It’s worth noting who they are and which audiences they reach. This data helps sponsors evaluate the broader exposure their brand will receive.
3. Ticket / registration sales
Matthew Baron, CEO at Wholesale Nuts And Dried Fruit, says his small company has provided sponsorship for 22 different charities and events — but points out that he’s learned his lesson supporting events without any hard data to support them.
“Sometimes, I will send 200 bags of dried mango, nobody shows up, then the organisers are eating mango treats for the next 12 months,” he says.
“[Event planners] need to have some commitment from people before I send them bags of food.”
That’s where your sales information can come to the rescue and secure you a valuable in-kind partnership. Telling potential sponsors that your event has sold out is a powerful indicator that you’re worth partnering with.
4. Results generated by previous sponsors
Give sponsor ROI data from previous events you’ve hosted. If you’re planning your first event, do some market research to try and make reasonable projections.
5. Event mentions
Track when, where, and how often your event is mentioned on social media, websites, blogs, and news sites. The more in demand your event appears, the more attractive a partnership will be.
Step 7: Offer different sponsorship packages
Use sponsorship packages to give partners a clear idea of how much to offer and what they can expect in return.
Different levels of sponsorship help show how the benefits increase with the cost of sponsorship. Many event creators have one main sponsor with exclusive benefits.
Here’s an example of a three-tiered sponsor package:
Gold – £50,000
- Opportunity to address all event attendees in a speaker session
- Brand logo on the cover of all printed event materials and brand profile page
- Main event slide with brand logo and social media handles
- 20 social media posts to promote attendance before the event
- Exhibition stand 6m x 6m
- One-page ad in the event brochure
- Three guest blog posts on the event website
- A key interview in the event podcast
- Website entry
- Sole branding of delegate goodie bags
- The main sponsor of the delegate drinks networking event
Silver – £10,000
- Brand profile page in printed event materials
- Small logo on sponsor page event slides
- 10 social media posts to promote attendance before the event
- Exhibition stand 3m x 3m
- Chance to hold a 30-minute speaker session on a side stage of the event
- Free printed leaflet in the delegate goodie bags
- Attendance to delegate drinks networking event
Bronze – £5,000
- Brand profile page in printed event materials
- Small logo on sponsor page of conference slides
- Two social media posts to promote attendance before the event
- Exhibition pop-up stand 2m x 2m
- Attendance to delegate drinks networking event
Some of the other event sponsorship packages that you could consider are having one sponsor for each activity or area (e.g., keynote speeches or breakout sessions), giving restaurant-industry sponsors a vending booth at the event, or including sponsors in virtual events through branding, speaker sessions, or goodie bag deliveries.
Step 8: Thank your sponsors
Make sure your sponsors feel valued. This promotes positive word-of-mouth around your event and lasting relationships.
“Showing gratitude to event sponsors is essential for maintaining strong relationships,” says Renae Smith. “Recognising their contribution publicly and acknowledging their impact on the event’s success goes a long way.”
Here are some methods you could use to thank your sponsors.
1. Thank them during the event
Give your sponsors the recognition they deserve while the audience is still present. Take a few moments before the end of the event to thank your sponsors and make them feel appreciated. Remember that potential sponsors for future events might take note, too.
2. Send a thank you note
Send sponsors a handwritten and personalised thank-you note after the event. This shows more effort than an email, and the sponsor can keep it as a memento.
3. Write a social media shoutout
A social media shoutout helps sponsors feel valued and could send more followers their way. Create an engaging post through videos or photos of them from the event.
4. Re-share sponsor content
Promoting your sponsor’s quality content outside of the event agreement shows you’re thinking of long-term partnerships.
This could be retweeting a sponsor’s tweet, re-sharing a blog post, or adding their videos to your YouTube channel — particularly if you’re working with an influencer business or content creators whose support is pegged to the mutual sharing of different kinds of content.
5. Create a case study
A case study about the sponsor’s involvement in your event gives you a reason to stay in touch after the event and can entice future partners.
Welcome to a new era of sponsorship activations
Like it or not, event sponsorships are becoming an increasingly important tool in every event creator’s toolbox. Event costs are rising faster than budgets — and if you want to continue creating unique experiences that’ll wow guests and enable you to continue building your business, sponsorship could be worth exploring.
Just remember to follow the steps we’ve covered, and don’t be afraid to take advice from event insiders or call upon the wider event creator community to learn how you can create valuable relationships with larger brands that go beyond funding.