The Latest and Greatest in Event Sponsorships
Fun fact: the earliest event sponsorships date back to 5th century BC in Ancient Greece. Gladiatorial combat, to be exact. Before the Coca Cola s and Nike s and Ford Motor Company s of the world began pouring millions into sponsorship agreements on an annual basis, wealthy families and citizens would finance the costs of the major events and festivities and it was considered an honor to do so.
Fast forward, uh carry the seven ugh, math, forget this. Fast forward a whole lot of years and corporate sponsorships are a staple of any major event. And thank goodness for that; corporate sponsorship is a true win-win proposition. It puts more money into the event organizational kitty, enabling event organizers to plan a superior event, which ultimately benefits attendees, participants, and sponsors alike. It gives corporations unique and personalized opportunities to connect with their existing and target markets. It delivers critical audience insights and data to inform future decision-making.
Like with all things event-related, event sponsorship has evolved tremendously. Not just from the gladiator days, but even just in the last few years (thanks a lot, COVID). In these on-demand and tech-driven times, attendees and sponsors alike are looking for more than just a logo plastered on some signage. Fortunately, the event planning community has stepped up to meet the challenge, as these sponsorship trends demonstrate.
Virtual Events are Here to Stay
With vaccinations firmly in place and in-person gathering restrictions easing up globally, many are chomping at the bit to shelf (or maybe even burn?) their pandemic pajama bottoms and get back to the face-to-face. Having said that, after nearly two years of virtual gatherings, it s safe to say that virtual and hybrid events will continue to have a meaningful place in the event space. The cost-savings, reach capabilities, and supreme convenience that come along with virtual events are three very compelling reasons for organizers to continue delivering them and for attendees to continue demanding them. Plus, let s not forget that the virtual event software industry deserves a giant shout-out in all of this, for rising to the global pandemic occasion and developing a bevy of tools and platforms that make virtual events way less painful and way more interactive than the days of yore.
All of this to say, that if hybrid and virtual events are elements of your future planning, so must be virtual event sponsorship options. And while virtual event sponsorships look a bit different than those of the in-person variety, they come ripe with ROI maximization, engagement, and data collection opportunities. Live-streamed demos, sponsored posts, gamification, digital marketplaces these are just a handful of the types of virtual event sponsorship opportunities worth considering.
At Decibel, we have helped a number of sponsors activate in a digital world. This has been as simple as brand recognition with logo placement and digital art, all the way to custom interactive initiatives that were built to support each specific event and target audience. The former can be as quick as loading a banner ad, the latter takes additional time and consulting to ensure that the activity matches both the event type and the action/outcome desired by the sponsor.
The Pursuit of Symbiotic and Long-Lasting Partnerships
The days of gold/silver/bronze type sponsorship packages and logo soup signage and t-shirts are past and the days of highly customized and mutually beneficial sponsorship offerings are here. It s a wonderful time to be a sponsor and reap the rewards of a long-lasting sponsorship relationship that delivers more.
In action: TED and Rolex have been a match made in heaven since 2007. Starting off with your standard sponsorship fare of recognition on the TED website and video advertising with select TEDTalks, this partnership continued to evolve and has since culminated in the development of Surprise Me, a popular iOS app featuring custom TEDTalks playlists. As their case study states, we created Surprise Me to meet the needs of people who have a set amount of free time but might not know what to watch. They just know their lunch break lasts 20 minutes and they want to be wowed. We take it from there.
Set amount of free time. Rolex is one of the world s leading watch manufacturers, aka time-keepers. We see what you did there. And we like it.
ESG is Top of Mind
Sustainability in event management is a best practice being widely adopted industry-wide, and this also extends to sponsorship planning. More and more, organizations are taking a strong stance on societal and ethical issues that influence the environments and economies in which they operate. And this stance influences all of their decision-making, from new product offerings to hiring practices to advertising spending. Which means that these ESG (environmental, social, governance) conscious organizations, many of whom have very deep pockets, are looking for opportunities to spend their marketing budgets in an ethically and environmentally sound manner. Is your event towing the sustainability line and does your event provide these types of sponsorship opportunities?
In action: Last year, VivoPower became the first Official Battery Technology Sponsor for the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. In the lead-up to the first-of-its-kind sponsorship deal, Tottenham Hotspur had been ranked first by the Premier League Sustainability Table for its operational efficiencies and its climate change advocacy actions, making it an ideal partner with VivoPower, a sustainable energy solutions provider. Not an event sponsorship per se, but still an excellent example of sustainability and symbiotic partnership in action.
Category Exclusivity
You know how a bride doesn t really want to share her spotlight on her wedding day (well, maybe a bit with her new husband, but even that is done begrudgingly)? Category exclusivity is a bit like that, albeit with less bridezilla moments. Sponsors love not having to share their category spotlight. Whether they are the sole sponsor for coffee breaks, the official transportation sponsor, or the keynote speaker sponsor, not having to share the spotlight with another sponsor or seventeen, makes for a higher profile and more impactful experience.
In action: L Oreal has been the official beauty sponsor of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for over ten years. Elements of this exclusive sponsorship have included makeup and hair services for press conferences and galas, a two-floor beauty boutique at the event so that non-celebrities can get in on the glam fun, a beauty correspondent scouting contest, the launch of a limited edition TIFF nail polish color, the roll-out of an app (ModiFace), and more.
How do your event sponsorship opportunities measure up? Are they in line with what today s sponsors are looking for or are you still catering to the sponsorship demands of bygone days? Do the sponsorship offerings actually enhance your event or merely help to finance it? The team at Decibel Events are specialists in crafting and executing on innovative and original sponsorship opportunities, and we d love to give yours a review.
Reach out today!