Follow these 10 tips for showing them the love and they’ll come back every year as a true event partner.
Being a sponsor is tough.
You invest significant money on the
event. You have to spend more money getting your team,

your marketing
paraphernalia, your giveaways and your technology onsite. You then have
to get to the event early, stay late, always be nice to people (even if
there are behind the scene dramas happening), get a ton of leads and
then head back to the office after the event with a load of work to
catch up on as well as following up your new leads.
So as a PCO how can we make things easier for the sponsor?
Here are 10 Ways to make your sponsor love you:
1. Use their name and make it personalWhile
it may be the company that is sponsoring your event, make sure you know
the key people behind the sponsorship. When you are talking about your
sponsor, be sure to mention the people too. While your delegates may
want to deal with the brand, it is the personal relationships that make
the most difference. Having a name will make it easier for your
delegates to approach the sponsor and start a conversation.
2. Bring them food/drinksIt
is hard work being on your feet all day. Even though there will be
particular meal times for your sponsors, having your team come around
with bottles of water, a fresh brewed coffee or some yummy treat will go
a long way in endearing you to them. This is particularly appreciated
for the exhibitions that are running all day.
3. Make them sounds fantasticTypically
the MC will acknowledge the sponsors, ask for a round of applause and
let everyone know how important they are. Then they seem forgotten.
Brief the MC with some detail on each of the sponsors and get them
excited about them. By sharing some anecdotes and observations, the
sponsors become real and not just the necessary people who help fund the
conference.
It is the difference between a TV advert that
screams “buy my stuff, buy my stuff” and a storyline that engages the
audience and calls them to action.
4. Get expert coachesAt
some events, the major sponsors get five or ten minutes to address the
plenary. You can almost see the delegates’ internal flinch when this
happens. They all know that this is when the sponsor tells everyone how
good they are.
It is worth getting your major sponsors coached
on how to present the best message from stage. Not about them but about
their value to the delegates. A punchy 5 minute message can really lift
the room and make a great difference. It is also worth getting some
instruction for your sponsors on how to increase their results from
sponsoring your event.
5. Check Their Satisfaction daily As
a PCO, you have a thousand and one things to do. Make sure that one of
the high priority things is to catch up with your sponsors daily.
Frankly, this is where a huge chunk of your funding comes from so you
need to pay attention to them.
Listen to any issues they may be
having and get one of your team to address them. Discover any great
results that they may have achieved and put it in your file to use for
next year’s marketing. You can also let them know what is happening soon
or what other things are going on in different areas.
Having
this kind of conversation actually makes you money. If on the second
day, a sponsor is raving about how good this event has been for them,
why wouldn’t you take out your signup form and get them to commit to
next year? Too often we, as PCOs, make it hard for ourselves and don’t
get them signed up when they are in the mood. We wait until our process
kicks in and we sign them up three to six months prior to the event.
We
are huge fans of getting your sponsors signed up for next year before
this year is even over. At the very least make sure you have set next
year’s prices and have the forms available if your sponsors ask for it.
6. Help them with bump in and bump outWhile
you don’t have to physically help your sponsors carry their equipment
in, they would truly appreciate it if you had a few people on hand to
assist them. At the very least, a check list of items that they may need
or things that they have to consider would go a long way.
If
you do provide a check list make sure that it is an easy to read check
list with tick boxes so they can tick it as they go. This is all about
making it easier for your sponsor.
7. Have a Single Point of ContactWe
love the idea of a Sponsor Manager for your sponsors. We would
encourage each PCO to have someone trained in managing sponsors. Not
just in how to sell to them but how to look after them. It is a
different skill set to organising and running an event and in all
honesty, some people should not have anything to do with sponsors as
they are ill prepared to deal with them.
When the sponsor is on
site, it is worth giving them the name and number of their contact
person. The single contact person means that there is clarity in
communication and less chance of missed or mixed messages.
8. Send them customersNothing
says “I love you” like sending customers their way. As a PCO you will
often come across people who may need your sponsors’ products or
services. Why not refer them to your sponsor? On-site you can walk them
up to the stand and introduce the client. Outside your event a simple
phone call or email is great.
Just because the event is over,
doesn’t mean you stop referring. In your normal course of business, why
not refer to your sponsors. You can use the opportunity to upsell
yourself too. When you call them you can say something like, “Hi Julie.
It’s Warwick here from Awesome Events. I had someone ask about wingnuts
and then I remembered when you sponsored our major conference how you
make wingnuts. So I want to get you in touch with them, is that ok?”
Naturally they will be thrilled and they will think highly of you and of how that sponsorship is worthwhile.
9. Make them feel specialNobody
wants to be “just another one of the sponsors” so make sure you talk
each sponsor up when you are chatting with them. Be genuinely enthused
about what they are doing, the impact they are having on your event and
their presence.
If you can, have one of the keynotes give a
special presentation to Sponsors only. Sometimes a Sponsor Breakfast can
be great. You can even run a post-conference sponsor only webinar. Do
whatever you can so that the sponsors feel valued, appreciated and
special.
10. Say Thank YouToo often the sponsors
get forgotten. Many sponsors we have dealt with feel that people only
pay attention to them when there is money to be collected. It wouldn’t
take much to send a post-conference thank you card, maybe a thank you
basket or perhaps something uniquely matched to their taste.
Showing
the love to a sponsor will pay back dividends time and time again. It
will help them become lifelong event partners rather than a short-term
grab for cash. So how will you show your sponsors you love them?