Here are 5 great examples of engaging executions that you can only achieve with an event sponsorship to make your brand stand out in the market.
With event sponsorship, brands can extend awareness and exposure into a fully engaging customer experience. No other advertising vehicle can offer a full-range of executions to create a deeper, longer-lasting connection with attendees than an event.
Your partnership with the right event creators can communicate your brand’s objectives in ways that are exciting, informative, entertaining and best of all, memorable for attendees – your target customer.
Here are 5 examples of engaging executions that you can only achieve with an event sponsorship to make your brand stand out in the market.
Event Execution #1 Social Media Wall
Imagine your social media content prominently displayed on a large screen right at the center of the event. The digital wall is showing your brand-curated messages, videos and images side-by-side with your customer’s by using a hashtag.
It’s quite stunning to see how your message is received and then amplified by attendees on the event’s social media wall in real time! Check out this video sample from strea.ma
Event Execution #2 Video Live Streaming
Your brand presence at the event is amplified online with video live streaming. Over the years, video live streaming has grown to be a popular marketing channel because of its ability to increase audience reach.
Live-streaming video can induce FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) in non-attendees. In fact, 30% of people who watched a live-streamed video will attend the same event in-person the following year. See the livestream highlights of Xerocon London 2019, to understand the ability of video to pull the viewer into the experience.
Event Execution #3 Interactive Games
Game stations at events offer a fun, welcome break for attendees after long hours of workshops and sessions. If you’re wondering how cool this experience can be, watch this SAP-sponsored Basketball Arena at a SXSW event.
Event Execution #4 Digital Lounge
A digital lounge is a dedicated space for attendees to relax with free wi-fi, charge their phones and browse your online content. It’s a great opportunity to chat with them, offer one-on-one consults, get quick feedback with surveys and give away merch. It’s also a fun way to bring in attendees and for them to get to know you. Check out the Deloitte Digital Lounge at Adobe Summit for inspiration.
Event Execution #5 Pop-up Bar or Cafe
Food printing (logos printed on snacks), company branded drinks, baristas offering artisanal coffee, pastries, hot meals or a full-spread chef’s table — there’s nothing quite like delicious food and drink to attract attendees. Watch how Briggo Coffee launched its brand at SXSW event.
An event partnership with The Leadership Institute positions your business right in front of Australia’s most important decision makers.
As a follow up to a previous post on the value of event sponsorship, here are 4 more reasons why you should make it a strategic marketing priority and grow your brand to new heights of engagement.
If you haven’t been considering putting your marketing dollars in event sponsorships, you are missing out massively – the creative and authentic engagement of live experiences, direct customer insights and a whole lot of valuable data are just some of the reasons more and more brands are aligning themselves with popular industry events.
No other marketing vehicle can match the level of customer intimacy that event experiences bring. Here are 4 more reasons why it’s high time to invest in event sponsorship and grow your brand to new heights of engagement.
Reason # 1 – Dig into Descriptive Customer Data
Events provide insightful and descriptive customer data beyond demographics, such as work and lifestyle profiles, buying habits, preferences and much more.
If you want to know your customers intimately – how they work, where they live and how they spend their leisure time for example – events are a gold mine of information.
So where is this data coming from? Here are the top data-gathering tools that events have at their disposal:
Event management apps – real-time view of who is coming to the event
Social media – Event pages and ad campaigns generate feedback, impressions and comprehensive attendee profiles
Attendee feedback – Events are a great opportunity to capture direct customer feedback, ask questions and get the information you need.
Reason #2 – Create Bespoke Customer Experiences
If you want to communicate your brand message beyond fleeting ads, consider the creative, experiential possibilities of event sponsorship.
Event partners love nothing more than to collaborate with you and develop a unique and lasting experience for your audience. It’s a winning “pay-to-play” approach – you get to enjoy a bespoke brand activation, connect, and have fun with your customers at the event.
Reason #3 – Expect to be a Pampered Guest
As a valued sponsor, you will enjoy the same event amenities as a VIP attendee.
Free tickets, meals, passes, speaker meet-and-greets, networking opportunities, swag and so on, are usually extended to sponsors.
Sharing the same event experience with your target lets you forge relationships, showing them that there are real people behind the brand, and keeps you top of mind long after the event has passed.
Reason #4 – Expect Transparency with Real-time Performance Data
Event partners nowadays are measuring more than ever to ensure attendee success. They are tracking and reporting activities before, during and after the event.
As a sponsor, you can expect to receive immediate transparency and monitor event performance and its impact on your marketing in real time.
Events are amazing opportunities to get your brand in front of potential customers. Finding and securing the right events to sponsor can make the difference between strategic marketing success and failure.
In this article, we’re covering some of the basics of event sponsorship – definition, benefits, types of packages and key assessments to help you identify the right event partnerships, avoid the unfortunate brand mismatch and achieve exceptional business outcomes.
Event Sponsorship is a way of advertising your brand by “sponsoring” or supporting an event financially in exchange for brand exposure to highly engaged attendees.
1. It’s personal.
Nowadays, a growing number of companies are reallocating their advertising budget towards event sponsorship to connect with prospects and customers in a more personal way.
2. It’s cost-efficient.
For a relatively minor financial outlay, the right event partnerships have great potential for customer reach, influence and engagement which means more bang for your buck compared to traditional forms of advertising.
3. It’s seamless.
The right event partnership can seamlessly integrate your brand message into the event’s theme and content. Your message is delivered in a harmonious way, unlike ads that are sometimes annoying and intrusive.
What makes an Event Sponsorship valuable?
Brands can gain tremendous opportunities from strategic event sponsorships. Here are some of the benefits that you as a sponsor can enjoy for supporting an amazing event –
1. Brand Interaction
Aside from the visibility and awareness, events are an opportunity for brands to directly interact with prospects or current customers. It lets you connect with your audience in a meaningful way.
2. Attendee Data
The database of highly qualified prospects from the attendee list is worth its weight in gold. Events are a terrific platform for advancing your brand message and staying connected with your fresh targets.
3. Media Exposure
High-profile events featuring VIP attendees and speakers get ample media coverage. Sponsoring such events can give your brand free media exposure.
4. Direct Engagement
Small events are not to be dismissed. As a sponsor, your brand will likely get better quality engagements with a niche group of prospects.
5. Brand prestige
Industry influencers, top executives, VIPs attending or speaking at events have interests that may align with your business. Sponsoring the right events will open doors for lucrative opportunities and lend some level of brand prestige by association.
What are the types of Events Sponsorship Packages?
The type of packages available vary greatly from event to event depending on a number of factors including venue size and venue type, type of event (for example an exhibition vs a networking lunch), and the on-the-day agenda and how many breaks there will be. You’ll often find event organisers are incredibly flexible when it comes to putting together a package that suits your needs and goals for the day, but here are some examples to help you get started:
1. Sponsored Installations
High-impact visual installations that promote your brand can draw and engage event attendees and capture an Instagrammable moment.
2. Sponsored Digital Experiences
Events can deliver the full suite of branded digital experiences from web pages and social shares to video live streams and virtual reality tours.
3. Sponsored Lounges
Dress up a corner at the venue with your brand where attendees can relax and casually mix, enjoy free wi-fi and re-charge their devices.
4. Sponsored Food and Drink
From logos on edibles and drinks to fresh meals in pop-up restaurants, attendees love any kind of brand activation around food at events.
5. Sponsored Sessions
Sponsored speaker sessions, 1-1 consults, panel discussions are the best ways of engaging and connecting with attendees. It also raises a brand’s reputation as an industry thought-leader.
What do you need to know before becoming an Event Sponsor?
To be strategic with your choice of events to sponsor and get the most value out of your investment, here are a few important questions you need to cover with the event organiser –
1. Event Theme and Content
Assess the following event information to check for relevance with your brand objectives.
What is the event about? When and where?
What is the vision, inspiration and purpose of the event?
What subjects will the event cover?
Who are the key personalities featured at the event?
What are the unique highlights and features that will set it apart from other events?
Who should attend?
What are the key benefits of attending?
2. Event Success Metrics
Ask for the following event data to assess how an organiser’s events performed in the past:
The total number of attendees at the event vs registrants
The number of leads and/or meetings each sponsor received
The number of attendees for sponsored sessions or workshops
The number of in-app impressions (mobile event app)
The number of social media impressions on the days leading up to, during and after the event
Attendee testimonials and reviews
Sponsor testimonials and reviews
3. Attendee Profile
Check for the attendee profile of the event to assess how they match with your target market.
What are the demographics? – occupation, socio-economic status, age, gender, etc.
What are their key interests and aspirations?
What industries, affiliations, etc. are being represented by the attendees?
4. Sponsor Package
Here are a few basic points for determining the value of the event sponsorship package and compare these with what you would normally spend on traditional advertising.
Cost of the physical brand exposure
Cost of the online brand exposure including reach and frequency
The estimated number of audiences that will be exposed to your brand
The estimated cost of customer impacts – event features like sessions, announcements, demonstrations, video showcase, moments at the event where attendees are confronted with your brand message
The estimated cost of media exposure that the event sponsors will receive
The Bottom-line
The right event partnerships can bring massive gains for your brand, for example – the positive energy and excitement around events conditions prospects into exploring what you’re selling. Aside from highly engaged leads, events also provide invaluable audience insight that you couldn’t get from traditional forms of advertising.
Your partnership with The Leadership Institute positions your business right in front of Australia’s most important decision makers.
