However, while traditional marketing practices are eroding, event advertising investments are increasing.

Marketing is now shifting to what we call the “customer experience.”

How do you convince major brands that your event is the perfect opportunity for them to be showcased? What are the key elements of a good action plan to improve your chances of conversion with these valuable partners?

Here are 4 important points to remember to attract interesting and interested event sponsors!

Know Your Client Base, Your Group… Your Target Audience

Before even thinking about making a sales pitch, the important thing is to know your subject and fully understand your customers. The true value of your proposal, for a sponsor, will always be the participants. It is important to remember that, at the end of the day, they are the ones with whom we are talking.

Do they have a similar profile to the company’s consumers?
Even if it is a “B to B” event, it is important to know your group in detail.

Rather than focusing on the different job titles or the group’s level of education, it is preferable to introduce the participants in a more personal way.

• What do they do on their holidays?
• What products or services do they use in their spare time?
• Do they like sports or music?
• What is their favourite band?

Marketing professionals regularly do this work and equip themselves with tools, such as the creation of a Persona, to determine their target audience.

By ensuring that you take a similar approach and present it concisely, you establish a clear dialogue with your sponsor.

In addition to strengthening the terms of your proposal, this process improves your ability to target your potential business partners.

The Starting Point for an Event Sponsorship Plan: The List

Do you already have a clear idea of your participants and an effective structure for presenting information, and are you working on a portfolio? Now is the time to think about a list of sponsors to contact.

Do you have a few good contacts and about 20 brands in mind and wonder whether that will be enough? The golden rule: don’t put all your eggs in the same basket.

When canvassing for partnerships for an event, consider starting with a list of about 100 “leads.” The figure may seem high, but only a small fraction will become true sponsors. Taking into account the refusals, the lack of response, the coordination challenges… this figure becomes a good starting point.

When it comes to choosing which companies to contact and the “return on energy invested,” it is best to target brands that have previously sponsored events.

In most cases, the decision to become a sponsor is the responsibility of the marketing department. LinkedIn is probably your best place to start for determining who to contact in a given company.