Episode 030 – Sponsorship Done Right! What to Do and What to Avoid

Episode 030 – Sponsorship – What to do and what to avoid

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Let’s dive into today’s topic: sponsorship done right!

Before I start talking about the various types of sponsorship, you need to understand Why You want to invest in sponsoring an exhibition.

How will your company benefit?

What is your goal?

Sponsorship opportunities range from cheap to expensive, but most sponsorships are usually quite expensive, relatively speaking. In fact, you may spend more on sponsorship than you do on your booth! So before choosing a sponsorship type, you need to figure out why.

There are three main reasons why you should sponsor.

1. Support event organizers
2. For marketing purposes
3. For Brands

If you choose sponsorship marketing or branding, then you need to figure out how to set goals and measure your ROI.

Also, is the audience at this show your ideal target audience? If not, or you’re not sure, then you may be wasting money marketing to a group of people who won’t buy your products. Invest your sponsorship dollars in shows that have the most ideal customers and prospects.

Equally important is:

What did you get with your sponsorship money?

How will this show support you?

Will they also mention your sponsorship on their website, show program, show signage, or pre- and post-show marketing?

Now… take a moment to think about a trade show you’ve been to. Think about the sponsors you saw or remember. Maybe a company sponsored a lunch or a social event. Or maybe a logo you saw on the lanyards everyone wore. There are more. Which ones made an impact? Do you remember the sponsors? Did they do anything special?

Now, if you have committed to sponsoring an event, here are some things you must consider and implement to maximize your results.

If you make a product – Lanyards, show bags, water bottles, etc. – Make sure these items are noticeable. Everyone will be wearing a lanyard and most will be carrying a show bag, so your logo will be seen a lot during and after the show. Pass on water bottles or anything else that is consumable or will be thrown away.

If you hold an event – such as sponsoring a lunch, dinner or networking event – ​​make sure you have a chance to address the people at the event, thank them for coming, and give yourself as many opportunities as possible to get your name and brand known.

Here’s the thing – you have a room full of people, and they’re all there to have a good time. You need to make use of the room! Give an introductory speech. Have your people go around and thank people for coming. Have everyone leave with a special giveaway or gift bag or promotional offer.

Many of these events simply feature a banner with a company logo at the entrance. No one remembers who sponsored the event, and there is no positive return on investment.

If you promote it on the show – Just like a snack break or passport game, again, make the most of it! Many shows offer snack breaks, ice cream breaks, coffee bars, etc. If you sponsor one of these, run it like you would a social event. Get creative!

One of my favorite games is the passport game – sometimes it’s bingo or something, and people are given a card or booklet and have to fill it out. Usually, if they fill it out, they get entered into a drawing. Now, everyone who wants to play is forced to stop by your booth and get a stamp or sticker to complete their passport. Many exhibitors completely screw this up, and let me tell you how it goes. People come up and ask for stickers, and the exhibitor just hands them the sticker and tells them to walk away. If this is you, you are missing out on a golden opportunity!!

I love this game because I know a lot of people are going to come to my booth and they usually walk by my booth. I spend a lot of money to be in this game and if I just handed out stickers then I would have totally wasted that money. What I do, and what I highly recommend you do, is make sure that person does something to earn the sticker. Now I’m not saying you have to sit them down for a 15 minute presentation. But you do want to know if they are a potential customer! So ask some qualifying questions and if they qualify, get their information. I’ve gotten some solid leads this way!

please tell me…

• Do you use sponsorships?
• What works for you?
• What’s not working?
• What have you always wanted to try?
• What have you seen that have made an impact?

Email me at jim@tradeshowu.biz Thank you for your answer!!