8 Smart Strategies to Maximize Event Sponsor Promotions  

Aug 08, 2024 Praggya Joshi

Sponsors help event organizers in various ways. From providing the necessary financial net to enhanced marketing reach, the value they offer is undeniable. But like brands, sponsors too, are companies seeking to increase exposure among their target audience.  

Effective partnerships with sponsors for events consider this crucial fact which is reflected in the event agenda and activities. A mutually beneficial partnership enhances the visibility of both the brand organizing the event and its sponsors. When you promote event sponsors during the event innovatively, it also improves the overall attendee experiences.  

In this blog, we'll explain some of these effective strategies to promote sponsors.  

What are Event Sponsor Promotions? 
Event sponsor promotions are strategies to enhance the visibility of your sponsors before, during, and after the event. For example, you may make your event sponsors noticeable through banners, posters, and signage. Alternatively, you can share press releases highlighting the partnership and emphasizing the value generated through it.  

Planners who promote events sponsors also incentivize them. Thus, sponsors find it lucrative to partner with you again. At the same time, it also makes your brand attractive for other partnerships. This is because sponsors will learn about your activities in increasing the exposure of the companies who sponsored your event. As a result, they will feel inclined to accept your event sponsorship proposal.  

For example, one of the sponsors of the tech event CES 2024 was Intel. The company received many opportunities to showcase its offerings through a dedicated interactive technology lounge and signage at major locations within the venue.  

8 Winning Ideas to Boost Event Sponsor Promotions 

1. Elevate Sponsor Visibility During Event Promotion 
It's essential that you do all that you can to maximize the investment of your sponsors. This means starting right from the level of event promotion. Start a contest sponsored by them. Create custom page wrappers and include your sponsor images in the contest graphic. Their images should also be on the prize page. Place banner ads on various sides of your contest and include sponsor images in your mobile and tablet branding. 

You can also see the contest's naming rights. For instance, a football contest sponsored by a specific manufacturing company might be called the “ABC Manufacturer's Most Powerful Contest” on the contest page and in all your promotional materials. Your sponsors should be heavily featured throughout the contest page. Try including hyperlinks to their business webpage. 

2. Seamlessly Integrate Sponsors into Your Event Schedule 
Valuable and informative sponsored sessions, workshops, or panels related to their niche are another incentive to try. Create value-added content with them and promote it organically on your social media channels. Ask the sponsors to promote it as well. During the event, experiment with innovative ideas like a video wall. It gives you a massive canvas to display content. You can enhance the visibility of your sponsors by showing their services on the video wall, which can be seen even from a distance. 

Similarly, create sponsor booths or tables where attendees can engage with the sponsors. It gives many opportunities for the sponsors to showcase and promote their products or services. 

Other ways to promote event sponsors is integrating them into your event agenda and expanding their exposure include creating co-working sessions, gaming areas, and quiet corners where attendees can relax.  

3. Amplify Sponsor Presence with an Event App 
If you want to subtly promote your sponsors, consider using a mobile event app. It lets you showcase your sponsors and partners with branded content. Create engaging sponsor profiles and connect them to your event agenda in ways that prompt attendees to constantly check them out. The app should also have a direct link to the website of your sponsors. So, those who are interested in knowing more about the sponsor will have no trouble in getting more information. 

Eventcombo's mobile event app helps you create, manage and promote sponsor profiles easily. Build strong and actionable sponsor profiles and make attendees take the action you desire.  

4. Highlight Sponsors in Prime Visibility Spots 
One of the best ways to incentivize sponsors and make them seen is to find ways where they can be seen immediately. These include installing sponsorship signage at the audience's direct line of sight (stage, scoreboard, podium), including sponsors on shuttles and vehicles so attendees can see them as they are being transported, and using sponsorship signs in different parts of your venue. These can be elevators, tabletops, and walls. Doing so also helps you enhance the aesthetics of the space. 

5. Incorporate Sponsors into Promotional Merchandise & Giveaways 
Receiving a gift can prompt many fascinating neurological responses in the human brain associated with reward and pleasure. They help build lasting connections that extend the reach of your brand. This is why including sponsors' logos on event giveaways and merchandise is a great way to incentivize them.  

For example, you can get the names of your sponsors on your swag packages. After that, send them to the attendees on their behalf. You can also send the sponsor-themed swag bags to your speakers and performers in the same way.  

6. Showcase Sponsor Contributions in Event Communications 
Another great event sponsorship idea to incentivize sponsors is positioning them as your integral partners. Display their contributions prominently in every event communication. It includes press releases, media kits, and promotional materials pre and post-event. Include sponsors in your outreach efforts by coordinating press releases and interviews that feature sponsor executives discussing their involvement with your event.  

7. Offer Exclusive Sponsorship Categories 
A sponsor category exclusivity guarantees that your event excludes competitors of your sponsors.  This approach eliminates confusion among attendees and reduces any sense of competition among sponsors. Such a guarantee, given in a transparent way, assures sponsors of encountering no potential conflicts with their competitors making it an effective way to promote event sponsors.  

8. Create Engagement Communities for Ongoing Sponsor-Attendee Interaction 
Online communities that keep the spark alive between attendees, businesses, and sponsors are very valuable, both for you and your sponsors. By creating such communities, you can share panel discussions or leadership content related to you or your sponsors. The communities can also be used to share information about upcoming events, discounts, or updates related to the sponsors. As a result, they become a source of nurturing and retaining connections between attendees and sponsors.  

Eventcombo's Community Creation helps you build a community that exists in perpetuity after your event. It providess access to exclusive content and helps create everlasting connections.  

Summing up 
The creative event sponsor promotion strategies mentioned above will help you immensely in incentivizing sponsors and making your event more impactful. The more diversified your strategies are, the better will be their impact.  

Don't forget to examine post-event analytics and analyze audience engagement with your sponsor content. Use our all-in-one event management tool to view event metrics and analytics and enable sponsors to know how they can achieve their ROI.  

Curious about Eventcombo and what we offer? Schedule a demo today!