Your 18-Month Event Sponsorship Timeline
This post was originally published on the Eventbrite blog. Read the original post here.
Are you connecting with sponsors at the right time of year? Because when it comes to creating sustainable relationships, timing is key.
With over two decades of experience and over 4,000 brand and industry contacts, President of The Sponsorship Guy™ Larry Weil has some tips to make sure you’re connecting with sponsors at the right time.
It’s never too early to nail down your festival sponsors — but it’s usually too late.
If you want to sell high value sponsorships, use this timeline to make sure you find the right sponsors, secure their partnership, and get them to sign on for another year.
Learn what you can be doing year-round to win over your sponsors.
12–18 months ahead of the event
BEST TIME OF YEAR
Dec, Jan
ACTIVITIES
Market research
Collect info about your attendees— key behaviors, interests, and spending habits. What type of activities do they like generally?
Ex: if your attendees love luxury travel, spas and resorts should
be on the table.
12–14 months ahead of the event
BEST TIME OF YEAR
Dec, Jan
ACTIVITIES
Identify companies and contacts
Make a list of potential sponsors and research them. Learn everything you can about those brands — look through the company’s website, press coverage, and social media accounts.
10–12 months ahead of the event
BEST TIME OF YEAR
March, April, May
ACTIVITIES
Design campaign
Create your outreach strategy. How many emails will you send and phone calls will you make? What’s your social media strategy? When are you sending your press kit? Create your schedule.
10–12 months ahead of the event
BEST TIME OF YEAR
July, Aug, Sept
ACTIVITIES
Launch campaign
Start pushing out your content. Use your CRM to track your outreach — your phone calls, email sends, and social media contacts. Get potential sponsors excited about your event.
2–12 months ahead of the event
BEST TIME OF YEAR
Feb, Oct
ACTIVITIES
Set up call or meeting
Don’t sell during this first meeting. Instead, discuss the prospect’s goals and establish their needs. That will allow you to design a proposal that’s unique to your potential sponsor.
2–10 months ahead of the event
BEST TIME OF YEAR
Anytime
ACTIVITIES
Invite prospects to event or property
What better way to get your sponsors excited about your event than to actually show them? If you have the opportunity, invite them onsite to check out your event.
2–12 months ahead of the event
BEST TIME OF YEAR
Feb, Oct
ACTIVITIES
Present final proposal with pricing
Sign your contract. Next, you and your sponsor should begin advertising and marketing plan your partnership.
At the event
BEST TIME OF YEAR
Jan, Dec
ACTIVITIES
Collect testimonials and proof
During your event, take pictures of attendees interacting with your sponsor — visiting their booth, wearing or holding their swag, talking to the reps. Collect video endorsements from attendees.
2–3 weeks after the event
BEST TIME OF YEAR
Jan, Dec
ACTIVITIES
Send your fulfillment report
A fulfillment report will dramatically increase renewals and prevent issues. Include anything that will demonstrate the success of your event — actual attendance numbers, news coverage, social traction, and ads promoting your event. Next, you’ll start researching your next round of sponsors.
For more details, please contact me.