Sponsorship Blog

Creating Unforgettable Brand Experiences Live music has an undeniable charm that draws in audiences of all ages and backgrounds. It’s not just about the sounds; it’s about the energy, the shared experience, and the memories that linger long after the final note. Sponsors, big and small, recognize the unique value of live music events and…

As we move into 2025, brands are becoming more discerning in how they approach sponsorships, with a focus on value, authenticity, and future-forward strategies. For event organizers, keeping pace with these evolving priorities is key to building lasting, mutually beneficial partnerships. Here are five sponsorship trends to watch as we approach 2025. 1. Sustainability Initiatives…

Do you ever get this at the bottom of an email you want to unsubscribe?  “To unsubscribe, please reply with “STOP”” When I get an email that is unsolicited from somebody I don’t want to hear from or who didn’t make their case, it really irritates the heck out of me when they put at…

Which is the Best Strategy for Finding Sponsorships? When it comes to securing sponsorships, two prominent strategies often come into play: the drip campaign and the all in campaign. Each approach has its merits, but in the context of forging and maintaining long-term relationships with potential sponsors, the drip campaign stands out as the more…

People love experiences. In today’s world we’re constantly bombarded with marketing messages over the television, the radio, the mobile phone, the internet, it’s everywhere. People want to be out and about. Especially since the pandemic there’s been a huge increase in experiential engagement. Event marketing creates a great opportunity for companies to get face-to-face with…

The world of event sponsorship has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, largely driven by the rise of digital marketing. In the past, sponsors were primarily interested in gaining visibility and brand exposure through their association with an event. However, with the advent of digital marketing, sponsors are now looking for more measurable and…

Earlier this month I flew to Trinidad to speak to the Caribbean Premier League. The Caribbean Premier League is a T20 cricket group with a very popular tournament. For the 20th anniversary of the league, they put together a sponsor- only event. My topic was “Optimising Sponsorship through Activation”. First, I want to go on…

A few words about the recent passing of HOF Basketball Member and World Champion Bill Walton. I had the good fortune of getting to know Bill a bit during a couple of work engagements. His deep voice and never ending enthusiasm for life and people was something to see and hear. I first met Bill…

We gone over setting the foundation when writing a sponsorship proposal and how to craft the actual proposal, now we are going to talk about sealing the deal. In order to seal the deal, it is best to present your proposal live. It can be via video conference or in person. Sending it off for…

In my last blog, I covered part 1 of writing a proposal, setting the foundation. Let’s take a deep dive into part 2 – crafting the actual proposal. Section 4: Sponsorship Features and Benefits Know the difference between a feature and a benefit. Be sure to describe how a given feature benefits the sponsor. Do…

Before you start: Only send a proposal to a prospect who has requested a proposal and where you have established their needs and objectives. Crafting a sponsorship proposal is a strategic and essential step for any organization or individual seeking financial support for their initiatives. A well-prepared proposal serves as a comprehensive document that not…

Moving Beyond Brand Recognition for Big Brands Are you still telling big brands that a potential sponsorship for your event could increase brand recognition? It’s time to think again. The traditional approach of offering brand recognition to big brands may no longer be the most effective strategy. Truth is, big brands already have the recognition,…

Planning an event or conference is a large task, but without a solid marketing strategy, you are not going to secure the sponsors you had hoped for. Whether you’re organizing a corporate conference, music festival or charity gala, effective marketing is essential to bringing in both attendees and sponsors. Before diving into marketing strategies, it’s…

If you read our last newsletter, you know that I am a fan of utilizing Artificial intelligence (AI) to drive business results. This month, I’d like to delve further into the untapped potential of AI to revolutionize your sponsorship campaigns. Imagine your analytics soaring and sponsors lining up, all by harnessing the power of AI.…

Sponsorship is a powerful way for brands to connect with their target audience, increase brand awareness, and generate leads and sales. But not all sponsorships are created equal. To make the most of a sponsorship investment, savvy sponsors will consider three key factors: brand alignment, scale of the audience, and activation strategies and tactics that…

There are a ton of cool ideas out there. Many very bright people reach out to me with their concept thinking that a sponsor will provide them with the funds they need to launch their idea. Please wipe that idea from your thinking.

Larry Weil and the Daily Ad Brief discuss sponsorship and tips to plan, buy, traffic, analyze and report on sponsorship media.

If you have responsibility for your event sponsorship revenue, you have made major adjustments with a virtual environment.

We have been through many ups and downs with sponsorship these past two years. Virtual events have provided a way to deliver many of our event objectives to your audience regardless of physical location. The technology continues to improve, and we are all learning more about how to put on successful digital events in 2022.…

Digital Champions – All we do is sponsorship. We help event producers attract and retain high value sponsors.

Western Sponsorship Virtual Conference Feb 3, 2021 “Larry provides a deep dive into the mindset, assets, and strategies that make it possible to be successful with sponsors in this environment. It is full of specific and actionable information you can start using right now.”

Here is a chance to listen in on a casual interview where Chris and Larry chat about selling sponsorship, tell a few stories, and muse about where the industry is now.

In this video, I talk about email etiquette and why it can single handedly affect the success of your pitch to sponsors.

One of the most important things that people forget is that there’s some sales skill required in reaching sponsorship decision makers.

The typical sponsor packages usually come in bundles, such as gold, silver, bronze. However, there is an issue with this. It is not customized. People do a lot of business through the internet and they want things that are customized. Similarly, sponsorship packages should be put together more based on customization. One of the things…

This post was originally published on the Corporate Meetings Network. Read the original post here. Written by Clare Tattersall Now almost six months into the worldwide pandemic, most businesses have pivoted from in-person gatherings to virtual events. But despite more people than ever using online platforms, companies continue to struggle with monetization, which may be essential…

When you get to the end of your sponsorship, what you want to do is get in front of your sponsor with a recap of what you provided. It’s important because it lets the sponsor know that you’re interested in how they did. Then to open the conversation about the next sponsorship opportunity, or you…

Valuation is when you attempt to determine how much should a sponsor pay for the sponsorship. Valuation and sponsorship tends to be where you roll up everything. The activations, benefits, the website, the views, all of these kinds of things get added up and then put into a quote valuation. This is not the same…

A pitch deck is your presentation and it is typically a summary of what you’re offering. It provides an introduction to who you are and what you’re about, and then offers some kind of an opportunity to connect and collaborate and is hopefully supported with a lot of data. The simple thing to say about…

Sponsorship in general is a relationship, similar to advertising. The sponsor has an expectation of some kind of commercial return, such as generating new business, brand recognition, or another measurable result. There is a primary element of access to the audience. Fundraising is more about identifying and giving to causes that people care about. Understanding…

Let’s say you have a sponsor. So, what are you going to do? In the old days you had a live event. You know, they’re going to be able to speak to the people attending the event, maybe collect some information, do a presentation. And so on. Now in the virtual world, it’s the same…

Two weeks ago I shared this brand new presentation with a small group of digital event experts. Now I am opening it up to my connections and subscribers. It is all about creating a place for the sponsors you had at your destination events and the sponsors you would like to add, as part of your…

This post was originally published on the Eventbrite. Read the original post here.  In wake of the pandemic, many event brands are taking the steps to move online. Even if you’re one of the lucky creators who can pull it off and still make a profit, you may still wonder how to recoup sponsorship revenue from…

Event sponsorship is an ultra-competitive business. Everyone says they want more sponsors. The truth is they want more money. Nothing wrong with that, it’s why we are all in the business. I hear from dozens of event producers every week who are looking for help. My first step in evaluating them as a potential client…

In this two minute clip Larry discusses the most effective approaches to making the kind of connection to prospects that will greatly improve your chances of making a sale.

Using data to grow sponsorship is often overlooked or improperly implemented. In this clip from my interview with Dan Kimball the Senior Vice President of Marketing at eventbrite.com headquarters in San Francisco we discuss tactics and trends for the successful use of data to influence and close sponsorship deals.

The Sponsorship Guy’s Pro Tips for Finding Leads You are on LinkedIn. You are trying to find new prospects. When I enter “Sponsorship” into the search field, I get 13,805,662 results. Not helpful. By further filtering to just the United States and to the Marketing and Advertising Industry we are down to 429, 938. Still,…

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash Have you ever completed a form that asks you for your Age, Sex, Race, and Income? Kind of feels like it is none of their business, doesn’t it? Being a 25 to 35-year-old white male is a pretty diverse group. It is hard for a prospective sponsor to draw many insights from that…

Not all data is created equal, says sponsorship expert Larry Weil. Instead, he’s sharing how to close a sponsorship deal with data points that are actually meaningful to prospects, and what insights to leave OUT of your pitch deck. You have done your homework and have used insights to identify a prospect that is likely…

Would you rather call or email a prospect? Sure, you can send off a bunch of emails, (and I’m not saying you shouldn’t) but we all know the data on email conversions. Has anyone ever responded to an email by thanking you and saying that they are ready to buy? My experience is that you…

This post was originally published on the Eventbrite blog. Read the original post here. Rules for event sponsorship success Sponsorship is a $62.7 billion industry. Its annual growth has surpassed other forms of marketing and advertising. With so much spending, your chances of winning event sponsors could be increasing — right? Sponsorship expert Larry Weil…

This post was originally published on the Eventbrite blog. Read the original post here. What’s your go-to method for contacting event sponsors? In a recent survey of event professionals, nearly half (42%) said their primary method for contacting sponsors was email. So if you said email, you’re in good company. But while email is an effective tool…

I am often asked, what is sponsorship? It used to be a pretty simple answer. Most people think of sports sponsorships like McDonald’s and the U.S. Olympic team, or Bud Light and the NFL. There are many easy examples to see in sports, so it is a good place to start. Sponsorship has grown to…