Organizing an event not only takes up lots of time and effort but it also requires a lot of funds. In most cases, events are sponsored by a few large companies, also looking to gain some form of publicity through your event. Sponsorship usually comes in the form of gifts, goodie bags and in some cases, cold hard cash that can come in handy where you need to spend.
But, how can you get sponsors for your event and where do you even begin to scout for them? We can tell you that it’s not an easy feat. Here are 10 ways to recruit sponsors for your event and make sure that your event is an absolute roaring success.
#1 Online Search
The easiest method to search for sponsors for your event is to well, ask Google. A simple web search would be able to list out the biggest corporate sponsors in your area and within minutes, you’ll have a pretty good list of corporate bodies you can contact.
#2 LinkedIn
Another way to get sponsors is to do some “stalking” on LinkedIn. Search for those in marketing departments of big conglomerates and reach out to them via LinkedIn messaging. For companies that operate on a fairly smaller scale, you can reach out directly to the CEO or even their Personal Assistants.
#3 Social Media
It is, after all, called social media. Use social channels like Facebook and Twitter to reach out to public figures and see if they would be interested in chipping in for your event. Some big brand names are also on these sites so drop them a DM or tweet, who knows, luck may be on your side.
#4 Ask a Friend
Ask around and see if anyone is able to suggest a local company or public figure that you can approach to be the sponsor for your event. If you know anyone that is also in event planning and management, even better, they’d be able to suggest a couple of names, some of which they may have worked with before.
#5 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programs
Large corporate companies usually have a Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR programs. Through these programs, they make monetary or material contributions as their way of giving back to society. Lots of events have been sponsored by large industry names via such programs, so it’s worth giving a shot.
#6 Make an Appointment
Go the old school way and give your potential sponsors a call. Make an appointment to meet them and present your proposal. Be sure to have all the numbers and a strong proposition for them. Sponsorships work best when they’re mutually beneficial, so be sure to highlight the benefits they’d reap should they consider sponsoring your event.
#7 Online Sponsor Sites
Yep, these sites actually exist. Just like how job search sites are, these online sponsorship sites allow you to be matched with a sponsor that is suitable with your event. You can also always search for them based on the industry in which they operate in. If you’re looking for sponsorship in a niche industry or field, this would be your best bet to scoring the sponsorship gold mine.
#8 Referrals
Another way you can get a few people or companies to sponsor your events is by approaching your previous sponsors for referrals. People in the corporate world have an extensive network and getting a referral almost always secures you a definite sponsorship for your event, provided that you have a strong proposal to back you up.
#9 Events
Almost everyone who diligently attend events do so for one main reason, to build their existing network. This is actually a plus point, especially when scouting for sponsors for your event. Go out to relevant events and meet new people and as you do, keep a list of people that could possibly be sponsors for any event that you have in mind.
#10 Mailing Lists
Mailing lists are one of the most valuable assets of any organization or event. You can go about and purchase a mailing list of sponsors from any other event management companies. A complete mailing list would give you more options for sponsors and at the same time, it would make things much easier when you need to send out emails to them with a proposal for your event.
There are many ways by which you can search for sponsors for you event in order to be able to have the best facilities at your event and to be able to invite high-profile speakers to share their experience with your event attendees. Aside from that, having big corporate names as sponsors can give your event an indirect publicity boost. Good luck with your sponsor search!
