Whether youre looking for a company to completely underwrite a large technology conference, or simply asking for free booze for guests at an upcoming product launch, sponsorships are an increasingly prevalent part of events these days. Its not hard to figure out why: Done right, sponsorships help all parties involved. They bring in cash for event hostsoffsetting costs for some, earning revenue for others while serving as effective marketing channels for sponsors looking to target specific demographics in unique ways. So how do you get your hands on those dollars?
Do Your Homework
Before you ever put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to craft aproposal, make sure you know about the company youre pitching.Theres a whole list of things to look at, says Gregg Feistman, who teaches a class at Temple University inPhiladelphia on sponsorships and sponsorship marketing. What kinds ofthings have they sponsored in the past? What are the interests orcauses they support? What are their business goals?
That last one is a biggie. Very few people do any sort of majorsponsorship these days without a business goal in mind, whether itssales, entertaining customers, employee relations, awareness, orvisibility. They dont put out money for a golf tournament simplybecause they like golf. So you need to do your research. Then try tomake your event fit [their needs].
In other words, a sustate in a generic way what your event is all about.
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