by Shawna Suckow, CMP
Increasing the bottom line gives attendees more
DO you ever run out of ideas for your sponsorship campaigns? Have you gotten into a rut selling the same old things like signage and ads in your program? Do you need a fresh approach that will give you new ideas to invigorate a tired campaign, and bring in new funding for your events?
Getting a Fresh Perspective
At a recent client event hosted by Kalahari at their Sandusky, Ohio property, I presented a session on rethinking sponsorships. The participants listened to the concept, and then scattered around the property gathering dozens of ideas. Kalahari was particularly ripe for creative sponsorship ideas – in fact, there was a meeting taking place in their convention center, and the planner created a sponsored piece of cloth they draped on the back of a giant lion. It was the first thing everyone saw when they entered the meeting space – great branding for that sponsor. Not your typical logo-on-a-sign for sure.
The way I like to start developing any sponsorship campaign is to rethink what I have that’s sellable, because I’m probably selling the same event year after year. Here is a great way to re-invigorate your program, get new eyes and new excitement going by rethinking everything you’ve got to sell.
The approach is simply looking at everything through the lens of each of your five senses.
1. Visual Branding (beyond the usual banners, signs, pillars, and branded shwag)
Start with visual because this is what most of us tend to think about when we think about sponsorships. Picture yourself as an attendee at your meeting, for example. From the moment you check into the hotel, to your walk to your sleeping room, to the hallway down to the meeting space, what can be branded?
- GoBos (lighted logos) projected onto any surface.
- Meals – Custom napkins at bars & tables. I often sell Golden Table sponsorships, where the sponsor gets front-and-center seating for their company and their guests, and all it costs is a “reserved” sign and a gold-colored tablecloth!
- Book signings – if your speakers are authors, you can sponsor those book signings with stickers on the books, custom tablecloth at the author table, signage, etc.
- Décor – table centerpieces, custom-printed tablecloths, lectern wraps/signs, custom bar fronts at receptions, hanging signs.
Auditory Branding
What will your attendees touch while they’re at your event?
Antibacterial gel stations are big these days. Brand ‘em.
Cell phone charging stations.
A relaxation room with branded pillows and sponsored massage stations.
Smell
When her meeting attendees got snowed in and had to stay an extra night at their Chicago hotel, planner Bonni Scepkowski of Stellar Meetings came up with a great idea to soothe their frustrations: she arranged for cocoa and cookies to be delivered to everybody’s room that evening (can’t you just smell the chocolate?). Better yet, she was able to secure a sponsor for a portion of the cost, by agreeing to send a little note from the sponsoring company with each delivery.
One last idea I’d like to offer you is a fresh perspective on selling sponsorships.
Many planners feel uncomfortable selling sponsorships, because they don’t like asking for money. Reframe it this way: you’re not asking for money (that’s charity). You’re offering sponsors one of the best opportunities out there to reach their goals. You have what they want; you’re simply making them aware of it.
Remember that value is in the eye of the sponsor. If they can see the value, they’ll invest the money.
Shawna Suckow, CMP, is the founder of SPIN: Senior Professionals Industry Network – the world’s largest association for hospitality planners and suppliers with 10+ years’ experience (www.SpinPlanners.com). Today, she speaks all over the world, helping planners orchestrate more engaging meetings, and helping hospitality suppliers understand how to market and sell more effectively to tough buyers.
www.ShawnaSuckow.com
- What do attendees hear? Walk through the event in your head – where are all those aural opportunities?
- Speakers: Each guest speaker is going to need an introduction, right?
- Bands: A private meet & greet, the opportunity to introduce the band, jam with them, etc. is attractive to some sponsors. A DJ can be sponsored, and can thank the sponsors at regular intervals during the evening.
- Sponsored TV: You can be playing sponsored commercials while attendees are waiting in line to register, during meals, or during breaks.
- While attending a recent conference, planner Nann Philips, owner of Scurry Street Meeting Management, shared that she was greeted in the airport tram with an audio message from the association president - a great opportunity for sponsorship.
- Food and beverage always provides great sponsorship opportunities.
- Of course, you can always sponsor a break, a meal, or an item like dessert.
- Think about your food stations within your dining events. Why not have a special dessert or coffee bar with special toppings and ingredients, sponsored with signage and custom napkins? The sponsor can even wear a logoed apron and help pour the coffee for added face time with prospective customers!
- Create a sponsor’s logo in chocolate, in powdered sugar on top of a dessert, in butter, or even ice cubes. I’ve even had custom branding irons created to put logos on steaks.
- How about an exclusive VIP breakfast? That’s a great sponsorship opportunity for a company wanting face time with an organization’s top leaders or salespeople.
- Sponsored bars, where the bartenders wear custom shirts.
- Food & beverage at tradeshows. Food stations strategically placed in or near booths of exhibitors. An exclusive beverage served in their booth. This might involve energy drinks, a signature cocktail, espresso, whatever.
- Sponsored welcome drink, or an entire sponsored hospitality room.
What will your attendees touch while they’re at your event?
Antibacterial gel stations are big these days. Brand ‘em.
Cell phone charging stations.
A relaxation room with branded pillows and sponsored massage stations.
Smell
- This is the toughest one, but there are opportunities.
- Floral can always be sponsored.
- Mouthwash stations in restrooms.
When her meeting attendees got snowed in and had to stay an extra night at their Chicago hotel, planner Bonni Scepkowski of Stellar Meetings came up with a great idea to soothe their frustrations: she arranged for cocoa and cookies to be delivered to everybody’s room that evening (can’t you just smell the chocolate?). Better yet, she was able to secure a sponsor for a portion of the cost, by agreeing to send a little note from the sponsoring company with each delivery.
One last idea I’d like to offer you is a fresh perspective on selling sponsorships.
Many planners feel uncomfortable selling sponsorships, because they don’t like asking for money. Reframe it this way: you’re not asking for money (that’s charity). You’re offering sponsors one of the best opportunities out there to reach their goals. You have what they want; you’re simply making them aware of it.
Remember that value is in the eye of the sponsor. If they can see the value, they’ll invest the money.
Shawna Suckow, CMP, is the founder of SPIN: Senior Professionals Industry Network – the world’s largest association for hospitality planners and suppliers with 10+ years’ experience (www.SpinPlanners.com). Today, she speaks all over the world, helping planners orchestrate more engaging meetings, and helping hospitality suppliers understand how to market and sell more effectively to tough buyers.
www.ShawnaSuckow.com
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