Just when we thought the covid-19 pandemic was over, but it is right back at us. Again, the entire world is going digital or virtual. Well, this time we are fully prepared with your unique virtual event sponsorship ideas, and there is no harm in getting more tips to make virtual events better. Yet, virtual event sponsorship opportunities available for digital events, and in-person gatherings can be a bit challenging.
Fortunately, there are many unique ways to involve sponsor branding, great exposure, publicity, and promotions with a complete virtual sponsorship to help the event managers underwrite these messages.
Virtual event sponsorship packages are QUID PRO QUO. Event planners have different types of options available when it comes to virtual event sponsorship packages. They have categorized virtual sponsorship packages in such a way that it appeals to both the sponsors and the audiences to take part in the virtual events.
Let us dive right into some of the best virtual event sponsorship ideas and suggestions that will make it easy peasy for you to get sponsorship for your virtual events.
Why Do You Need Virtual Event Sponsorship?
Not just event managers but companies in the industry also seek virtual event sponsorships. Sponsorship is a WIN-WIN for both the event organizers are the sponsor.
Enlisting virtual event sponsorship categories and seeking out sponsors are the first two basic steps of getting sponsors for event. Making sponsorship dollars is the simplest way to enhance your events.
Event planners should start finding answers to, “What’s in it for the sponsors”? Your sponsors will definitely want to know the value you and your event bring to the table. You need to be very careful in the offering, or else they will decline to sponsor.
When you make a list of incentives you will provide to your sponsors, think about the shared goals and benefits. Remember, your audience is your backbone. Leverage your attendees, as sponsors are seeking a wide customer base new target market, and brand awareness. Hence, your virtual event sponsorship offerings must revolve around these goals. Connect your audience and sponsors to get good sponsorship for virtual event.
Here is the list of the shared goals and objectives for event sponsorships:
- Consumer Leads
- Social Media Marketing
- Access to New Target Market
Tip: LinkedIn is one of the greatest platforms to connect with sponsors. Create your events on Linkedin and easily find potential sponsors for virtual sponsorships for your events.
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Why Virtual Event Sponsorship is Different?
Well, there is no major difference between virtual event sponsorship and at-venue events. For a virtual event, you think about what would you do if the event was in-person and then the brainstorming begins. Your at-venue events have specific start and end times when the sponsor’s event advertisement is played or their logos appeared on the screens. But, in the virtual event, it is not the same, there is no such length. You have to find ways to represent your sponsors in creative ways to your audience and allow them time to vouch for their brand or the company.
“A huge advantage of digital sponsorships is that they are optimized for analytics. Recording attendee data is essential for proving ROI and informing any necessary improvements.”
Here are a few event sponsorship ideas that work best for virtual sponsorships,
- Sponsored Sessions
- Email Marketing Opportunities
- Sponsored Activities
- Log-in Sessions
- Check-in Branding
- Banner Ads
- Push Notifications
- Gamification
- Splash Pages
- Session Background Brandings
We are going to discuss these points in depth further in the article.
Metrics to Measure Your Virtual Event Sponsorship Ideas
Elements of virtual event sponsorship ideas are about creating impact. What is better than the data you gather from your previous events? The value of sponsorship is proved by showing past success. This will show sponsors what they are getting for their investment in you.
Use the data collected, and analytics from your past virtual events to show what impact your events make.
Collect feedback from your attendees, sponsors, vendors, employees, and others to gather the data. Just ask the right questions in your event feedback form.
Here is what you can present to your event sponsors to show how effective and successful your events are:
- Average Audience
- Increased Leads
- Social Media Presence- your events on Instagram, your Youtube videos, etc.
- Reach and Presence- clicks, comments, impressions
- Brand Awareness
- Survey Results
- Graphs on Audience Engagement
Master the art of pitching to your sponsors and indulge them in investing in your online events. Creating event sponsorship packages is the first step toward successful online events
Tip: If you are having trouble keeping the list of the above things, we suggest you to leverage event management software to make your work easy.
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Find Your Potential Match For Virtual Event Sponsorship Ideas
Consider each part of the tech you’ll spend, and check out ways how you can build branding and finance. Anything that your audience will be taking a look at or associating with is a potential chance to fuse sponsor branding and promotions.
Here are a few amazing virtual event ideas you can incorporate to have upper hand for virtual event sponsorship.
1) Look out for Non-Traditional Sponsorships
To increase your revenues, expand your audience reach for the virtual event sponsorship.
Many event planners make the mistake of seeking traditional partnerships that limits the potential of their virtual events sponsorship sales. Event organizers should expand their horizons and consider nonendemic companies and media partners. Opening to a new horizon will get new sources to generate revenue.
Tip: It does not matter what type of event you are hosting. You can definitely consider companies from other industries. For example, if you want to host a webinar, seek out for promotional media partner for a sponsor to spread the word about your virtual webinar.
At AllEvents we make promotion and publishing seamless for you.
2) Virtual Focus Groups
Sponsors are looking forward to connecting with your audience, then why not give this opportunity to them directly? Also, give them chance to collect feedback on the goods or services they are producing.
When it comes to virtual and hybrid events, sponsors want value beyond lead generation or increasing sales. One of the popular aspects is to connect sponsors online with potential customers from whom they can get real-time feedback on their products and services. This provides sponsors greater engagement with the audience and an opportunity for branding.
Tip: Here are quick ways to sort potential brands that will make closing the deal with potential sponsors for your events, easily.
3) Sponsored Breaks During the Event
Sponsored entertainment breaks are one of the popular ways of endorsing a brand during the event. This catches the viewers’ and audience’s attention.
As per the VIBE Agency, getting a sponsor to underwrite a “mini-concert” with a performance by a live entertainer, or singer will add energy to your digital event and provide an outstanding promotion opportunity.
These days many singers and musicians are hosting in-house concerts which are streaming on online platforms. Sometimes they are hosting an event on their social media to stay connected with their fans and followers.
Here, hosting a virtual event from the singer’s home with the frame around showing sponsors’ names, brand panels, and a hashtag for everyone who wants to share their experiences. This provides sponsors with broader exposure.
Tip: Here, you can reach out to instrument-making companies, or headphones and gadgets selling companies to sponsor your virtual and hybrid events related to concerts and music.
4) Sponsored Games
When music concerts don’t sound attractive, persuade your sponsor into some fun game during the event. Gaming and sports events are getting highly popular in sponsorship opportunities.
Like, it is amazing to have so many people from around the world on the tip of your finger and just across your screen. Games and contests are proven great ways to engage the audience during the event, also you can even track event analytics. Sponsoring companies can have their mind-boggling game sessions during the virtual event. Further, they can send small gifts and goodies to winning participants as a part of the promotion. Well, who doesn’t love gifts?
Tip: Gaming companies or software companies can be potential sponsors for your virtual event platforms.
5) Print Programmes
In the era of digitalization, people absolutely love it when they receive something in their mailbox. It’s kind of unique marketing when you get an invitation for a virtual event in the mail. Also, a great opportunity to seek out a print partner for the sponsorship package.
“Sponsoring those things for virtual events may get you all the more value for the money now since less enormous and full-grown virtual events are occurring and mail overall has essentially diminished,” recommends Victoria B, from E3 planning.
Tip: You don’t have to look for media partners. Local print businesses also have great potential to sponsor you. Do not underestimate your local players.
6) Branded Waiting Rooms
Sometimes when the attendees are early at your events, you ask them to wait outside. Similarly, in virtual events when attendees join early into the streaming platform they are asked to wait in the lobby.
Branded waiting rooms are one such marketing ideas where the sponsors can promote their brands even before the show. So, before the event takes place you have the opportunity to promote the sponsor’s logo and message to the attendees. This will promote the sponsors as well as keep them excited about the virtual event. Hence, you can give your event a unique virtual theme to keep pre- event audience engagement.
“The 15-to 30-minute experience before the show begins is great for sponsor acknowledgment since it offers a chance for a sponsor to be the main thing the crowd sees of the virtual creation, regardless of whether it is logos or real video content,” says Tracey Shappro, president and CEO of VISION Production Group, which makes intelligent, tech-driven brand encounters for customers.
Tip: With a great graphics team you can create a 3D waiting room that can provide a 360 view of your sponsor’s products or services or the message they want to convey to the audience.
7) Pre-Event Messaging
Welcome your audience with some personalized invitations and messages. Pre-event email marketing is a good start. Obviously, highlighting their logo or connections to their content on the event registration page or pre-event email is a decent beginning, yet you could likewise send branded promotional things to participants before the live virtual event or set up a sponsored demo or direction preceding the social affair.
An attractive event registration page is most preferred by the audience and as well as sponsors.
“Sponsor messages can be considerably more effective whenever sent before your event, particularly whenever conveyed in an innovative and connecting way,” says McIntosh. It allows your sponsor an opportunity to be all the more unequivocally associated with your event and establish an early connection with you.
Tip: Email marketing is an effective way of promotion. It could be sponsors’ branding or event promotion. Also, you can engage your audience with creative captions.
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8) Sponsored Gifts and Goodies Sent to Attendees
It’s always a YAY! when it comes to gifts and goodies. Sending gift bags for those who registered for the event before the event begins. Gifts and goodies have some magical powers that attract customers and persuade them to attend the events.
if you give a gist of the event via gift bags or vouchers to hype the audience. Likewise, you can ask them to use those items sent during the event.
Here is the fun thing a wine testing company did for their wine-tasting event. Due to covid-19 their wine tasting event got canceled. So with the help of the dealer network, the wine company sent wine bottles to each attendee with a tag saying “hang tight”.
9) A Book Affair
You can never underestimate the power of good books.
Books don’t necessarily have to be a novel, you can curate a book, and send personalized diaries or journals with their names or others. These days e-books are becoming a thing, and they don’t require much of your budget.
“We likewise offer a staggered sponsorship choice that incorporates access to our books and writers for the gathering, private subsequent book/writer events, and access to our podcast library,” adds Rosenstein. “A marked site page is given also to the event organizer or association to grandstand the book or books accessible.”
Tip: When you organize a book launch event, try to find virtual event sponsorship from a publishing company. Also, ask the author of the book to exclusively provide you with the books to sell at your event. This will create hype among the audience for your virtual event where the audience can order books exclusively at your site. Product launch events always make an exception for getting sponsorships.
10) Corporate Social Responsibility
With the increasing awareness about the planet and human rights, there is a high increase in social responsibility. People are aware of their duty toward the planet. Event planners can organize donation events to fulfill their social responsibility. Sponsorship for charity events and CSR activities is easily available.
“We’ve been doing admirably with proposed donations – it feels better to request that individuals make donations for a cause,” says Michael Schneider, NEXT Events, and author of Hospitality Cares, a non-profit association that sent off a Covid store that offers help to individuals from the travel business encountering money difficulties.
Tip: Event planners organize art events for donations. Seek sponsorship with the organizations highly spending on their CSR activities. Along with your virtual event sponsorship, provide a helping hand.
11) Give It a Sense of Belonging
Hosting virtual events means losing the in-person touch and venue. You lose the attraction of a beautifully decorated venue. But here is the good news, you have digital sponsorship opportunities with graphics and designing companies.
For example, if you host a virtual paintball event, you can seek sponsorship from software or designing companies. Get innovative, and create templates and virtual backgrounds for audience engagement. Think of some unique event themes for your event and make it pretty attractive for your sponsors as well as your audience.
Also, you can get creative with the waiting area and dedicate it to a specific sponsor and display their message.
12) Virtual Scavenger Hunt
One of the popular ways to get sponsorships involved is through virtual trade shows, and games, where the audience can “visit the booth” or “walk on the carpet”. Giving such 3d experiences gets extra participation and event planners can get amazing offers for virtual event sponsorships.
For example, Each participant can be given a particular name/number/image that was just theirs, and they would be keeping watch for their identity symbol/image “stowed away” on the show floor – at a particular corner or area. They could then post on the application when they tracked down it and be entered to win a prize.
Tip: Hackathon events create such virtual hunts at the beginning of the sessions for the participants to brainstorm.
13) Swag Bags
What are swag bags? It is nothing just the branded promotional products or bags full of goodies. It takes a little extra planning for sending swag bags for virtual events. however, swag bags are proven productive tools for virtual event sponsors. Trust us, swag bags and goodies will never go out of event trends to get audience engagement.
For physical swag bags- sources the packing collected the sponsored goodies and afterward collates, stuff and ships the packs. Digital swag bags can include sponsoring virtual entry and could incorporate gift vouchers, rebate codes, digital distributions, or other online treats.
14) Let’s Find a Match
Doesn’t it sound amazing? Sponsors and attendee matchmaking.
Melissa Park, a worldwide event maker situated in New York City, recommends taking advantage of the matchmaking innovation utilized for host and buyers projects to permit sponsors and participants to have their own one-on-one gatherings during predetermined “show hours” in the event plan.
The FHTvirtual stage makes this thought a stride further, by “virtualizing” the host-participants experience: Sponsors welcome worldwide specialists to participate in the event, and on second thought of covering travel and facilities as they would with an eye to eye occasion, the supporters cover the expenses related with investment – for this situation, the enrollment cost. It effectively makes a more unique interaction between the sponsors and high-esteem participants.
15) Closing Credits Sponsorship
Well, we all are big fans of happy endings!
How about closing your event with a memorable ending rather than just a thank you note.
“Similar to watching a series or a film, virtual events allow you an opportunity to show moving credits that thank an enormous number of sponsors and individuals in a more effective manner than an in-person event could, on the grounds that sponsors names, as well as logos, can be in a general sense woven into a piece of the creation,” says VISION Production Group’s Shappro.
Tip: For a budgeted and unique ending, send a thankyou note along with a personalized badge to your audiences and sponsors.
16) Sponsorship as Relationship Builder
Anything that structures, virtual sponsorships can offer some incentive to both organizers and sponsors, regardless of whether no cash really gets changed. At the point when no up close and personal events are occurring, supporters are anxious to get their names before a group of people, and organizers are searching for ways of keeping up with their relationships with clients and have the option to offer them something.
17) Client Case Studies
Indeed, even the most all-well-created attempt to seal the deal is yet a simple sales pitch. Individuals might be bound to liven up by finding out about an occasion merchant or setting not from the actual provider, but rather from a fulfilled client.
“Have the sponsor welcome a client to vouch for them,” proposes Park. “Sponsors can buy a show opening then the client can talk about their excursion working with that sponsor giving insights into the underlying snags and how the sponsor settled them. Nothing sells a product better than a client review or reference. This likewise gives an instructive reference to different participants who might be encountering similar challenges the included client did.”
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Manali is a writer, editor, and content marketer by profession who specializes in event management and planning. She is working with AllEvents to help them create engaging content that drives the event organizers forward.