One of the many ways new branded sponsorships are helping to build meaningful relationships is a sponsored open bar where members can network. Credit: SmithBucklin

Mary Smith is a Director, Event Services, at SmithBucklin. She leads a team of experienced event management professionals who deliver highly effective meetings, conferences and trade shows for client organizations. She specializes in creating and developing partnerships to increase event engagement. Contact Mary at mmsmith@smithbucklin.com.

The NASCAR approach is out. No longer are nonprofit organizations plastering sponsors’ logos throughout events. Instead, sales teams are creating unique sponsorship experiences that are resulting in increased event attendance and engagement for both exhibitors and attendees.

These new branded sponsorships and other event sales opportunities are focused on building meaningful relationships. For example, a sponsor might provide a tangible product or service that connects to the event’s theme and adds value to the overall experience. Another sponsor might offer an activity that encourages attendee interaction and, in the process, makes a lasting impression on potential customers.

Branded sponsorships that help event attendees make meaningful connections and come away with memorable experiences are more likely to achieve the sponsors’ goals.

Innovative Branded Sponsorships

Because sponsorships must be memorable, you should make them unique to the sponsor. SmithBucklin’s sales teams are always helping our client organizations match the right type of exclusive opportunity to the individual sponsor. Our list of sponsorship ideas is constantly growing and evolving. Following are some examples of innovative branded sponsorships:

• Host an open bar tab. Invite attendees (with specific interests or demographics) to a happy hour celebrating a specific topic, such as welcoming new members. The sponsorship would cover the bar tab for the first hour. A popular spinoff is a hosted night cap in the hotel lobby bar. This activity is especially effective on a night when there is no dinner or event scheduled because it brings attendees back together to share their adventures while out on the town.
• Share the local fun. Each city or setting boasts its own unique activities, such as hiking, fishing, boating or even skeet-shooting. These are excellent opportunities for sponsors to help attendees make lasting memories from the event. For example, one sponsor offered batting practice at a baseball stadium. Another provided yoga on the beach. These experiences can range from short, early-morning exercises to half-day excursions.
• Join them on game day. A challenge for event planners whose attendees are sports enthusiasts is how to keep them engaged during the “big game.” Don’t fight them, join them. One client organization and a sponsor brought in big-screen televisions, couches and beer, transforming the exhibit hall into a sports bar. Instead of going out to watch an NFL playoff game, the attendees stayed at the event, networking and sharing their common interests in football.
• Provide VIP status. Create an “exclusive guest” experience by treating attendees like VIPs. Upon arrival at the hotel, usher attendees into a VIP line for check-in, hand out goody bags filled with swag and offer welcome cocktails — all provided by sponsors. Ask another sponsor to host group transportation to and from the airport. By making attendees feel special on arrival, the sponsors help set the tone for a positive experience throughout the event.
• Go for comfort. Sponsorships can be as simple as creating several areas on the trade show floor for attendees to relax and charge their phones. Rather than using folding tables and chairs, bring in sofas, lounge chairs and foot stools. Some sponsors also offer food and beverages. Besides providing a comfortable place for networking, these lounge areas also serve to keep your attendees engaged in the exhibit hall.
• Be true to their brand. Sponsors want highly customized experiences created just for their products or services. For example, a company that sells a product to clean vegetables and fruits wanted to demonstrate its benefits for senior living communities during a conference for the communities’ managers. As part of a regular breakfast event, we created a live demo that incorporated product usage into the meal. Naturally, the product became part of the conversation at the tables, and the sponsor was thrilled with the opportunity to engage directly with attendees.

Branded sponsorships that help event attendees make meaningful connections and come away with memorable experiences are more likely to achieve the sponsors’ goals. Additionally, the lasting impressions that the sponsorships create will benefit your organization as attendees and sponsors commit to returning year after year for this must-attend event. AC&F