Integrating Sponsors into Your Virtual Event
Everybody wants sponsors in their event. Whether you want someone to help pay for the expenses during the event or if you want someone to help raise a lot of money for your cause, sponsorships bring the significant revenue your event needs.
We created a “quick and dirty” example of how to smoothly integrate sponsors into your event. We took the idea from the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, where Jerry used celebrities and corporate donors to support MDA. Jerry would do a quick segment with the the sponsor, tell a few jokes, and accept their donation.
Ultimately, sponsorships are advertising, so the sponsor should talk a little bit about their company while they make a donation to the cause. This format does a great job of integrating the sponsor and their message without making everything look like a slimy sales message.
If your event isn’t a charity or fundraiser event - such as a conference or meeting - we can do something similar with out the “big check” component. I would simply bring on the sponsor’s representative, have a brief exchange about something relevant to their business (maybe something at a virtual trade show booth or a new innovation they’re releasing), do some magic with them, and move on.
Here’s a video that shows how it works and explains three key components to making this work.
Three things are important here:
The person on screen is the "face" of the company or the person your clients will interact with next.
The person participates in a magic trick, enjoys the show, and supports the cause or event with the rest of the audience.
There is a simple call to action: "Talk to Amanda to learn more" or "Thank Amanda for supporting this event" or "See Amanda for their seasonal specials."
Follow these simple steps, and you'll sell the sponsorships you need AND your sponsors will get the results they expect from their investment.
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