A sponsorship package is a structured proposal that outlines what a sponsor gets in return for investing in your event. At its core, the package answers 3 questions that sponsors care about:

• Why should they sponsor your event?
• How can they advertise?
• What’s in it for them?

By clearly communicating these answers, you create a compelling sponsorship pitch that maximizes earning potential and attracts quality sponsors. Whether you’re planning a small conference or a large expo, having a well-crafted sponsorship package increases your chances of attracting the right, high-value sponsors for your event.

How to Create A Sponsorship Package In 5 Steps

1. Define Your Event's Objectives and Target Audience

When pitching your event to potential sponsors, you must share your event’s objectives and audience. Let's say your event is focused on Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), will EHS executives be attending? If yes, and your sponsor is an EHS app builder or an EHS publication like EHS Today, you can let them know that their ads will be in front of potential high-value leads.  What if your event is for admitted students day, how many college freshmen and transfers will download the app? If over 5,000 students will download the app, that could be great exposure for a free app-building platform that future club leaders can use to create event guides and apps, or for local businesses aiming to tap into the increased traffic on campus. In short, the best way to get the attention of a sponsor is to show that the audience attending your event will be interested in their product or service. And that the audience will have multiple opportunities to interact with their ad. When you build an event app with Guidebook, you get access to smartphone features, like QR codes, that appeal to a wide range of audiences. And you can include sponsored content throughout your event app easily. 

2. Outline Sponsorship Tiers and Benefits

There are so many sponsorship opportunities both in person and on your event app. Creating different levels within your sponsorship package organizes the information, making it easier to see the value quickly. You can group together all in-person ad placements with a package that includes:

• Banners
• Booth space
• Logos on name badges
• Logos on some or all printed materials
• Sponsored SWAG like water bottles or stickers

And you can group together all ad placements on your event app with a sponsorship package that includes:

• Featured listing
• Sponsor banner
• Sponsored poll
• Sponsor module that lists all logos and website links

However, the best sponsorship packages include offerings that are available for both in-person ad placements and ads within the event app. One idea is to create a package focused on audience interaction that focuses on a QR code scavenger hunt and a sponsored game or activity within the event. Another idea could be to feature a more robust hybrid list of offerings to include branded badge lanyards, branded hats or pins, a photo booth, and banner ads within your event app. Be sure to list all of the ways your app collects data and how that data can be valuable to your sponsors. When you build an app with Guidebook, your app automatically collects and organizes valuable data into actionable insights. You can easily download those insights and share them with sponsors. Data collection ranges from simply compiling emails to having lead generation forms, to sharing how many views or clicks a banner ad received. Make data collection available within each tier of your sponsorship package offerings. The more data and insights your sponsors have to work with, the more value they can receive from advertising at your event.

3. Highlight Data-Driven Sponsorship Value

When you build an event app with a platform like Guidebook, you have access to valuable data and insights that can influence a sponsor's decision. This includes insights on:

• Number of app downloads: this demonstrates the potential reach they can expect from being a sponsor.
• Ad metrics: data like ad impressions, taps and interactions show how attendees interacted with their ad.
• Attendee engagement metrics: measures interactions with event content, providing deeper insights into audience behavior.

By providing these insights, you make it easier for sponsors to see the ROI of being part of your event and justify future sponsorships. The more data you can share, the more confidence a sponsor will have in the value of partnering with your event.

4. Create a Sponsorship Menu with Pricing

Make decision-making east by organizing your packages into a visually appealing, menu-style document with a list of each ad placement and the price.Include screenshot examples, a written explanation, and a fair price. Remember that analysis paralysis can set in with there are too many options to choose from. So, offer a small number of options to make it easier for the potential sponsor to make a decision. In addition, design packages that are centered around general themes. If possible allow packages to be customizable and flexible based on specific needs that your sponsor may have. Here are some of the sponsorship features available when you build your event app with Guidebook.  

5. Offer Flexible Pricing

Pricing is flexible and is based on several factors including, the size of your event, the perceived value your event brings to the sponsor, the estimated number of high-value leads, how many views and clicks ads get with the event app, and more.

Final Thoughts and Next Steps

Potential sponsors want to see how advertising at your event will bring them value. Create a short list of sponsorship packages that are organized by different themes and objectives and you’ll make it easy for them to sponsor your event.  To get started quickly download our Definitive Guide To Increasing Sponsorhip Revenue With An Event App. This e-book gives you:

• 9 in-app sponsorship formats you can use
• a real-world sponsorship use case
• an overview of different types of app metrics that help prove sponsor ROI

Download the sponsorship ebook here. If you have specific questions about sponsorships, we invite to you to talk to one of our dedicated product experts to explore the best options for your event.