Transitioning from in-person events to virtual and hybrid events means making adjustments to create the best digital experience for your organization, your audience, and other stakeholders. You want your audience to soak in your content just as they would at an in-person event and your sponsors should see value in participating.  As events have moved online over the last few months, we’ve seen the question - how do I bring value to our sponsors in virtual events? This is a great question, since going virtual eliminates some of the natural interaction that takes place between attendees and sponsors during in-person events. The reality is that virtual events actually give event organizers the opportunity to connect attendees and sponsors in similar ways to in-person events. Just as streaming and conferencing platforms enable organizers to reach audiences, event apps enable you to go a step further and create an immersive experience that offers engagement and interaction amongst your community. Guidebook apps not only benefit virtual attendees, but also enable you to provide valuable sponsorship opportunities to sponsors. Let’s look at how mobile event apps enable robust sponsorship opportunities. 

Benefits of sponsorship at hybrid and virtual events

For organizations to participate in your virtual and hybrid events, they need to see value and receive a benefit. Generally speaking, your audience is a top benefit, and connecting your sponsors with them brings value. With that in mind, its key to connect your sponsors with your audience just as you would during a live event.  With virtual and hybrid events, you have the opportunity to include your sponsors in various existing event elements (as session sponsors, panelists in sessions, etc.)  and add new, dedicated opportunities (with dedicated sessions, or branding opportunities). Start by asking the question – what’s in it for your sponsors?  Your sponsors need to understand and see value in what you’re offering, otherwise, they may opt-out of participating. When planning your sponsorship packages, think about their goals for the events they attend. Make it interesting so they will be excited to participate.

• Are they looking for brand exposure?Offer naming rights on sessions, activities, etc.
• Are they looking to collect leads? Include 1:1 meeting booking, or a sponsor scavenger hunt to connect them with your audience

A huge advantage of virtual sponsorships is that they are optimized for analytics and audience activity is easily tracked, making measuring ROI clear. 

Why mobile?

Mobile event apps are increasingly vital parts of live events, and they can be used to engage remote attendees just as (if not more) effectively since the attendees' entire attention will be on their screens. Mobile event apps are great to include in sponsorship packages because they offer many opportunities for sponsor branding and messages. Further, as event-goers are now spending most of their time in front of a computer screen, a mobile app enables attendees to be active participants and engage.  Guidebook enables organizers to offer sponsors comprehensive packages that reach attendees on their preferred platform – mobile. 

Mobile sponsorship elements

Here are a few ways you can build strong sponsorship packages with mobile: 

• Create dedicated sponsor pages
• Send sponsored push notifications
• Display sponsor banner ads
• Host sponsored sessions
• Create a virtual goodie bag
• Offer 1:1 meeting booking
• Host a virtual QR code scavenger hunt

While virtual events may not offer the same sponsorship opportunities that you're used to offering for in-person events, virtual event platforms and mobile tools enable you to offer packages that both sponsors and attendees benefit from. Additionally, because virtual and mobile platforms, like Guidebook, provide rich user data and analytics, you’ll have the ability to pass that information along to sponsors.  With some tweaks, you can retain your sponsors and continue to provide value. Since virtual and hybrid events are here to stay, now is the time to start perfecting virtual sponsorships for your upcoming events. Looking to learn more on mobile sponsorships? Visit our Sponsorship Resources Support Article and visit our Virtual Events Toolkit for additional ideas to increase sponsorship visibility with Guidebook.