You landed that sponsorship contract- Now what?
Large-scale events, summits, and symposium sponsorships are great ways to engage with customers and prospects. Many organizations purchase their sponsorship and invest in a booth, but there is so much more to be done to make the most of your investment. Here are the top 5 things an organization must consider when sponsoring an event.
Top 5 Sponsorship Considerations:
Go Beyond the Booth- The expo floor of large events can be massive, and it is easy to get lost in the sea of swag. Think about other areas of leave a footprint—speaking sessions, social engagements, one-on-one meetings—to maximize your impression on attendees.
Promote Before, During, and After the event, internally and externally- Let attendees know you are going to be present at the event with a specialized outreach plan. Ensure that your sales teams are aware of your plans; they are your first line to customers. Have a nurture and follow-up plan for leads before you leave for the event. This allows you to define separate nurture streams for attendees that may have attended your booth, your sessions, and a dinner, vs a single badge scan at your booth for a free t-shirt.
Remember your internal partners- Who will be following up on the leads? Consider inviting them to participate as booth staff. This allows for a stronger customer experience when the customer is contacted by the same person they spoke with at the event. Invite sales and technical teams to support with customer meetings and solution demos, and give them a shared goal to measure success.
Remember your external partners- cross-promote at partner booths and other activations. Consider co-hosting ancillary events to expand the reach of your attendees when your combined solutions offer added value to the customer.
Track, measure, and evaluate- Establish goals with owners when evaluating the sponsorship. Do you have support from sales leadership to prioritize customer meetings? Will they prioritize follow-up appointments? Do you have support from your demand gen team to establish a nurture stream to move prospects through the customer journey? If the answer is no to any of these questions, re-evaluate investing in the event. You can have the most amazing presence at the show, but if no one is willing to follow up, you are wasting your time and the company’s money. Most importantly, do a post-event evaluation with your key stakeholders and document the outcomes. What went well? What didn’t work? Did you accomplish your goals?
By keeping these 5 areas in your focus, you can go beyond the booth and maximize your presence at your next sponsored conference. Want to learn more about all of the ways you can make the most of your upcoming sponsorship? Let’s talk! Book a free appointment by clicking here.