Your Complete Guide to Crafting an Event Sponsorship Proposal

Securing financial and in-kind sponsors for an event is an essential aspect of event planning. It is part of the event planning process that can make a big difference in the resources available to be used to influence the success and outcome of your event. 

All events have a main sponsor, whether that’s your organization or a third-party organization, or even yourself. For sure, someone is sponsoring the event. Event Sponsorships provide much-needed funding and support to help bring the event to life. 

However, securing a sponsorship deal is not always an easy task. Organizing a great event for your target audience and crafting an effective event sponsorship proposal are keys to securing a sponsorship deal and ensuring that your event succeeds.

Let us guide you through the process of crafting an event sponsorship proposal that will give you everything you need to know on how to get the right sponsors.

From understanding your audience and setting your sponsorship goals to creating a comprehensive sponsorship package and presenting it compellingly, we’ll cover all the essential steps to ensure that your proposal stands out.

So if you’re ready to take your event sponsorship game to the next level, let’s dive into the world of crafting an event sponsorship proposal!

What is an Event Sponsorship Proposal?

An event sponsorship proposal is a document that outlines the details of a proposed event and aims to seek financial or in-kind support from potential businesses, organizations, groups, or individuals. 

The proposal typically includes information about the event, such as its purpose, target audience, number of attendees, number of other sponsors, date, and location, as well as the benefits that sponsors will receive in return for their support. 

These benefits may include brand visibility, exposure to the event’s attendees, opportunities for product sampling or demonstrations, collecting leads of potential customers or buyers, and networking opportunities with other sponsors and event organizers. 

The proposal is typically tailored to the specific needs and interests of each potential sponsor and may include different levels of sponsorship packages with varying costs and benefits. The ultimate goal of an event sponsorship proposal is to secure funding and support for the event, while also providing value and opportunities for the sponsoring organizations.

Benefits of Having an Event Sponsorship 

There are many benefits of having a sponsor for your event. Aside from the extra funds, you can have the opportunity to widen your reach and network through your event sponsor. 

Some of the benefits applicable are the following:

• Financial donations to use to pay for expenses of the event.
• In-kind donation of goods or services to use at the event, such as the venue, internet access, gifts, expert presentations, swag, etc.
• Increased brand awareness: Having an event sponsor can increase your event’s exposure since your sponsors will advertise it as well. Furthermore, sponsorship allows you to gain access to your sponsor’s community or supporters which in turn can build your credibility and reach. 
• Improved brand image: Imagine being able to have a big brand in your industry as your sponsor. The positive association will increase your brand’s credibility and social proof. 
• Increased sales and revenue: As mentioned, sponsoring an event gives you access to your partner’s existing audience or community. This allows you to market your products and services to their existing followers and supporters. You will have an increased sales and revenue from the event’s marketing efforts. 
• Brand differentiation: Event sponsorship can help your brand stand out from the competition by associating it with well-established and well-known brands and sponsors.
• Positive publicity: Teaming up with a sponsor that supports your branding or is in line with your cause can help with your public relations or branding. Having positive publicity increases brand retention and loyalty.

Different Types of Event Sponsorships or Sponsorship Packages

1. Title Sponsorship – this type of sponsorship is usually the most expensive type of sponsorship as it includes mentioning the sponsor’s brand name at every stage of the event for maximum exposure. 

An example of this would be the partnership between Coca-Cola and the Olympics games. Aside from sponsoring the Olympic Games and having their logos, their partnership includes a social media package for the year.

2. Presenting Sponsorship – this one is similar to title sponsorship but has no naming rights on the whole event. This type of sponsorship features the brand’s name on the event’s collateral. 
3. Category Sponsorship – as the name suggests, this type of sponsorship sponsors a category or portion of an event. This can be a segment that applies to the brand. 
4. Supporting Sponsorship – this type of sponsorship is like a secondary type of sponsorship. A big financial amount is not usually needed here. 
5. Media Sponsorship – this is applicable for media coverage or promotion in exchange for visibility and exposure at the event. Instead of paying cash, the media company or publication will offer their media coverage in exchange for participation/attendance or what the event organizers have to offer.
6. In-kind sponsorship – In-kind sponsorship offers a pure product or service as a form of payment.  For example, a restaurant might provide catering services for a charity fundraiser in exchange for exposure and recognition at the event. In-kind sponsorship can be a cost-effective way for companies to support events while also showcasing their products or services.
7. Venue Sponsorship – Similar to in-kind sponsorship, venue sponsorship offers their location or venue instead of charging for rent or fee in exchange for branding and exposure. Venue sponsors are common for sports events, where a stadium or arena may be named after a sponsor. Venue sponsorship can provide a significant amount of visibility and exposure for the sponsor. 
8. Community Sponsorship – This particular type of sponsorship is relevant for nonprofit organizations or events with a cause. This type of sponsorship can include financial support, in-kind donations, or volunteer services.

Some Examples of Brands and Event Sponsorships

1. Healthcare event: An example of sponsorship for a healthcare event could be a yoga session. A yoga mat brand or sports outfit can serve as a sponsor for the event. The products of the sponsors can be used for doing specific activities. This seamlessly highlights the features of the brand during your event. 
2. Education category event: If you’re hosting an event that educates, you can try to create a mastermind or a hackathon event that aims to solve a particular problem. Potential sponsors you can attract could be universities promoting a course, coaches with the chosen topic as expertise, authors, tutorial programs, and more. 
3. Bazaars or Community Fairs: This is one of the easiest and most common types of events you can do within your community. You can attract sponsors by giving them a bigger booth (to market and sell their products/services), a better location on the bazaar, and more shoutouts by the host throughout the event. Bazaars are a good way for businesses to get their brand out because it is one sure way to draw a crowd. 
4. Food Festivals: Everybody loves a good gastronomic experience. Attract sponsors from your local restaurants and eateries. Instead of a monetary sponsorship, a food brand can offer food coupons to the event organizers in exchange for exposure to the event’s collateral and program. 

Other Examples of Brands and Major Event Sponsorships

1. GitHub Universe: GitHub is an internet hosting service for software development and version control using Git. It can serve as project management software too. They have a unique sponsorship package that includes demographic data of those who attend GitHub. This is a great way to attract sponsors that look for the demographic and audience they serve. 
2. Cannes Film Festival: The Cannes Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world and attracts a large number of celebrities and media attention. Brands such as Chopard, L’Oreal, and Air France have been sponsors of the festival in the past.
3. Formula One Racing: Formula One racing is a popular motorsport that attracts a global audience. Brands such as Rolex, Heineken, and DHL have been sponsors of Formula One team or races in the past.

4. Rolex and TED: Rolex’s support has enabled TED to host their inspiring and viral talks for free. TED and Rolex’s collaboration to develop “Surprise Me,” the hugely popular iOS app, shows Rolex’s upgraded partnership with TED. This is a feature that allows users to find the perfect TEDx episode for them within their limited time. 

Steps on How to Look for Potential Sponsorship Opportunities

Here are the steps on how to attract and gain the right sponsors:

1. Identify your goals: As with any venture, it is important to identify what you want to accomplish. What are you looking for in a potential sponsor? Is it for exposure purposes? Extra funding? This would allow you to look for the ideal partner that can have a win-win relationship with you. 
2. What makes the right sponsor: The next thing to consider is knowing what the right sponsor is for you. Get to know their interest, their values, their reputation, and their ability to attract attendees to your event. Consider companies that are aligned with your event’s industry, mission, and target audience.
3. Research: If you’re hosting an event with a Gen Z target audience, it would be best to do diligent research on the right sponsor that would fit your target audience. You can look for potential collaboration on similar brands or services that can benefit from your event. 
4. Evaluate the target audience: As mentioned above, evaluating your target audience is crucial to make the event a holistic experience for them. Understand what they’re looking for and what interests them.
5. Analyze the benefits of a win-win situation: It is good to remember that your event sponsors are not just for fundraising initiatives. Your event should also compensate them well enough. 

When you make an effort to ensure that sponsors benefit from your event, there is a higher chance of building a long-term relationship with them. This means they may be more willing to continue sponsoring your future events.

By creating a win-win situation for both parties, where sponsors receive valuable exposure and positive brand association, and your event receives the necessary funding and support, it sets the foundation for a mutually beneficial relationship.

6. Determine the cost: To create effective sponsorship packages, it is important to determine the total cost of your event. This involves listing all the expenses involved in hosting the event, such as event production costs, marketing and promotion costs, hospitality expenses, talent/speaker fees, staffing costs, and other miscellaneous expenses. 

By having a clear understanding of your event’s financials, you can price your sponsorship packages appropriately to cover these costs and provide valuable benefits to your sponsors. This information also helps you identify potential areas where sponsors can provide financial support and can guide you in developing sponsorship packages that align with your budget and event goals. 

Later, you can provide specific examples of the different sponsorship packages available based on the costs and benefits outlined. 

7. Reach out to sponsor: Once you have your target sponsor ready and your target audience defined, it is time to write a sponsorship letter and reach out to your sponsor.
8. Follow-up: Securing a good sponsor requires persistence and perseverance. It often takes multiple attempts to successfully contact, pitch, address concerns, and secure acceptance from a sponsor, especially if it’s a new sponsor. Maintain a strong mental attitude and remain persistent in your efforts to land a sponsor that aligns with your event’s goals and values.
9. Sign the agreement: Seal the deal. After your sponsor signs the agreement, you’re good to go! 

How to Write an Event Sponsorship Proposal

Your event sponsorship proposal is what your prospective sponsor will see. Make a good first impression by creating a concise, professional, and comprehensive sponsorship letter. 

Here are the components of a good event sponsorship proposal: 

• Define the event
• Identify your target audience
• Determine Sponsorship levels
• Highlight the benefits the sponsor will get
• Offer additional value and perks to your sponsors
• Give social proof of your past successful event
• Include images of your previous events
• Cite relevant data that would be beneficial to them
• Include a call to action
• Proofread and finalize

Sample Event Proposal Templates (Downloadable PDFs) 

One of the things that come to mind when creating your sponsorship proposal is to look for a template as your initial guide. We’ve created different event sponsorship proposal templates for you to download for free here:

• Invitation to Sponsor/ Sponsorship Proposal Template – this is the template to use for sending to your prospect sponsor. 
• Sponsorship Package Template – if your potential sponsor is interested, you can send this letter to the sponsor to choose the different sponsorship packages available. List down the different perks for every tier of sponsorship. 
• Sponsorship Agreement Template – once you and your sponsor reach an agreement, this will serve as your event sponsorship contract. 
• Sponsorship Renewal Template – after the event, send this letter if you want a renewal of your sponsorship. Include additional perks for the renewal since this will be your second time partnering with them and a relationship is established already.

Measuring and Evaluating Your Sponsorship Deal

Your sponsorship deal with your event partner does not end after your event. It is fitting to send an evaluation report to measure the success of your partnership. 

In crafting your post-event report, go back to what was initially promised and discussed and list down the specific goals that were set. Were these met? 

Present data you’ve gathered in your event. How many attendees? What were their demographics? Did you collect a survey? What was the overall feel and feedback of your audience about your event? If you’re able to collect feedback from your attendees on your sponsor, that would be great too. 

After presenting these data, give a breakdown of the computed Return of Investment of your event and to your sponsors. It’s important to note though that there are several factors to consider in computing the ROI and not just in monetary terms. Things like brand retention, loyalty, the community gained, etc. are things to consider. 

Create an action plan (based on feedback and observations) for your future events. List down things that went right and things that could be improved. What were the wins and values that contributed to the success of your event? What were the hindrances in reaching your goals? 

Create a Successful Event Sponsorship Program with Event Espresso

Planning an event has a lot of positive effects on your business and brand and there’s no best time to start planning than now. As discussed in this article, you can synergize with an event sponsor for a collaboration that can benefit both parties. Impress them with your event planning by working with Event Espresso.

Event Espresso is an event ticketing platform for WordPress websites. You can sell an unlimited number of tickets with a $0 commission fee. This means less cost for you and your attendees.

Don’t miss the opportunity. Start your free demo now!