Make the Most of Your Event Sponsorship   by Brenda Porter  (February 2008)

You just had to sign up.  It’s a great community event and lots of people you know will be there (and maybe even more that you don’t).   So you enlisted to be a sponsor for this year’s community cook-off and "something" festival.   Guess what – this is a fantastic showcase for your company’s products or services!

As part of the sponsorship arrangement, your company will be on the event banners and maybe on the event website, if there is one.  (If there’s not an event website, suggest it.)  But don’t let it end there…  People will be there, lots of them, having a fun time and always happy to get something novel or useful, for free.  So don’t disappoint... AND promote your business at the same time.

Set up a booth or table where you can hand out branded items that festival attendees can take home with them.  Things they will use or that are just so darn clever that they want to have one.   Maybe it’s a stress reliever, shaped like a strawberry, for the 15^th annual Strawberry Festival; a beach ball for Fun in the Sun days. Or maybe you supply the cups for the local Chamber of Commerce refreshment stand, branded with your company.  And don't forget apparel - cool t-shirts or visors are great because every time someone dons the apparel, they become a walking billboard benefiting you and your message.

 If there’s a contest involved, like a cook-off or talent show, offer to contribute to the prize packages and maybe you donate branded grill sets or aprons. 

You get the picture. The event is over.  Everyone leaves tired, happy AND with something worth taking home that reminds them of you.  A few weeks later, your branded Frisbee is packed up with the picnic basket and on its way to the park.  Or that strawberry stress reliever makes it to someone’s desk at work.

 The amount spent for sponsoring an event helps you promote your business and makes it possible for the community to put on its event.  But investing just a little bit more in clever promotional merchandise, will maximize your organization’s exposure and trigger a much more effective use of your sponsorship dollars.   

 Now you're not just a name on a banner or website, but your company name is right there in front of them whenever they use the item.