2022-2023 Bart Arrazola
Event communication and
sponsoring
Table of contents
Course 1: Sponsoring of events p1-5
Course 2: Sponsorplan & Sponsorproposal p6-11
Course 3: The communication plan p12-24
Course 4: Do’s and don’t in event communication p25-27
Course 1: Sponsoring of events
1.What is event sponsoring
= investing in an event in order to get certain benefits from the event
Companies can see it as ‘*marketing communication tool’
can have foreseen a sponsoring budget, some haven’t
Event managers sells sponsorships: offer something and ask a price(€ of else) in return
*Marketing communication tools: 1)advertising 2)flyers 3)sales promo 4)PR 5)Sponsoring 6)website
7)own social media 8)direct marketing 9)event marketing 10)personal sales
2.Understanding the perspective of the sponsor
2.1 WHAT DO SPONSORS INVEST
1) Money
2) Other: a)services b)goods/products
Often: a mix !
2.2 WHAT DO SPONSORS EXPECT IN RETURN
1) Brand awareness and brand attitude
2) Association with a value
3) Short term sales
4) Hospitality
2.2.1 Brand awareness & brand attitude (LT)
Awareness: make people know their brand
Outside the event: logo in event ads, on event website and social media
At the event: logo on stage, on banners, on screen,…
=> visibility, branding
Attitude: make people love their brand=> live interaction needed!
example:
Flag: brand awareness
Bouncing castle: brand attitude, KBC interacts with the public,
positive attitude against KBC cause children play
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, 2022-2023 Bart Arrazola
Conclusion
*Branding= result on LT => sponsor looks for consistency in supporting a certain type of event and a
certain event=> sponsors don’t switch each year
*Sponsor chooses event based on image and their public
2.2.2 Association with a value (LT)
Company don’t want to be seen as dirty moneymaker => they sponsor event which represents value
that they also care for=> they try to connect that value to their company
Try to find things important what the people find important
E.g. Coca-cola sponsored Special Olympics=> for the human value
Possible human values: sustainability, brotherhood, diversity, fair play, charity, ecology,
authenticity,... !!LT!!
2.2.3 Short term sales (ST: short term)
3 ways:
1) Sales deal, made between organizer and sponsor: you know how much money you’ll get out of it,
other two ways you don’t
2) On site sales actions
3) Off site sales actions: e.g. Give sponsor right to use the logo of the event on their product
packages=> if you buy 3 cookie packages, you’ll get a free ticket for the children event
Fast summary
Long term
Brand awareness and brand attitude= branding Difficult to measure
Association with a value
Short term
Sales deals Measurable
On site sales actions
Off site sales actions
2.2.4 Hospitality
1. For client relationships
2. For employee relationships
e.g. Free (VIP) tickets => sponsor invites best clients or give it to the employees of the company of
the sponsor
e.g. Artevelde sponsort film fest gent=> ze zetten hun parking ten gebruik van de VIP gasten =>
Artevelde krijgt hiervoor enkele tickets voor het event => Artevelde doet een win-ticket-wedstrijd
tussen de medewerkers van Artevelde
2.3 HOW TO MEASURE IMPACT?
= some sponsors do, others don’t!
1)They measure the financial value of sponsor-driven media coverage, versus they’ve paid
logo in mktc compaign of event (commercial coverage), news item about event(editorial coverage)
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2)They measure the change (before/after event) in awareness and attitude
3)They measure the change (before/after event) in ST sales
3.From my perspective as event manager
3.1 DO I NEED SPONSORS ?
Event incomes: 1) tickets 2)sponsoring 3)catering 4)merchandising 5) (*subsidies: from authorities)
*Subsidies: not seen as sponsoring, given by government. They support you cause you do something
good for them
Some events need sponsors for the income, some don’t
-Don’t need sponsors=> Product launch e.g. Volvo lances new car=> sponsors would distract visitors
3.2 WHICH ‘DIRECT’ BENEFITS CAN I OFFER ?
1. Right to visiblity (branding) in the marketing communication campaigns of the event: big
number, lower quality
2. Right to visibility (branding) at the event itself: number is less important, but quality is higher =>
longer time of seeing to logo, longer exposure
3. Right to ‘name giving’ or name connection: Volvo transporting service at the event, Cecemel run
(name in event name itself)
4. Sales rights: direct sales to event visitors
5. Media rights (for tv station): e.g. only Vrt tv station who can broadcast event
6. Hospitality rights
7. Exclusivity rights in sponsor’s branch!
=> Make these ‘rights’ more concrete and combine some ‘rights’ into packages
3.3WHICH ‘INDIRECT’ BENEFITS CAN I OFFER ?
1.Logo rights: right to use the event logo
2.Personality right: e.g. photo from Katy Pery=> first ask management Katy
3.Right to do ‘Sponsorship activation’
SPONSORSHIP ACTIVATION
= is everything a sponsor does and organizes, to bring his sponsorship alive, to both visitors and
non-visitors.
It is done by the sponsor, on his own account, but only in agreement with event owner SO as event
owner ask yourself:
Is what they’re doing also in your interest?
Is it also your visitors interest?
And is it also in your other sponsors interest?
-Sponsorship activation OUTSIDE the event
in the sponsor’s mkt communication campaigns, his sales promotions in shops, his product
packaging,…
e.g. That’s gold campaign from Coca-Cola: use the #that’s gold, billboards, tv => they talk about the
special Olympics in their campaign.
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