5 Tips for Securing and Retaining Sponsors for Your Event

Getting and retaining sponsors can be one of the most difficult parts of any event. But with a little planning, research, and follow up your sponsorship opportunities will be filled before you know it. Here are our tips to make the process a breeze. 

1. Make a connection.
   How can you make your potential sponsor feel more connected to the event? Maybe the CEO has a connection to the cause behind the event, or maybe the company has a connection with another key sponsor. Do some research to find these connections and be sure to mention them in your pitch. It will help the sponsor feel like they're already a part of the event. 

2. Give them options.
   Businesses get a lot of sponsorship requests and don’t always have the resources to commit to what you’re asking them for. Try approaching your contact with two or three tiers of sponsorship so that they have options.

3. Make it customized.
   Think about what each individual business would get out of a sponsorship with your event. It might be that one business is launching a new product and would get the most benefit out of being able to promote it at your event. Sponsors love to know you’ve genuinely thought about how this partnership will benefit both of you, so do your research!

4. Keep in touch.
   Your sponsors need timely updates on what they can expect next, what’s expected of them, and how you can support them throughout the process. Not only will it help the event run more smoothly, it will make them feel more confident working with you and keep things from falling through the cracks.

5. Keep on improving.
   After your event is over, follow up with your sponsors to see what worked and what didn’t. This is a good opportunity to identify any issues that would potentially prevent a sponsor from working with your event next year - and for you to address it immediately. Let your sponsor know that you’ve heard them and that you have a plan in place to improve it in the future.