Sponsorships Mean More Than A Reserved Table

Add comment May 12th, 2008

Corporate sponsorship for an event is a fundamental element of relationship marketing that can benefit your company by increasing its visibility and providing an opportunity to build relationships with the right people. However, before you involve the company’s money, logo and reputation, make sure the sponsorship meets certain criteria.

Is the sponsorship right for the company? The event should be credible and appropriate for your organization’s involvement and should not conflict with your corporate message. Also, consider the attendees of the event. Are they your target audience and what is the expected attendance? If you can reach a larger segment of your target audience by using the intended sponsorship money to implement an ad or direct mail campaign, you should ask if it is practical to be involved with the event.

Sponsorship involves more than just your company’s dollars; it also deals with its reputation. Therefore, you must consider how well the event will be managed. Remember that if the event is poorly organized and implemented, the sponsors’ names are associated with it.

Before agreeing to sponsor, you should be able to define what you expect to receive in return and make sure those expectations are laid out in the contract. Also, make sure you go over how the event will be publicized and promoted. A little research goes a long way to prevent you from throwing away your organization’s money and reputation.