Winning Sponsorships

1
Winning Sponsorships

• Lori McCarney
• VP Marketing
• FlyHawaii Airlines

2
The Plight of Sponsors

• Overwhelming number of requests.
• Smaller budgets.
• Demands to do more for less.
• Requirement to demonstrate the value of marketing
  dollars spent.
• Alternatives to sponsorships.

3
What can you do to secure a sponsor for your
festival or event?

• Understand each potential sponsor - do some
  homework!
• Understand your event - what it can provide to
  potential sponsors.
• Develop metrics that can help a sponsor
  rationalize the expenditure.

4
What do sponsors look for?

• Awareness
• Leads
• Sales
• Perceptual Change
• Strengthening Relationships

5
Can you name two sponsors of UH Athletics?
6

• Bank of Hawaii or First Hawaiian?
• Burger King or Papa Johns Pizza?
• Budweiser or Pepsi?
• California Hotel Casino or Outrigger Hotels?
• Oceanic Time Warner or the Honolulu Advertiser?

7
Awareness

• Companies seeking awareness are looking to be
  noted and remembered.
• What can you do to help them achieve this?
• -Limit the number of sponsors
• -Develop Title or Presenting Sponsorships
• -Provide high visibility in all venues
• -Create a memorable mental connection

8
Leads

• Have you ever given your name or email to someone
  at an event or festival?
• Dropped a business card in a fishbowl?
• Entered a drawing?
• Bought a ticket on the web or over the phone?

9
Leads

• If you can find a way to capture and categorize
  names, this might be a valuable resource for a
  potential sponsor.
• Event-related marketing
• Segment marketing

10
Sales

• What have you purchased at an
• Event or Festival?
• Beverages
• Food
• Souvenirs

11
Sales
What else might you purchase if it were available?

• Disposable cameras
• Sunblock
• Umbrellas
• Seat cushions

• Binoculars
• Recordings
• What else?

12
Sales

• If a company is seeking sales, think about
  targeting those most relevant to your event for
  sales or sampling.
• This is an opportunity to secure both cash and
  in-kind sponsors.

13
Sales

• Also, talk to companies who could experience a
  higher level of sales due to your event or
  festival.
• Hotels
• Restaurants
• Retailers
• Develop ideas about how your event can boost
  their sales.

14
Perceptual Change

• How has going to an event or festival
• changed your mind about a
• Company Wow, I didnt know a bunch of bankers
  would play kazoos in a parade.
• City There really is a lot to do downtown!
• Commodity Who would have thought you could make
  a canoe out of milk cartons?
• Person This person really cares about local
  tradition.

15
Perceptual Change

• Think about creating opportunities within your
  event to help a company, city, commodity, or
  person, change their image.
• They may also be very newsworthy!

16
Strengthening Relationships

• Especially in Hawaii, you can also leverage
  relationships to gain sponsors.
• Make sponsorship an important goal as you build
  your volunteer network, especially your board.
• This often works better than any other marketing
  strategy!

17
Cost/Benefit

• Metrics Set objectives and demonstrate how you
  will measure achievement.
• Financial Resources Companies that sponsor
  spend more than just sponsorship dollars.
• Human Resources Requirements for company people
  may be a plus or a minus.

18
Summary

• Do your homework and understand potential
  sponsors and your festival
• What are sponsors business needs?
• What drives their sponsorship decisions?
• What can your festival or event offer that is
  unique?

19
Summary

• Understand what your event or festival has to
  offer to a sponsor
• Awareness
• Sales
• Leads
• Perceptual Change
• Relationship Building

20
Summary

• Tailor your solicitation for each sponsor.
• Include objectives, metrics and budgets
• Propose ideas to involve your sponsor in a way
  that works for them.
• Do not expect the sponsor to come up with ideas
  for you.

21
Mahalo!

• And good luck to you all.