Jodie McLean 0:04
Hey, I'm Jodie Event Manager, business owner, educator and podcast host. I'm an introverted homebody want to be wine master. And I truly believe in the power of events to inspire delight and ignite human potential. Every week, I take you backstage into the wonderful world of business events, and give you the insider scoop on how to take your events to the next level. Before we begin, I'd like to acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and listen. Let's get into it.
Jodie McLean 0:40
Well, welcome to episode 25 of the events Insider PodCast. My phrase for this year is committed and consistent. And I just have to say, I think we're going very well so far, particularly with the podcast, you know, a weekly podcast is a lot of work, particularly these solo episodes, because you don't have anyone to bounce off. And even though they might only be sort of 15 to 20 minutes in length, there's actually a lot of prep that goes on behind the scenes to be able to record an episode. So I definitely don't just turn on the mic and record and 20 minutes later, I'm done. That is a lot of planning for each episode, and thinking about what I want to share and how to best communicate my knowledge in a really valuable way purely in audio form. Actually, with that, if you do get any value out of this episode or any other episodes, I would love you to subscribe if you don't already, but also to leave a review, because it really does help us be able to continue producing this free content each week for you. So I would really appreciate that.
Jodie McLean 1:46
Now today, we are talking about event sponsorships and partnerships. Now, it's not a topic I have discussed on the podcast before, or even written about on the blog, I don't think so I'm excited to dive into this with you today. So a lot of business events, particularly if you're mainly doing sort of internal company events, you probably won't have any sponsors or partners. But if you are looking after any events that are sort of more broadly open to your industry, or even to the general public, then it might be an opportunity to get some event partners and sponsors on board to support your event. Now, in my event management agency, JEM Events, we look after this for our clients, mainly in terms of getting them set up to secure partners, and then managing those partner relationships once they're on board. So we typically don't do the actual outreach and pitching because our clients are typically the ones with those existing relationships. But we do do the strategy and the admin behind the scenes for them. So today, I'm going to go through when you might consider event partners and the different types of partnerships that you can look at how to create a partnership proposal and what to include in it, and how to identify prospects and secure event partners. So let's dive in.
Jodie McLean 3:12
Okay, so first off, I want to say that having event sponsors and partners sounds great. Like you can just get some sponsors to pay for staff, and then you'll be able to put on an even better event, right? I am constantly seeing posts in Facebook groups and on LinkedIn with people saying, we're holding x event and we're looking for sponsors and free gifts. But the reality is that it's not easy, it takes a lot of strategy and admin time to actually do it. Well. It's not always a guarantee, which can make budgeting really hard at the beginning of your event project. And if you do get event partners, they then need to be nurtured and looked after throughout the whole planning process. So it's definitely not some magic solution to get more money or free stuff for your event. And if you have a manager or a client who's saying, oh, we'll just get some sponsors, then you need to manage expectations around how much work that is. And you might need some support to either do the pitching or the managing of those relationships. But if it is a path that you're going to go down with a particular event, then there are a few different types of event partnerships. And you want to decide on what will be most suitable for the event and for your company. So broadly, I categorise everything under the term event partnerships, and then there are a few different types underneath it. So the most common is sponsors. And sponsors can be either financial, so they give you money towards the event in exchange for certain benefits. Or they can be what we call in kind and that is when they provide products or services for free in exchange for certain benefits in return.
Jodie McLean 4:55
So they're the typical types of sponsorships. Then you can also have have exhibitors as event partners, so companies that pay to have like a stand at your event. And it doesn't have to be a full on, you know, Expo booth by a professional build company. It can be a simple table or a display, like in the foyer or at the back of the room depending on the type of event that you're holding. But then there are also other types of event partners. So they could be media partners, like media outlets that are going to help you promote the event, or maybe companies that are going to capture content at your event, you could have like community partners, so like a charity partner, or a government body or a local organisation, or like a sporting body. But event partners could also be a person. So it could be a high profile person as like your event patron or ambassador. Or you could have a few influences you partner with to help promote the event. And that sort of, I guess links back to what we were talking about there with media partners. So there's lots of different types of partnership opportunities to explore for your event. And I think it really comes down to what your needs are with the event, but also what you can offer in return. And that's going to help you identify what types of partnerships to go after.
Jodie McLean 6:18
So then once we know what kind of partners or sponsors, we ideally want to get for the event, we need to put together a partnership proposal that we can send out to companies to pitch to. So I think it's important to have an idea of who we're going to be pitching to when we're creating our proposal document. Now, if not the specific exact companies just an idea of the kind of companies because that's really going to help you with tailoring your proposal a bit. And if you're working with a team like internally, then it's good to involve anyone in your team, who knows, like your industry or your clients well, in this part of the planning so that they can help you tailor the proposals. And I think the most important thing when putting together your partnership proposal is to remember to focus on the prospective partner. Because yes, we need to talk about the event and the company putting on the event. But make sure you don't get too carried away with it all being about you, we need to present a really compelling and exciting opportunity for other companies to partner on this event, and all the benefits that they're going to get from it.
Jodie McLean 7:26
So there are some really key things that we need to include in a partnership proposal. And what I've done is I've actually created a checklist for you with everything you need to include and some different ideas for packages. So it's free for you to get just go to the link in the show notes. And you can grab that checklist. So that will walk you through it rather than me rattling off 20 or 30 different things. Now, you can just grab that checklist for when you need it in future as well. So some tips when it comes to creating this proposal document. Make sure it's nicely designed. So we want to stand out amongst other you know, boring proposals. But we also want it to look professional and on brand. So either on brand for the company, or on brand for the event. So if your event has like its own look and feel which I do highly recommend, if it's an event of a certain calibre where you are going after partners, then I would absolutely make sure your document visually ties into the event branding. And then also make sure it communicates everything really clearly. So we don't want anything too wordy. We want to keep it punchy and to the point and getting across like the key information and the benefits as easily and as quickly as possible. And then we also want to make sure that there are clear next steps on the final page. So if they're interested, what do they do next, when they sign up, what happens next? When do they need to pay just some really clear dot points of here's what's going to happen next. Because companies that are going to partner with you, they want to feel assured that you're organised you're all over it, and that you're not just going to take their money and then ghost them.
Jodie McLean 9:05
Now when it comes to pitching to prospective partners, hopefully you as the event organiser don't also have to do all of the sales. Hopefully you've got some team around you to help you. But if you are in a role where you have to try and secure event partners, then first we want to spend some time researching and identifying possible partners. So organisations that are either aligned to the purpose of the event, all who've got the same target audience as the people we expect to be coming to the event. And if you've already got some existing relationships, or you can get an introduction from someone in your network, then that's going to help you a lot and I would start with those ones.
Jodie McLean 9:45
Now. When you do reach out to prospective partners. You want to make sure that you tailor the pitch to them, and really focus on why you think they're a great fit and why you thought of them for this opportunity. If you've got multiple different partnership options and types in Your proposal, then I would specify which one you think might be the best for them. So really showing them that you've thought about it, that you really have them in mind and making them feel really important. Now, remember, not everyone is going to take up a partnership. So be prepared for some rejections and some ghosting. But I would also encourage you to be prepared to be flexible. So we need to be open to adding or changing things in the packages to suit people. We need to be open to negotiating on the price, and also open to other types of partnerships that they might come back and counteroffer with instead. So we need to remember that it is a partnership. And whilst we might think that we're providing all of these amazing benefits, they're also taking a gamble and trusting that the event is going to be successful before it's happened. And they won't really know that until after they've invested. So anything that we can do to help them feel comfortable, and that they're going to get an ROI is going to help secure them as our event partner. Okay, so I've got a few tips on event partnerships that I've learned over the years of doing this. Number one is be creative with your offering. So gold, silver, bronze, or tier 123 are not exciting for anyone. So try and think of something that's aligned to the event. And that will help you stand out when you're naming your packages. Tip number two is it's important to make it looks like there are a lot of perks. But often there's really only one or two with actual valuable benefits in a package. And that's what the company is paying for. So make sure that in addition to the standard, you know, oh, your logo will go everywhere. Make sure that you do have those one or two things that accompany would find really valuable and worth the investment. And then tip number three is there's power in the follow up. So when you pitch and you don't hear back, follow up, when you need content from your sponsors, and they haven't gotten it to follow up. When it's getting close to the event. Follow up, make sure they're ready to go. And then of course, after the event, follow up and make sure that you've delivered on everything that you promised. Because like I said at the beginning, you know event sponsors and partners can be really beneficial for events. But it does take a lot of work to make it happen and do well. So make sure you grab that free checklist that I put together for you so that you know exactly what to include in your partnership proposal document. And the link is in the show notes for you. And if you have any other questions, reach out to me on Insta at events Academy underscore and I would love to chat with you over there. Have a wonderful week. Good luck with any events you are planning and I will chat to you next week.
Jodie McLean 12:52
Thanks for listening to this episode of the events Insider PodCast. If you loved it, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, share with your friends and I'll chat to you next week. Bye
