A sponsor for your event

When developing a project or an event, a lot of questions surface. Will I be able to meet my financing or equipment needs? Do I have the means to achieve my ambitions? All organizers are aware of this, these questions are decisive, especially in the context of a launch!

With this in mind, the sponsorship contract was created. It will allow organizers to surround themselves with partners who can help them carry out their project successfully.

What is sponsorship?

Sponsorship, more commonly called”sponsorship”, is an approach to commercial purpose. In this perspective, an advertising partner (the sponsor) will support, often financially or materially, an organization or an event. And this, in exchange for different forms of visibility. In particular, these will allow the sponsor to enhance its image and increase its reputation.

Sponsorship is therefore an action of”Giving and taking”. On the one hand, your event will be able to be organized without any problems thanks to the contribution of your sponsor. On the other hand, your sponsor will gain visibility, which will most often bring positive commercial benefits.

In addition, ensuring that a sponsorship contract is mutually beneficial is a guarantee that this partnership will last over time. You can even renegotiate it upward in the following years, depending on your development or your prospects. The aim is to create long-term relationships and to surround yourself with stable and involved partners.

Who is this for?

“Sponsored” are generally companies, events, organizations or associations that do not have sufficient financial or material resources to set up or develop their event. It is therefore in order to be able to close a project that the sponsorship approach will be used.

The different types of sponsoring

First of all, it is essential that you best define your needs. This will allow you to use the right type of sponsorship. Know that there are 4 main types of sponsorship:

• Financial sponsoring : The sponsor allocates a certain amount of money to support the sponsored party in the development of his event. These are often donations or grants. In exchange, you are required to dedicate visibility spaces to it according to the budget received by placing, for example, their logo on your tickets, flyers or posters.
  

• Sponsoring in Nature : The sponsor can, depending on your needs, either transfer equipment, infrastructure, or goods to you, or make a certain number of services available to you.
  
  
• Technology sponsorship : Here, the sponsor lets you benefit from its technological know-how.
  
  
• Skills Sponsorship : The sponsor provides you with the salary skills of his company. The aim is to be able to participate in the development of your event.

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These types of sponsorships can take the form of two types of contracts:

• The major or exclusive sponsorship contract : This partnership provides for the full amount sought by the sponsored party (or at least a considerable amount). Here, the sponsor associates his sponsor with all activities and can possibly invite him to participate in the company's decisions as part of the sponsored event. Note that this contract must specify the scope of application of the exclusive nature of the sponsorship, namely: its duration and the conditions of termination so that the commitment is not excessive.
  
  
• The one-time sponsorship contract : The budget allocated to the sponsor varies according to the nature of the project that will be supported. This type of sponsorship contract must provide for an end at the end of the project, which is why the term “contract with a defined purpose” is used.

How do I find the ideal sponsor?

Be aware that there is a huge bias when it comes to how sponsors are sought. Generally, event organizers do not clearly identify those who may be interested in their project and focus only on big brands, leaving local partners behind.

In addition, there are simple ways to determine who to approach and especially how to effectively captivate your interlocutor so that he is interested in your approach.

The choice of sponsor

To choose your future sponsor effectively, it is necessary todraw up a list of brands for which your project would be of potential interest. Don't be afraid to cast a wide net! Indeed, it is not because you are organizing a sporting event that you should imperatively focus your attention on sports or wellness brands: open yourself to related worlds!

With this in mind, we advise you to make 2 lists: brands directly linked to the nature of your event and those linked to the values of the latter. Indeed, a sponsor with values common to yours will make it easier to join the project.

It is recommended to get at least 3 brands per business sector/categories (insurance, banking, food, transport...). Promote brands based locally in order to promote the community spirit and facilitate your contacts.

Above all, be sure to remain consistent in choosing the brands you are going to contact. For example, if you aim at car dealerships and your event is more family friendly, turn to a dealership whose models are mostly sedans or SUVs and not to a sports or luxury car brand. Indeed, you will be much more likely to hit the mark with your target.

Once the company has been identified, you will need to learn how to identify the right contact person. This obviously requires long hours of research. To make your work easier, first use tools like Linkedin or Viadéo. However, if you can't find anything, you should not give up. Do not hesitate to use your network! The ultimate goal is for you to obtain, through someone you know, an email address or telephone number allowing you to contact a decision-maker in the target company.

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tip : To list and monitor your interactions with your prospects, we recommend using an organizational tool such as Trello (and what's more, it's free!)

Succeed in reaching your target audience: the sponsorship file

A crucial step in finding your sponsor is the writing of the”sponsorship file”. This file will literally be used to attract sponsors. That is why it is necessary to pay close attention to both the form and the content. Indeed, it is at the sight of the latter that very often the future sponsor will decide to meet you.

The file generally includes 5 sections:

• Presentation of the event, the project manager, the association, the sponsors of the event... Anything that can provide a certain credibility in terms of the quality and reliability of project leaders.
  
  
• Presentation of the project : Origins and objectives, description, practical information and possibly future projects.
  
  
• Public and promotional campaign : The communication campaign, its distribution, its description (posters, leaflets...) and their quantity.
  
  
• Budget presented in broad outlines.
  
  
• Partnership opportunities : On the one hand, it is necessary to define the amounts sought in sponsorship. On the other hand, you will need to list the different impact opportunities to offer. You can adapt the proposals according to the wishes of the sponsor.

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The aim is to take stock of your values and the image you want to convey during your event. You must therefore present the adequacy between your project and your target audience, and the brand image of the chosen company.

In summary, first present your needs: the type of sponsorship you would like to set up and what spaces you intend to dedicate to them. This section should contain numbers and have clear goals. Finally, present the benefits that the company will have from sponsoring you. Be specific!

Note that there are several ways to stand out in order to attract the attention of your future sponsor:

• Materialize the sending of your file by a physical element. And if you have a small budget then adapt and be creative! You will be remembered more if you surprise, surprise, or attract sympathy for your project. For example, send a fake press review relaying the success of your future event.
  
  
• Include information in your file that the sponsor may not be aware of. For example, make it clear that sponsorship expenses incurred by the sponsor are deductible from the results of his business in the same way as his other expenses. This, with no limit to the amount, as long as they are exposed in the direct interest of exploitation.

Finally, massively send your file and do it before your event. Indeed, the process takes time and you will often be forced to contact your contacts again. So stay patient and don't get discouraged. We are confident that your efforts will pay off in the end!

What are the alternatives to sponsoring?

The best known alternative to the sponsorship contract is the sponsorship contract. The latter represents financial support, in kind or skills provided by a sponsor, without direct compensation from the beneficiary. We can therefore say that the latter does not therefore involve commercial issues. It remains a simple act of generosity and charity.

But it is important to note that the entities that can benefit from it are only organizations of general interest. That is to say, your business activity must be either non-profit and non-competitive, either managed selflessly or only benefiting a limited circle of people. Moreover, your work (project) must also be of general interest. In other words, it can be educational, humanitarian, sporting, cultural, or even linked to the defense of the natural environment.

There are a large number of tools that will allow you to easily find a sponsor. For example, you can choose to subscribe to the e-directory of sponsors (900 references) for around 73 euros.

It is obviously necessary to present a sponsorship file to your future sponsor in order to convince him.

Finally, know that philanthropy is, like sponsorship, supervised and encouraged by a tax system including Admical is at the origin. With this in mind, the” Aillagon law ” allows businesses and individuals to deduct 60% and 66% of their sponsorship expenses respectively from their taxes, always under certain conditions. ‍

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Once you have chosen your sponsor and have all the cards in hand to make your event a reality, all you have to do is Initiate the establishment of your ticket office on Wilout !