Table of Contents
- Offer multiple levels of sponsorship
- Provide opportunities for branding and exposure
- Utilize social media and other marketing channels
- Offer networking opportunities
- Gather feedback and metrics
- Personalize the experience
- Leverage social media
- Make use of virtual and augmented reality
- Host a virtual exhibitor hall
- Create exclusive perks for sponsors
Hybrid events, which combine in-person and virtual elements, are becoming increasingly popular as a way to reach a wider audience and provide more opportunities for engagement and networking. If you’re planning a hybrid event, one of the keys to success is to make sure that your sponsors are getting the most value possible from their investment. Here are some steps you can take to drive more value for your hybrid event sponsors:
1. Offer multiple levels of sponsorship
By offering a range of sponsorship levels, you can cater to sponsors of different sizes and budgets. This will give sponsors the opportunity to choose a level that best fits their needs and goals.
- Clearly communicate the benefits of sponsorship. Before reaching out to potential sponsors, make sure you have a clear understanding of the benefits that sponsorship can provide. This could include things like brand exposure, access to a target audience, or the opportunity to showcase products or services. Communicate these benefits clearly to potential sponsors to help them see the value in investing in your event.
2. Provide opportunities for branding and exposure
Sponsors want visibility and brand exposure, so be sure to offer opportunities for them to showcase their products or services. This could include branded signage, sponsorship of specific sessions or speakers, and the opportunity to host a virtual booth or networking event.
- Offer a variety of sponsorship levels. To accommodate different budgets and goals, offer a range of sponsorship levels with varying levels of benefits. For example, a Platinum level sponsor might get a keynote speaking slot, while a Gold level sponsor might get a booth in the virtual exhibitor hall.
3. Utilize social media and other marketing channels
In addition to in-person and virtual elements, be sure to utilize social media and other marketing channels to promote your sponsors. This can include sharing sponsored content, tagging sponsors in social media posts, and featuring them in email campaigns.
- Build a robust strategy to utilize the most out of social media and other marketing channels. Social media and widely used marketing channels offer significant promotion to the event and can be effectively used by organisers as an economical platform to advertise their sponsors before, during, and after the event.
4. Offer networking opportunities
Networking is a key component of many events, and it’s important to provide sponsors with opportunities to connect with attendees. This could include hosting a virtual networking event or providing sponsors with access to a list of attendees.
- Provide opportunities for engagement. One of the main benefits of a hybrid event is the ability to provide more opportunities for engagement and networking, both in-person and online. Make sure to provide opportunities for sponsors to interact with attendees, whether that’s through virtual networking sessions, live Q&A sessions, or in-person meet-and-greets.
5. Gather feedback and metrics
After the event, be sure to follow up with sponsors to gather feedback on their experience and provide them with metrics on their return on investment. This will help you understand what works well for sponsors and allow you to improve future events.
- Follow up with sponsors after the event. After the event is over, make sure to follow up with sponsors to get feedback and share any relevant metrics, such as attendance numbers or engagement metrics. This will help sponsors see the value of their investment and will help you plan for future events.
6. Personalize the experience
Personalization is key to driving more value for sponsors in hybrid events.
- One way to do this is by providing sponsors with a dedicated account manager who can work with them to understand their specific needs and goals. This can help to ensure that the sponsor’s investment is tailored to their specific needs, and that their branding and messaging are integrated throughout the event.
7. Leverage social media
Social media is a powerful tool for driving more value for sponsors in hybrid events. By creating a dedicated event hashtag, sponsors can engage with attendees on social media before, during and after the event.
- This can help to increase brand awareness and drive more traffic to the sponsor’s website or virtual booth. Additionally, sponsors can use social media to share real-time updates and insights from the event, which can help to keep attendees engaged and interested in the sponsor’s products or services.
8. Make use of virtual and augmented reality
Virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) can be used to enhance the sponsor’s experience and increase engagement with attendees. VR and AR can be used to create immersive experiences such as virtual tours of sponsor’s products and services, virtual Q&A sessions, and virtual networking events.
- This can help to drive more value for sponsors by providing attendees with a unique and engaging experience that they wouldn’t be able to get from a traditional in-person event.
9. Host a virtual exhibitor hall
Exhibitor halls are a staple of in-person events, but they can also be leveraged in hybrid events to drive more value for sponsors. A virtual exhibitor hall can be created to showcase sponsor’s products and services, and provide attendees with the opportunity to connect with sponsors through live chat or video conferencing.
- Additionally, sponsors can use the virtual exhibitor hall to host virtual product demonstrations, webinars and other interactive content to keep attendees engaged.
10. Create exclusive perks for sponsors
Creating exclusive perks for sponsors can help to drive more value for their investment in hybrid events. This can be done by providing sponsors with special access to keynote speakers, VIP networking events, or other exclusive experiences.
- Additionally, sponsors can be given priority access to attendees’ contact information, which can help to increase lead generation opportunities.
By following these steps, you can help ensure that your sponsors are getting the most value possible from their investment in your hybrid event. Remember, sponsors are investing in your event to reach their target audience, so the more you can provide them with opportunities to engage with attendees, the more value they will get from their sponsorship.
Hybrid events provide a unique opportunity for sponsors to reach a wider audience and drive more value from their investment. By gaining access to the right hybrid events solutions provider like ibentos, which utilizes virtual components to help you by reaching a wider audience, providing opportunities for engagement, using data and analytics to measure impact, creating branded content, providing opportunities for lead generation, personalizing the experience, leveraging social media, making use of virtual and augmented reality, hosting a virtual exhibitor hall, and creating exclusive perks for sponsors, sponsors can maximize the value that they get from their investment in hybrid events. As an event organizer, it’s important to work closely with sponsors to understand their goals and develop strategies that will help them achieve them.
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