Proven Ways to Incorporate Sponsors At Virtual Events

Sponsors are a great way to generate revenue for virtual events. However, gaining virtual event sponsors might present a challenge.

During a recent survey, 36% of businesses said securing sponsors was an area of concern.

Many businesses are familiar with incorporating sponsors at in-person events, but virtual events are a different game.

With no in-person signage, posters, giveaways, or lounges, virtual events appear to provide fewer chances for sponsor visibility.

This can scare away potential sponsors as they feel their investment won’t be worth it.

They might appear to lack opportunities, but virtual events have plenty of ways to incorporate sponsors. You just need to know where to look.

One of the main reasons businesses sponsor events is to increase their brand awareness. By learning how to highlight your sponsors throughout your event, you show potential sponsors that their investment will be worth it.

In this article, we take a look at different ways you can highlight sponsors before, during, and after your virtual event.

Don’t wait until event day to highlight your sponsors. Take advantage of the multiple ways to include sponsors in your event promotion.

1. Via Emails and Social Media

Include sponsor logos, messages, and offers in your pre-event emails. This reinforces their contribution to your event.

• Highlight any exclusive content they’re providing for your event

Create social media posts that feature your sponsors through:

• Event countdowns that showcase sponsors
• Links to special content on the sponsor’s website
• Tags to the sponsor’s social media page

2. On Your Event Website

Display sponsor logos prominently on your event website and registration page.

Create a dedicated sponsor page on your event website to highlight your sponsors and show their importance to your event.

Rather than simply listing sponsor names, show invitees who they are by including a brief description of what they do and a link to their website.

3. Through Invitations From Sponsors

Allow sponsors to send personalized invitations to their clients or network. What are the benefits of this?

1. Sponsors benefit by keeping communication open with their clients and creating opportunities to generate sales.

2. You benefit as your event promotion skyrockets through your sponsors. Any clients they send invitations to are extra attendees that you wouldn’t otherwise have had the opportunity to invite.

By strategically incorporating sponsors into your pre-event activities, you can build anticipation and ensure they gain exposure before the event even begins.

1. Sprinkle Branding Throughout

Sponsors want to know that their brand isn’t a tiny footnote at the end of your event but a key player in the event itself.

Show them that their contribution wasn’t wasted by including their logo when possible, such as:

• • During Breaks or Transitions

Feature sponsor logos or even short promotional videos during breaks or transitions between sessions.

• • Through Gamification

Incorporate sponsor branding into event games, challenges, or leaderboards, even offering sponsor-provided prizes to winners.

2. Sponsor Acknowledgments

It might seem obvious, but simply acknowledging your sponsors throughout the event is a great way to highlight them.

Consider a few opportunities to tactfully do this include:

• • Opening and Closing Remarks

Mention and thank sponsors during the event’s opening and closing sessions. Highlight their contributions and importance to the event.

• • Session Introductions

If your sponsor’s support relates to a specific session, begin that segment with a sponsor acknowledgment, giving credit where it’s due.

3. Event App Integration

Likely you are using an event app for your virtual event. This is a great place to highlight sponsors.

• • Push Notifications: Send push notifications featuring sponsor messages, reminders, or special offers throughout the event.
  • Sponsor Profiles: Include detailed sponsor profiles within the event app, with links to their websites, contact information, and any special offers.

4. Get Sponsors Involved

It might be possible to get your sponsors involved in the event itself. Of course, this hinges on their willingness to participate and on what’s being featured in your event program.

If it fits into the agenda, involve sponsors on event day with:

• • Sponsor Booths: Set up virtual exhibitor booths where sponsors can display their products, share content, and engage with attendees via chat or video calls.
  • Interactive Demos: Allow sponsors to host live or pre-recorded demonstrations in their booths, showcasing their offerings and engaging attendees in real-time.
  • Sponsor-Led Sessions: Allow sponsors to host their own sessions, such as workshops, panels, or demonstrations, where they can engage directly with attendees.

Including sponsors in various aspects of the virtual event ensures they receive the visibility and engagement they expect.

Highlighting sponsors after your event shows that you are willing to go the extra mile to promote their company, making them more likely to sponsor your events again in the future.

Here are effective ways to feature sponsors post-event:

1. Digital Swag Bags

Swag bags show attendees that you appreciate their support at your event and they are absolute crowd-pleasers. Who doesn’t love free stuff?

When designing your digital swag bags keep your sponsors in mind. Include them by adding sponsor discounts and exclusive content.

These free resources could include:

• • Sponsor offers or promotional codes
  • eBooks
  • Whitepapers
  • Video tutorials

2. Recaps and Recordings

Don’t forget your sponsors when making event recaps and recordings.

• • Publish blog articles that recap the event. Include mentions of sponsor involvement and any special sessions or activities they hosted.
  • Share post-event social media content with shoutouts to sponsors, using event hashtags to boost visibility.
  • Include sponsor logos or messages in on-demand videos of the event. Offer these recordings to attendees and promote them via email or social media.

3. Incentivized Surveys

Attendees aren’t always eager to participate in post-event surveys. Give them a little push to do so with sponsor-branded prizes.

This not only highlights your sponsors but also gives you feedback on the event.

By effectively featuring sponsors after your virtual event, you show them their investment was worth it and lay the groundwork for continued partnerships in the future.

Virtual events don’t offer fewer opportunities for sponsor visibility, they simply offer different opportunities. Stay alert to any opportunity to take advantage of the unique ways to incorporate your sponsors before, during, and after the event.

The tips we mentioned are just the beginning to making sponsors happy. You need to also put on a quality event so that you’ll have an event worth sponsoring.

What platform will allow you to do that?
How are you planning to tackle the tech side of things?
Do you need language interpretation? A hybrid setup? Or suggestions for audience engagement?

Our many years in the field gives us the experience to answer those questions and more. We’ve seen everything there is to see and we know what makes an event worth sponsoring

Will you let us help you put on a high-quality virtual event? Let’s have a free conversation to discuss what you can do to put on an event that you’re proud to showcase and your sponsors are grateful to be a part of.