Want happier sponsors — and the kind that come back year after year? It starts with showing them real value; it’s more than just booth space and a logo on a sign. You need to give them lead data, visibility, and ways to actively engage with attendees.
After an event, Sponsors want to know what they actually got for their money — not vague impressions. That means hard numbers: lead counts, a list of who came to their sessions, and who stuck around, as well as data on who engaged with them in a number of places.
An event planner needs to think of lead data as a GOAL - not just a lucky outcome of an event. This means three things - plan for it, measure it, and brag about it.
1. Plan your touchpoint program
Touchpoints are ways attendees can engage with sponsors - either online or onsite - expressing interest that becomes a lead for the sponsor.
Provide breakout slots to sponsors, track who comes, provide on-demand webcast viewing after the event - and you are creating leads The more touchpoints they have, the more leads they generate and the more value they’ll see.
Speaking slots are the easiest, fastest way to double or triple the number of leads a sponsor receives from your event. Give sponsors a chance to speak, because even a 15-minute breakout session can massively expand their reach beyond booth traffic. And once they’re on stage, you can track who came, and who was engaged. If you webcast sponsor sessions - a new audience can visit post-event and create more leads watching replays.
Another program that will generate leads is a 1x1 meeting program. Allowing attendees to request meetings with sponsors prior to the event - is a far more reliable source of leads than hoping they show up at the booth to be scanned there. Plus the meetings are far and away the most valuable form of engagement.
Other touchpoints occur online - before and during the event. Allowing attendees to view the profile of a sponsor - that is an action suggesting interest. Allowing attendees to send messages through the platform - another source of engagement.
Providing an array of touchpoints gives sponsors the richest set of leads - easily ranked by how many touchpoints each attendee engaged with.
2. Track and measure everything
There is no point in spending money creating touchpoint programs if you don’t then measure the outcomes and serve the results as leads.
Session and breakout attendance can be tracked with RFID very cost effectively. Webcast session viewing is tracked via the event platform (if you have the right platform), Requests, meetings, messages and profile viewing can all be tracked in your event platform.
You can focus your budget on just tracking the activities involving sponsors if your budget is limited. RFID tracking for 2 breakout rooms is very affordable - as is webcasting those breakout sessions. These are examples of CREATING touchpoints for sponsors - not simply letting chance dictate the outcomes - and then ruthlesslessly MEASURING them so that you get the maximum credit for the leads generated.
For those touchpoints that Sponsors are responsible for, don’t leave sponsors to figure things out on their own. Walk them through the tools — from lead capture and messaging and meeting scheduling. Make sure they understand how to use them to get the most out of the event. The easier you make it for them to connect with attendees, the better results they’ll get. And the more they’ll credit you for the outcome.
3. Follow Up and Tie Results to Renewals
Post-event, get feedback and send results quickly. Make sure Sponsors know not just what happened - but how well it worked. Show them the value you helped deliver, and offer a compelling reason to return next year.
Did their speaking slot lead to high engagement? Show the data.
Did their messages convert into meetings? Prove it.
When you help them connect the dots, you make renewals a no-brainer.
The more you help your Sponsors turn presence into performance, the more valuable your event becomes and the more likely they are to return, invest more, and spread the word.
