A Guide to Exhibition Sponsorship

Have you ever been to an exhibition and see some banners and products from a company being put up across the floor or in an exhibit? Sometimes with their products becoming a part of a contest prize or giveaway?

That’s because the event or exhibition booth display has some sponsors.  

What is Exhibition Sponsorship?

Exhibition sponsorship is when a company provides money, products or services to support an exhibition, event or exhibition stall fabricator. In exchange, their sponsorship is made known to the attendees. 

For example, the sponsors will be featured in the show stand design with the company’s name featured in the backdrop, signage, videos, and so on. 

Things to Consider Before Choosing Sponsorship for your Brand?

There are a few things that need to be considered before choosing a sponsor. They include:

• How will the sponsorship benefit your brand? If the sponsor does not bring in the required money, products, or services, the sponsor is not beneficial to you.
• How will you calculate the ROI? Since there is a sponsor added to the equation, you will have to make some changes in the ROI calculation. Depending on how the sponsorship works, the ROI will be calculated
• Is the sponsorship relevant to your company? If the sponsorship includes the company providing you with products and services, make sure they are somewhat relevant to your brand. For example, for a home appliances brand, sponsor products like skincare wouldn’t be relevant.
• How will the sponsorship be made known to the attendees? Before approaching a company for sponsorship, make a list of things that can be done to make the sponsorship known. Be it a banner or giveaway. 

Sponsorship Ideas

Here is a list of 6 ways you can ask the exhibition company to incorporate sponsorship into the stand design. 

• Banners

The most common form of displaying sponsorship is by putting up banners in the show booth. Since banners are placed in front of the exhibition display, they are visible even from a distance. Thus, becoming a great marketing tool as the entrance is where the attendees will crowd around,

• Charging Stations

People will use their phones in the venue. But with exhibitions going on for a long time, there’s a high chance that their battery will run out. After all, they will be talking on the phone, texting, checking emails, using WiFi and so on. 

So, installing a charging station in your stand booth not only comes across and thoughtful, but it also becomes a great way to make sponsorships known to the attendees. You can have the charging station branded with your sponsors. This way while the attendees wait for their phones to charge they can see the sponsors. 

• Water Stations

The ideas of water stations are quite similar to charging stations. With endless walking around the exhibition event and making conversations in different booths, the attendees are bound to get thirsty. And there is a high chance they wouldn’t be carrying around a water bottle with them. 

So installing a water station can be an effective way to ensure that attendees can know about the sponsors. How so? Simple, people are tired so they won’t pick up the water cup and move on. They are bound to stand around the station as they have their drink. With a branded station, the attendees will take notice of the sponsor. 

• Promotional Items

We can all agree that promotional items are one of the best things about exhibitions. It is common for sponsors to give out branded promotional items to market their brands. So, apart from your freebies, you might be given promotional items to distribute by your sponsors. 

The items are normal promotional items like tote bags, pen drives, bottles, sample products, discount coupons, notebooks and so on. 

• Exhibition Stand Game Prizes

Another common way sponsors promote their products are by including them in the exhibit’s game prizes. While the brand may have its prizes, the sponsors also have a few prizes that they give out. 

Even if the attendees don’t win them, they are made aware of the sponsor’s products. So, if anything intrigues them, there is a high chance they would buy it. 

• Photobooths

You can ask the Exhibition stall designer company to include a photo booth in your exhibit branded with the sponsors. In doing so, when attendees click photos and upload them on their social media, the sponsor brand gets marketed.

We hope this article was helpful in gaining insight into exhibition sponsorship. Sponsorship is something one should consider if they feel they are falling short on their budget and need a little extra funding. Moreover, it also a great way to build your network with a company that belongs to a different industry. 

Tip of the Day: You can set up your sponsors business cards and brochures at the counters. This way when the attendees leave the stand booth or the venue they can be handed one.