There are lots of ways to increase the impact of your trade show booth. Sponsorship is one of them—but does it always make sense to become a sponsor of the trade shows you attend? It’s best to take sponsorship on a case-by-case basis. Whether or not it’s valuable depends on the event itself, as much as the specific trade show sponsorship ideas and perks are available.

How Trade Show Sponsorship Works

Sponsorship is a common feature of the event industry and an important source of revenue for many events. Most trade shows have sponsors. Even smaller niche events may have at least one or two. If an event doesn’t have sponsors, it’s often a corporate event hosted by a single company that prefers not to share the spotlight.

Given that sponsorship is common for trade shows, it’s usually easy to become a sponsor. Shows that have sponsors create sponsorship packages, which include a variety of perks, and offer them for sale to exhibitors. At some events exhibitors may be invited to apply to become sponsors, rather than purchasing a sponsorship package. Event organizers then choose the sponsors they want from among the applicants.

At some shows sponsors are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. In this case, the show works with each sponsor individually to tailor a sponsorship package. Sometimes the sponsoring company provides the event with products or services, in addition to or instead of providing purely financial support.

In either case the outcome is the same: Sponsors pay a fee and receive sponsorship perks in exchange. Perks can range from getting high-profile advertising or a high-traffic booth spot to providing sponsored messaging for a keynote address.

What Benefits Can Sponsorship Provide?

Every event has different trade show sponsorship ideas, so the perks you can access will change from event to event. At one event it might include high-visibility advertising or a better booth location. At another it might mean a speaking opportunity. For a virtual trade show it could include sponsored messaging slots that play before each session.

Regardless of the specifics, there are some general benefits that sponsorship activations can offer, including:

• Increase visibility. With extra advertising in high-profile locations, you can benefit from more foot traffic as well as a boost in name recognition.
• Reach new audiences. Sponsorship advertising can get your brand messaging in front of new audience demographics.
• Build your reputation. As a sponsor of a respected industry event, you get to share the spotlight. The visibility of sponsorship can also boost your credibility and reputation, especially if sponsorship gives you the opportunity to speak at the event. That can be particularly valuable for a new company or one that’s hoping to reach a new audience.
• Generate more leads. If your primary goal at the event is to find new sales leads, sponsorship can help you get there. A sponsorship such as a high-traffic booth space could prove invaluable.

Is Trade Show Sponsorship Always a Good Idea?

Clearly, sponsorship can offer genuinely valuable benefits. But does that mean you should sponsor every trade show at which you exhibit? Not necessarily.

Choose the Right Events to Sponsor

Your first consideration when it comes to sponsorship is the event itself. Sponsorship doesn’t always provide good value, and sometimes that’s just because you haven’t picked the right event to sponsor. Some attributes to consider include:

Audience: Most importantly, does this trade show have the right mix of event attendees? Ideally, the audience should include people who are in your current target demographic, plus people in adjacent demographics that you would like to reach. Look for events that give you the opportunity to market to new audiences, rather than events with the same old, same old.

Exclusivity: If an event offers sponsorship activations to all exhibitors, purchasing a sponsorship package is typically more affordable. The flip side is, because there are so many event sponsors, the benefits of sponsorship are reduced. Look for opportunities where your company is the main or only sponsor, rather than just another face in the crowd. This doesn’t have to mean being the sole sponsor of an event. It could also mean an exclusive sponsored branding opportunity at a larger event. For instance, you might be the sole sponsor of the event’s networking sessions or an exclusive supplier of a product or service.

Values and Reputation: Do the event and its host organization have good reputations? Do their values align with your company’s values? A clash here could negatively affect customer and audience perceptions of your company. Another way to think of this issue is: Sponsoring an event associates your company with that event more strongly than if you’re just exhibiting. Will that association have a positive effect on your company’s reputation?

Choose Sponsorship Perks That Align with Your Event Goals

To get good value out of event sponsorship, it’s important to match your event goals to the perks that are being offered. If the sponsorship benefits don’t help you further your event goals, then it may not be good value.

Is your primary goal to build your company’s reputation as an industry leader? Simple perks such as extra advertising won’t hit the spot. For this kind of goal, you want event sponsorship ideas that let you show off your company’s credentials and your own thought leadership. Look for perks such as a speaking slot in the event schedule, a podcast interview, or an article in the event magazine.

Similarly, if you’re hoping to make sales or tally up leads generated at the end, then look for sponsorship deals that help you do that. You want sponsorship perks that get more people to visit you, such as high-profile advertising and a premium booth location.

Creative Sponsorship Ideas for Your Sponsored Booth

Once you’ve decided to sponsor a trade show, your next task is to come up with ideas to rock your sponsored trade show exhibit! If you’re hosting a sponsored booth at an event, you have to bring your a-game when it comes to playing booth host. A successful sponsored exhibit means you get more traffic, and more chances to capture leads, make sales, or raise your brand profile. And if you’ve paid extra for this sponsorship opportunity, it’s important that it doesn’t go to waste.

Interactive activities: Provide fun, interactive experiences that do double-duty as free advertising. For instance, add a photo booth, and encourage people to post their photos on social media with a brand hashtag. You can dress this one up by letting people take serious headshots and portraits, or you can go in the opposite direction: Provide a green screen or props that let visitors create fun photo moments.

The graffiti wall is another popular option, especially because it lets you display your brand name and company logo on an enormous wall display. Allow attendees to add their own signatures, tags, or logos for a community-created work of art. And, again, encourage people to post on social media once they’ve added their own little piece of art to the wall.

These sorts of sponsorship activations can be great live streamed on your own social media channels, so people who aren’t at the show can get a glimpse of the fun.

A game: Hands-on activities are always a great way to get people engaged and provide them with memorable event experiences. Make sure to offer prizes that are appropriate for the level of effort that’s required. For a quick challenge, a small prize such as a cupcake or other snack works well. For an activity like a scavenger hunt that requires more time and effort, offer some cool branded swag, or even a swag bag, for each contestant and premium prizes for the winners.

Refreshments: Everyone is always looking for the nearest water station at big events. Why not add one to your trade show display? Add a branded water cooler, give out free bottles of branded water, or give away branded water bottles as spot prizes. Another option is to add a snack station with branded snacks.

Complimentary services: If you don’t want to just offer snacks, add a service as well! For instance, set up a charging station, or create a seating area where people can relax for a few minutes in comfort. Set your sponsored exhibit up as an area where visitors can recharge—physically and technologically—and take a quick wellness break from the crowded trade show floor.

How to Sponsor a Trade Show

If you want to sponsor a particular trade show at which you’re already exhibiting, first check whether you’ve already been offered a sponsorship slot. If it’s a show that’s offering sponsorships to all exhibitors, the offer may have been included when you purchased your booth space. If that’s the case, the email should contain instructions on how to buy a sponsorship package.

If that’s not an option, head to the official event website for more information. If sponsorships are available, the website should have a sponsor page where you can find instructions on how to apply for or purchase a sponsorship slot.

Can You Become a Sponsor If There Are No Sponsorships Available?

Not all trade shows opt to use sponsorship as a means of raising funds. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll refuse the opportunity if asked.

If you come across a trade show that you’re interested in sponsoring and there doesn’t seem to be an option to purchase or apply for a sponsorship package, your best bet is to contact an event sales representative. Look for contact information on the event website, and fire off an email to express your interest. They may say no, but they could also say yes, and there’s no harm done by asking.

Trade Show Sponsorship Can Pay Off—When It’s the Right Show

Sponsoring a trade show can be an effective way to maximize the value you get out of the shows you attend. But not every event is worth your sponsorship investment. It’s important to match your trade show goals to the event sponsorship ideas and event sponsorship opportunities offered at each gathering you attend. Make sure the show is a good fit for your company to make trade show sponsorship pay off.

The team at ProExhibits can help you come up with ideas for event sponsorship and determine whether sponsorship dollars fit into your trade show budget. Contact us today!