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8 Must-Haves for Your Sponsors at Your Next Virtual Event

By Lexi Godfrey October 26, 2020 8 min read

Wondering how to provide the most value for your sponsors at your virtual event? Check out these 8 offerings you can’t afford to miss!

We understand things in the event industry are a little tricky at the moment, and you might be unsure of how to create the best atmosphere for your sponsors and attendees at your virtual event. Well, you’re in luck! We’ve got 8 helpful tips to make sure you’re hosting an event that provides the most value for your sponsors and audience members. ⬇️

1. A Way for Attendees to Schedule Appointments with Sponsors

An event with sponsors can only be successful if your attendees have the ability to easily and directly set appointments or meetings with your sponsors. This way, attendees can independently determine which sponsors they want to connect with based on their different availabilities. Without this feature, you risk limiting the value that you provide for both your sponsors and attendees.

2. Accessible Internal Point of Contact from your Organization for Sponsors

At a time where in-person collaboration isn’t happening, it’s important to take the extra step to ensure that your sponsors are set up for success at your virtual event. We recommend dedicating an internal point of contact for your sponsors to reach out to with any questions. Your sponsors will feel appreciated, and you can get a pulse on what will be the most valuable for both your sponsors and attendees. This will ensure you’re putting on the best event possible.

3. Direct Line of Communication for Sponsor Reps and Attendees

Much like allowing for attendees to independently schedule appointments, opening up a direct line of communication to sponsors allows your attendees to determine what’s best for their organizations. This enables them to act on it and form genuine, lasting connections. Sponsors and attendees alike will appreciate the convenience!

4. Happy Hour!

Virtual events can easily get boring if event organizers let them drag on, session after session. No one likes sitting behind a screen uninterrupted for hours on end! Make sure you slate some community time to switch up the pace and let your attendees and sponsors connect and socialize. For example, you could incorporate a morning coffee session ☕️ or an end of day happy hour 🍸. Not only does this recharge and revitalize your audience, but it really gives your sponsors the opportunity to network with your attendees in a fun way. Win-win!

5. Sponsor Rep Contact Information

To continue to provide value for your sponsors and attendees long after your event has ended, make sure you provide a space that houses sponsor reps’ contact information, such as email, phone, socials, websites, etc. This way, should attendees have longer term goals they want to accomplish, they can easily keep track of your sponsors after your event has finished.

6. Easy Access Point for Sponsors to Share Resources & Marketing Materials

A huge advantage of virtual events and SaaS platforms is that they make it easier than ever to collect and house resources for your audience (and hello saving paper! ♻️). Make sure that your sponsors are well-versed on how to share their resources and marketing materials with your attendees. This means attendees can save important materials from sponsors, and sponsors are able to distribute their resources through messaging, email, and even in-session.

7. Swag!

To raise morale for your virtual event, send your sponsors some swag if you have it on hand. You’ll make them feel like a part of the family and get them even more excited to make lasting connections with your organization and your attendees! Cadence loves our swag partner, Brilliant – if you don’t have a swag provider yet, check them out!

8. Event Branding Opportunities

Offer your sponsors the opportunity to host sponsored sessions at your virtual event. When you let them host and style a session in line with their organization’s branding, you allow them to showcase strong brand identity to your attendees. Sponsors will greatly value the opportunity to be their unique selves at your event. Additionally, if you want to spice things up, you can offer sponsored competitions, like virtual scavenger hunts or trivia games! Sponsors will chomp at the bit to set themselves apart, and your attendees will love the engaging activity.

We hope these tips help as you organize your event! For any and all event needs, Cadence has got your back. 🙏 Check us out here!

Lexi Godfrey
Lexi Godfrey
Lexi is a Content Marketing Manager at Cadence. She loves crafting strong brand messaging, and her Mean Girls meme game is strong #grool. Her dream event is a surprise party for herself, and she never gets tired of listening to Yacht Rock - it's 5 o'clock somewhere!
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Lexi is a Content Marketing Manager at Cadence. She loves crafting strong brand messaging, and her Mean Girls meme game is strong #grool. Her dream event is a surprise party for herself, and she never gets tired of listening to Yacht Rock - it's 5 o'clock somewhere!