The right ideas = the right sponsors. And having strong sponsor support can mean the difference between a good event and a great one. After all, with the right sponsors, you’ll not only receive financial support but also:

• Establish valuable partnerships
• Enhance your brand visibility
• Add credibility to your event

And so much more!

Of course, it can be tricky to get the right sponsors. But if you offer the right incentives, your chances multiply! So let’s explore 66 creative event sponsorship ideas that will help you secure sponsorships for events of all kinds.

How Do You Ask a Company To Sponsor an Event?

But first… how do you find your sponsors? If this is your first time, don’t worry—it’s not so hard once you know how to ask for sponsors for an event. And if you’ve got quite a few sponsorships under your belt, you might find something new to consider! 

Follow these simple steps to increase your organization’s chance of securing sponsorships:

1. Identify your needs

You might start by asking: how do I find sponsors for an event? Instead, try asking yourself: what part of my event requires financial support? 

Maybe it’s venue rental, marketing expenses, speaker fees, technology requirements, accessibility support, or catering costs. Make a list of what you can cover and what you need your sponsors for, and then…

2. Determine what you can offer

Make sure you learn what sponsors hope to achieve through your collaboration and define your offerings.

According to a 2022 survey by The Partnership Professionals Network and Dynamic Benchmarking, one reason sponsors’ objectives aren’t achieved is because associations don’t know sponsors’ goals. In fact, only 21% of sponsors achieve their objectives “most of the time”!

So how do you make sure your sponsors are in that 21%? Generally speaking, by offering to become sponsors, companies seek to:

• Create business development and growth
• Foster brand exposure and differentiation
• Be portrayed as thought leaders

To help your potential sponsors achieve these goals, you could:

• Feature sponsors’ educational content in your event
• Offer lead generation opportunities
• Organize networking lounges

And more.

3. Create sponsorship levels

Got your offerings ready? Great. Start categorizing them into different sponsorship levels. This allows sponsors to choose the option that aligns best with their marketing/business objectives and budget.

For events like conferences, trade shows, or festivals, sponsorship levels can include benefits like:

And tons of others.

4. Build your sponsor package

With your sponsorship levels ready, you can now price and build your sponsor package.

So how should you price your package? You want to look at:

• Your organization’s needs
• What your sponsors can afford to pay
• What competitors are offering
• What the overall cost of your event is 

Every event is different, but make sure you’re meeting industry standards!

To add even more options for sponsors, you could also offer à-la-carte benefits. These allow companies to sponsor a specific element of your event. 

5. Find potential sponsors

If you’ve organized events with sponsors before, make sure you look into your current sponsors first. If not, take a look around your space. What are sponsors for similar events? Which potential sponsors are out there still?

Think specifically about how you can appeal to the sponsors you’re considering! 

Got your list of sponsors? Awesome. Now, you can…

6. Collect contact information

Try to start with the person responsible for handling sponsorships at your company of choice. After all, you don’t want to spend time crafting emails just to have them land in the wrong inbox!

Often, you want to reach out to someone from the marketing department. Some job titles to look out for include:

You could look into the company’s website to see if there’s any contact information there. If not, Google and LinkedIn are your friends! You can also use tools like Hunter.io to find the email of the person you’re trying to reach.

7. Send your first touch

It’s time to make a good first impression. Craft a compelling sponsorship proposal email or letter that communicates:

• What your event is about
• The sponsorship opportunities available

And most importantly: the value and benefits sponsors will get in return for their support.

Ideally, you’ll have all the details of your sponsorship package ready on your website or in a PDF. You can link potential sponsors to that site or attach the file in your email. In either case, your email should clearly communicate the benefits of sponsoring your event.

8. Follow up

Obviously: don’t send and forget! Once that first email’s out of the way, make sure you have a follow-up system to secure sponsor support and keep leads hot.

You should give potential sponsors ample time to review your proposal. This means several days to a week, tops. After that, you can follow up with a phone call or another email to discuss the opportunity further. You could address potential objections in this second email as well!

9. Communicate, communicate, communicate!

Maintain open lines of communication with potential sponsors throughout the whole negotiation process. If they come back with a question, try to address it as soon as possible—ideally, within 24 hours.

At the same time, don’t overcommunicate. If you’ve already followed up twice and haven’t received any responses, chances are they’re not interested. That would be the best time to call off the chase! Bombarding potential sponsors with tons of calls and emails will just make you seem desperate and unprofessional. Worse, you’ll burn a bridge with those companies by doing so.

What To Offer Sponsors for an Event: 12 Benefit Ideas

So how do sponsors benefit from events? Well, sponsors see many benefits when sponsoring events. 

Consider incorporating the following sponsorship benefits ideas to make your packages compelling:

Opening/closing ceremonies

Feature sponsor logos during the event’s opening and closing ceremonies. For a step up the sponsorship levels, you could also invite a sponsor’s representative to speak during these sessions.

Signage

Display sponsor logos on banners, posters, and directional signage throughout the event venue. Going virtual? Feature your sponsor logos on banner ads!

Event badges

Include sponsor logos on event badges or lanyards provided to attendees.

PR/media coverage

Include sponsors in press releases, media interviews, and event-related articles.

Reception

Provide sponsors with an exclusive opportunity to address attendees or host a branded reception.

Marketing collateral

Display sponsor logos on both online and offline marketing collaterals. These could be event brochures, flyers, the event’s landing page, and so on.

Session introductions

Boost their brand exposure by allowing sponsors to introduce speakers or sessions.

Social media

Feature sponsors in pre-event, during-event, and post-event social media posts and campaigns.

Certificates

Recognize sponsors with certificates of appreciation or achievement.

VIP events or benefits

Provide exclusive access to special events or benefits for sponsors and their guests.

Gift bags

Include sponsor-branded items or promotional materials in event gift bags. That way, your attendees will have a physical reminder of your sponsors even after the event is over!

Website

Showcase sponsors on your event website! You could feature their logos, company profiles, and links to their websites.

26 Event Sponsorship Ideas for Events of All Kinds

Hosting an in-person, hybrid, or virtual event? This is a great opportunity to get creative! But if you’re having trouble getting started, these 26 out of the box sponsorship ideas will help attract your ideal sponsors:

Workshop sponsorship

If you’re organizing a workshop or if it’s part of your event, you could partner with companies that offer products or services relevant to the workshop’s theme. Sponsors could show their expertise by:

• Introducing and explaining the workshop
• Providing educational resources
• Having a representative run the whole workshop
• Sponsoring payment for a workshop speaker in their network

Awards sponsorship

Are you hosting an award show? Having sponsors can help underwrite the cost of the awards. In return, your sponsors can present the awards to gain visibility during the ceremony.

Event technology sponsorship

You could partner with tech companies to boost engagement for your event. In return, offer them branding or feature their logos in:

• Social media wall
• Cell phone charging lockers
• Interactive theme gaming (like Jeopardy!)
• Your mobile event apps

Psst—EventMobi sponsors some associations every year. Get in touch if you think you’d be a great fit. We usually work with associations that support event and meeting planners and organizers!

Media sponsorship

For media coverage, reach out to media outlets or publications targeting your event’s audience! In exchange for their promotion, provide sponsors with advertising space or exclusive interviews.

Expert speaker sponsorship

For companies interested in establishing their thought leadership, you could offer:

• Speaking opportunities
• Prominent branding during sessions featuring sponsored speakers

Stage sponsorship

Provide sponsors with brand exposure throughout your event by featuring their logos on your event stage or naming the whole stage after them. As a highly visible sponsorship opportunity, a stage sponsorship can be how to get corporate sponsors for an event!

Research sponsorship

Does your event feature groundbreaking research? You can partner with organizations interested in making a difference! Provide them with opportunities to take part in, facilitate, or present research findings.

Booth sponsorship

Your sponsors could exhibit their products or services in a designated booth area! Go above and beyond and provide them with branded signage, promotional materials, and lead retrieval systems.

Registration area sponsorship

The registration area is a great way to introduce your sponsors. Display your sponsors’ logos and branding while attendees check in and get event materials. 

Lounge sponsorship

Offering comfortable lounges for attendees? You could provide sponsors with the opportunity to brand and decorate these spaces. Bonus points if they provide food and beverage options.

Wifi sponsorship

Ever logged in to a branded Wifi network at an event? Your attendees will thank you for the connection, and your sponsors get event-wide visibility! 

Merch sponsorship

You don’t have to shoulder the cost of merchandise production yourself. Collaborate with sponsors to create branded merchandise, such as T-shirts, tote bags, or water bottles.

VIP sponsorship

Offer exclusive benefits and experiences to sponsors, such as access to VIP lounges, reserved seating, or private networking events.

Happy hour sponsorship

Happy hour and cocktail receptions are great for networking and sponsor branding. Allow sponsors to host a session so they can network with attendees and gain exposure.

Keynote sponsorship

Work with your sponsors to support keynote speakers! In return, offer them branding opportunities during these presentations.

Contest/giveaway sponsorship

Partner with sponsors to create engaging contests or giveaways. You can even use their products or services as prizes.

Charging station sponsorship

Events can be a battery drain! Set up charging stations throughout the event venue, branded with your sponsor’s name or logo.

Accessibility sponsorship

Collaborate with sponsors to provide meaningful accommodations! They could cover the cost of sign language interpreters, closed captioning services, or assistive devices. This is a great opportunity for potential sponsors to show their commitment to accessibility. 

Q&A sponsorship

Here’s a chance for companies to directly interact with attendees: sponsoring Q&A sessions or panel discussions. Offer a moderation role to your sponsor for some valuable face-to-face time! 

Lanyard or badge sponsorship

Display sponsor logos on event lanyards or badges worn by attendees.

T-shirt sponsorship

Offering T-shirts to staff or attendees? Collaborate with sponsors to produce event T-shirts featuring their logos!

Venue sponsorship

Need a venue for your event? Partner with companies interested in hosting your event and offer them branding opportunities throughout the venue. 

Brand activation sponsorship

Boost your sponsors’ brand exposure with booths, exhibitions and interactive experiences.

Social media sponsorship

Even if you’re in person, don’t forget about social media! Connect with influencers so they can feature your event in stories, posts, and activate their audience in support, pre-, during-, and post-event. 

Volunteer sponsorship

Allow sponsors to support and engage with event volunteers to show their commitment to community involvement. They could sponsor a branded pizza party, volunteer gifts, or a green room snack station.

Program sponsorship

Offer sponsors the opportunity to advertise in the event program! They could also have a dedicated section to show their products or services.

5 Association Event Sponsorship Ideas

Associations have specific needs and benefits to offer sponsors! When you’re planning your next association event, consider these 5  unique sponsorship ideas for association events:

Mentorship program sponsorship

Partner with companies that prioritize professional development, or are leaders in your space. They could offer mentorship opportunities to association members.

Certification program sponsorship

For sponsors interested in supporting certification programs, you could offer them branding opportunities during certification ceremonies or training sessions.

Member perks sponsorship

Engage sponsors to provide exclusive discounts, perks, or benefits to association members. This is an easy way to highlight their commitment to the industry!

Annual conference sponsorship

Hosting an annual conference? You could offer sponsors branding opportunities, speaking slots, and networking events. For the right sponsor, you could even let them sponsor the whole event.

Special events sponsorships

Develop sponsorship opportunities for your association’s special events, such as networking mixers, gala dinners, or educational workshops.

10 Virtual Event Sponsorship Ideas

Looking for sponsorship ideas for your virtual events? Look no further. And psst: these work for your hybrid events, too.

Webinar sponsorship

Your sponsors could present webinars on relevant topics. If you’re using an event management platform like EventMobi, you could also:

• Highlight your sponsors with banner ads and sponsored messages during these sessions
• Create sponsored live polls

Online certification sponsorship

Partner with sponsors to support online certification programs! You could offer them branding opportunities during certification courses or exams. Alternatively, you could look for a learning management system sponsor to host your certifications and courses.

Virtual booth sponsorship

Wondering how to display sponsors for an event when it’s virtual? Provide them with virtual exhibition booths! Here, they can showcase their products or services, interact with attendees, and collect leads. You could offer 1:1 video meetings for their booths as well!

Gamification sponsorship

Gamification is great to engage your attendees while offering sponsors brand exposure at the same time! With an event management platform like EventMobi, you could promote your sponsors through gamification by:

• Offering branded challenges
• Staggering gamification points to match sponsor investments
• Using scavenger hunts to deliver leads to exhibitor and sponsor pages

Sponsored refreshment gift cards

Offer sponsors the opportunity to provide attendees with virtual refreshment gift cards! It’ll let your virtual attendees feel like they’re getting hor d’oeuvres delivered directly to their home or office. Besides visibility, this helps create a positive association for brands as well.

Sponsored contests

Engage sponsors by creating sponsored contests or competitions during the virtual event. You can use their products or services as prizes.

Virtual community space sponsorship

Establish a virtual community space where attendees can network, connect, and share ideas. With EventMobi, this space could offer sponsors:

• Branded live stream sessions, webinars, and live product demos
• Dedicated sponsor Video Libraries
• Virtual Exhibitor Booths complete with 1:1 Video Meetings
• Sponsored event game challenges
• Banner ads and sponsored messages

Virtual event app sponsorship

A mobile app makes virtual events easy to navigate and keeps attendees connected. With EventMobi, you could help boost sponsors’ visibility through your event apps by:

• Using banner ads to highlight your top-tier sponsors
• Promoting networking with virtual exhibitor booths
• Leveraging live polls and surveys to gather feedback
• Introducing sponsors through Sponsor Profiles
• Connecting sponsors with attendees through 1:1 Appointment Booking

Social media filter sponsorship

Social media filters are an easy way to promote your event while featuring your sponsors! Collaborate with sponsors to create branded social media filters or frames to use during the virtual event so your attendees can rep your event in style.

Virtual happy hour sponsorship

Just like with an in-person event, sponsors could host happy hours or networking sessions for virtual events from the comfort of their own spaces. 

Trade Show Sponsorship Ideas

Trade shows provide valuable opportunities for businesses to showcase their products and services. Take a look at these two event sponsorship ideas for trade shows:

Trade show session sponsorship

Allow sponsors to present educational sessions or workshops. Provide branding opportunities during these sessions to help your sponsors demonstrate their relevance to the industry.

Trade show technology sponsorship

Collaborate with sponsors specializing in event technology solutions. They’ll have a chance to present their products and services to exhibitors and attendees.

6 Sponsorship Ideas for Fundraising Events

Fundraising events rely heavily on sponsor support. To best secure sponsorships for your fundraising events, consider these sponsorship ideas:

Auction item sponsorship

Invite sponsors to donate high-value items or experiences for fundraising auctions. Then you can provide branding opportunities for these sponsors during the auction.

Silent auction sponsorship

Get sponsors to cover the costs associated with organizing a silent auction. Offer branding opportunities during the auction and recognition for their support.

Gift matching sponsorship

A matching gift program is an effortless way for nonprofit donors to maximize donations! You could partner with companies that offer gift matching programs to multiply the impact of donations received. Best of all, this will also encourage your audience to donate to your cause.

Volunteer recognition event sponsorship

So many fundraising events wouldn’t be possible without volunteers. Why not collaborate with sponsors to host a special event or ceremony to recognize and appreciate event volunteers?

Donation station sponsorship

Your attendees need a place to actually donate to your cause. Give sponsors the chance to brand and support donation stations at your fundraising event!

Cause marketing sponsorships

Your cause is worthwhile, and you can find sponsors who know that too! Cause marketing allows your organization to connect with a corporate partner who wants to demonstrate their commitment to social responsibility. 

How to Thank Sponsors for An Event: 5 Ideas

Expressing gratitude to sponsors is crucial for building long-lasting relationships! Here are a variety of ways to show your appreciation:

Personalized thank-you letters

Send personalized letters to sponsors to thank them for their support. Take the time to highlight the impact their sponsorship had on the event’s success in these letters! If you want to go the extra mile, handwrite them and get them signed by your organization’s leaders.

Fulfill on sponsor benefits

Your sponsors have held up their end of the bargain, so make sure you put together a sponsorship fulfillment checklist and start checking off those boxes! Keeping sponsors in the loop at every step is another great way to build trust, and you can sweeten the pot with analytics (E.G. how many people liked a sponsored post, viewed a banner ad)

Reception thank you

Host a special reception or dinner to thank sponsors. This is an opportunity for them to network with other key stakeholders as well!

Post-event report

Track and report on the ROI of your event and sponsorship efforts. This helps sponsors know how their support has paid off and can encourage them to collaborate with you again. 

Some event management platforms allow you to track and report on your analytics. EventMobi, for example, offers different ways to measure your event analytics like:

Whether your event is virtual, hybrid, or in person, your sponsors will have a clear idea of the benefits of your partnership.

Extra benefits for repeat sponsors

Offer additional perks or benefits to sponsors who consistently support your events, such as discounted sponsorship rates or priority access to future opportunities.

Get Your Dream Sponsors With These Creative Event Sponsorship Ideas

By now, you should have all the tools you need to:

• Effectively approach potential sponsors
• Create attractive sponsorship packages
• And offer compelling benefits that align with sponsors’ marketing objectives

If all goes well, you’ll form strong relationships with sponsors who can provide ongoing support for your organization’s events!

To best offer sponsors what they deserve, you need a versatile event management platform like EventMobi. Every year, EventMobi helps thousands of attendees meet & engage with awesome sponsors, in-app and on the event floor. We offer…

…and everything else you need to create sponsor value that will help your events flourish.

The post 66 Creative Event Sponsorship Ideas to Help You Secure Your Ideal Sponsors appeared first on EventMobi.

Your sponsor levels should speak to your sponsors’ needs. One way to do that is to research your sponsors (and your competitors!) and come up with event sponsorship levels that are made just for them.

But let’s be real, figuring out sponsorship options can feel a bit overwhelming. What benefits should you offer? How much should you charge? How many should there be?

In this post, we’re going to break down the ins and outs of sponsorship levels—what they are, whether you should use them for your event, and how you can create levels of sponsorship effectively. Let’s dive in.

What Are Sponsorship Levels?

Sponsorship levels provide potential sponsors with options to support your next event.

That could mean they receive more benefits for more money; they could be themed for different types of sponsors (eg. media, venue); or they could be off-the-wall creative.

For events like conferences, trade shows, or festivals, sponsorship levels can include benefits like:

And tons of other boons.

For nonprofit events like a charity run or a gala, sponsorship levels can include donor networking opportunities or exclusive access to events. 

Ask First: Do I Have to Have Sponsorship Levels?

Hold up: not every event needs sponsorship levels!

Managing levels of sponsorship can take a lot of time and energy from your team, so ask yourself these questions first:

• How big is your event?  Sponsorship levels may be more suitable for larger, more complex events with a range of potential sponsors and stakeholders. Plus, you need an audience big enough to attract sponsors!
• Do you have different types of sponsors?  If your event attracts sponsors with different needs and goals, creative sponsorship levels can provide them with benefits tailored to their needs.
• Do you have the capacity to manage tiers? Consider whether you’ll have the time and resources to implement sponsorship levels. You’ll need to fulfill benefits for each tier, manage and track sponsor agreements at each level, and more.
• Are you bringing value at every tier? Ensure you can offer unique value at every sponsorship level, and make sure you can deliver on the promises made to sponsors.
• Can you meet your event’s needs without sponsorship levels? You might not need sponsor levels if you have a small event or a big one with a small range of sponsors. Or your sponsors may prefer having tailored sponsorship packages for their investment.

To summarize, whether you need sponsorship levels will depend on your goals, your event’s size and scope, your resources, and your sponsors. Think about what’s involved in having basic sponsorship offerings vs. levels or custom packages, and which will fit your sponsor profiles more.

The Benefits of Event Sponsorship Levels

Okay, so we know we need sponsor levels. Your sponsors are ready to feel special and gain extra value—and your event has tons of needs to fulfill.

What’s in it for you? Here are the common benefits:

Generate more revenue through upselling

Say you’ve worked with a sponsor who’s totally invested in your mission. If you build out a tiered sponsorship level package, you give them the opportunity to invest more in your event—and get even more out of it. That’s an A+ for both parties.

Lighten your team’s workload

There are two ways sponsor levels help you ease the stress of event planning. First, you’re not running around creating custom packages for every single sponsor—you’ve got a plan! Second, it gives you more ways to have your sponsors help you run an awesome event. For example, what if you had a sponsor responsible for your networking programming?

Better sponsor relations

Everyone likes to feel seen. When you craft sponsorship levels that are made directly for your target—or existing—sponsor types, you make it easier on both of you to have a relationship that works. It’ll make pitching sponsors easier, and they’ll also know they’ll be taken care of and understood when they sign on.

Increase sponsor visibility

Your sponsor levels should offer benefits that get sponsors directly in front of the audience they’re trying to reach. Do you have a stage that’s all about marketing nonprofit events? Make sure a nonprofit advertising agency has the chance to sponsor that stage!

Give sponsors the VIP treatment

Sponsors that invest at higher levels can have unique perks, such as dedicated speaking time to event attendees and access to VIP areas of the event. This can make sponsors feel valued and appreciated, which can help to build stronger relationships and loyalty over time.

How to Create Sponsorship Levels

You’re ready to build out your sponsorship levels, put together your sponsorship packages, and start converting sponsors.

Here are the 9 steps that will help you create your sponsor tiers, monitor them, and improve them for the future.

1. Evaluate current sponsors and identify potential sponsors

Before looking for new sponsors, you should first look into current sponsors and their contributions to past events. This can help you understand the benefits sponsors are looking for, which allows you to improve your event sponsorship levels to attract new sponsors.

You should also take a look around your space. What are the sponsors for similar events? Which potential sponsors are out there still?

2. Figure out sponsor needs

Once you’ve identified the targeted sponsors for your event, you can start figuring out and categorizing their needs and goals. Learn what sponsors hope to achieve through this collaboration and what benefits are most important to them.

Survey sponsors, check out competing sponsorship levels, and look at sample sponsor packages from outside your space—you never know where inspiration will strike.

3. Assign resources to fulfill sponsorship agreements

Before reaching out to sponsors, make sure you know if you have the resources to fulfill your offers. Make someone your sponsorship lead, responsible for fulfilling any and all obligations that come with signing on a new sponsor—especially the big ones.

4. Identify the benefits for each level

Start categorizing your benefits into your sponsorship levels. Make sure you clearly define and communicate these, and make them look absolutely irresistible. If you decide to offer à-la-carte sponsorship packages, start writing these down too.

5. Name your event sponsorship levels

You can use the good ol’ tier names (Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) or come up with new ones depending on your event. Events with creative sponsorship levels may even attract the attention of more sponsors.

Say you’re organizing an annual fundraising event called the “Stars of Hope” Gala. The names of the gala sponsorship levels could stick to this theme. 

Here’s an example: Supernova Supporters ($50,000), Glittering Galaxies ($25,000), or Guiding Lights ($10,000). Or you can name your fundraiser sponsorship levels based on planets or solar systems. For example: Big Dipper Sponsors, Milky Way Sponsors, and Andromeda Sponsors.

6. Price your sponsorship levels and create your sponsorship package

Pricing your sponsorship levels is the trickiest part of the process. You’re going to want to look at your organization’s needs, what your sponsors can afford to pay, what competitors are offering, and what the overall cost of your event is. Every event is different, but make sure you’re meeting industry standards!

7. Reach out to sponsors and follow up with good leads

After creating and designing your sponsorship package, you can start contacting sponsors. As mentioned, make sure you reach out to your current sponsors first. And don’t send and forget: create a follow-up system to secure sponsor support and keep leads hot.

8. Deliver on your promises

It’s time! Your sponsors have held up their end of the bargain, so make sure you put together a sponsorship fulfillment checklist and start checking off those boxes. Keeping sponsors in the loop at every step is another great way to build trust.

9. Report on the results

Track and report on the results of your event and sponsorship efforts. This helps sponsors know how their support has paid off and can encourage them to collaborate with you again. 

Some event management platforms allow you to track and report on your analytics. EventMobi, for example, offers different ways to measure your event analytics like:

• Meetings booked
• Banner views and clicks
• Company page views
• Live poll and survey results
• Session data for sponsored programming
• Gamification participation
• Video views

Whether your event is virtual, hybrid, or in person, your sponsors will have a clear idea of the benefits of your partnership.

Get Inspired: Event Sponsorship Level Examples & Ideas

Need some inspiration to get going? Check out these event sponsorship level examples. The first example features a virtual conference with meaningful sponsorship level names. The second one is a personal finance annual event that also includes an à-la-carte benefits package.

Event 1: GitHub Universe 2020

GitHub Universe 2020 is a virtual conference that brings together tens of thousands of people to explore the future of software development, and the tools that will help us get there.

The full experience offers attendees three days of discovery and 50+ hours of content, with executive keynotes, speakers from prominent software companies, workshops, entertainment, and lots of opportunities to network in between.

Sponsorship levels for this event:

Event 2: FINCON 2023

FinCon is an annual event for personal finance content creators and influencers to connect with other bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, authors, advisors, coaches, and freelancers who create new media about financial topics. The vast majority of creators also attend to connect with brands for influencer or affiliate partnerships.

Sponsorship levels for this event:

À-la-carte benefits:

• Pro Networking table where companies can meet 1:1 with Pro Pass attendees: $2,500
• Brand Studio (to record content with creators and influencers): $1,000/30 minutes
• Host or plan your own dinner/event in conjunction with FinCon: $8,500

Next Steps: Design Your Own Sponsorship Package With Creative Sponsorship Levels

Having sponsorship levels tailored to the needs of your sponsors can benefit all parties involved. With the right sponsor levels, you can attract a wide range of sponsors. In return, sponsors can increase their brand exposure, generate leads, and build strong relationships with attendees.

Every year, EventMobi helps thousands of attendees meet & engage with awesome sponsors, in-app and on the event floor. We offer…

…and everything else you need to create sponsor value that will keep your revenue streams steady.

Additionally, if you’re looking for more sponsor-related information, check out these resources:

• How to Design Event Sponsorship Packages Too Good to Pass Up. Create event sponsorship packages that entice potential sponsors to commit to your event.
• 66 Creative Event Sponsorship Ideas to Help You Secure Your Ideal Sponsors. Check out this comprehensive list of event sponsorship ideas you can add to your sponsorship levels.

The post How to Create Sponsorship Levels & Lock in Sponsors [Examples!]  appeared first on EventMobi.

One aspect of the planning process you may overlook is financial management. Since your expertise is likely in member relations, fundraising, and marketing, you may feel you lack the expertise to manage your event’s finances confidently.

No matter your experience level, there are small steps you can take to get your event’s finances in order and ensure your hard work pays off. In this guide, we’ll review five event financial management tips to help make your event profitable and successful.

1. Set Financial Goals for the Event

You likely begin your event planning process by setting goals. Whether you aim to engage a certain number of new members, increase event attendance by a specific percentage, or facilitate networking opportunities, goals provide focus to your event efforts.

The same goes for financial management. Setting financial event goals lets you determine exactly what you’re working towards and measure your success. These goals may include components like:

• Break-even point. If you’re just starting out, perhaps your financial event goal is simply to avoid financial loss by generating enough revenue to cover your expenses.
• Profit margin. Ideally, your event will generate a profit you can reinvest in your association. You may decide on a specific percentage based on your past events’ financial performance.
• Cost per attendee. Consider narrowing your focus to your ideal cost per attendee and work to ensure the revenue you generate from each attendee exceeds this amount.
• Sponsorship revenue. Set a dollar amount you hope to generate from sponsorships to cover event costs.

These financial goals should align with your overarching event and strategic goals. For example, if your organization wants to develop more partnerships with local businesses, setting financial goals around sponsorship revenue would make sense in the context of your strategy.

2. Develop An Event Budget

With your financial event goals in mind, it’s time to create your budget. Like any budget, your event budget will contain two main categories:

• Revenue. Revenue refers to the funds you expect to generate from your event. Revenue streams may include ticket sales, sponsorships, exhibitor fees, and merchandise sales. Project your revenue based on past event revenue or your expected attendees.
• Expenses. Expenses are the costs associated with your event. These include fixed costs, such as venue rental and entertainment, and variable costs, such as catering, that depend on the number of attendees.

Consider allocating a small percentage of your event budget to a contingency fund to cover unexpected expenses. For example, after a chaotic start to the first day of your conference, you may need to bring in additional staff to support the check-in process for day two.

3. Diversify Your Revenue Streams

Imagine you secure a significant sponsorship eight months before your next conference. Since you already know you’ll have enough revenue to cover your expenses, you just focus on selling tickets. However, a month before the event, the sponsor cancels, claiming they just did some restructuring and no longer have the budget to fund your event.

This scenario illustrates the importance of diversifying your revenue streams. The more revenue streams you develop, the more sustainable and resilient your event will be. Take advantage of these event revenue streams and use the following tips to increase profitability for each one:

• Ticket sales. Develop ticket tiers that unlock access to different benefits at your event. For example, you may have general admission tickets that allow attendees to access all the main event sessions and workshops and VIP tickets at a higher price that provide access to exclusive networking opportunities, front-row seating, and VIP lounges. Additionally, you may offer member and non-member pricing through your event registration platform.
• Sponsorships. Create different event sponsorship packages that enable businesses of varying sizes and budgets to support your event. Higher tiers will be more expensive and have more promotional opportunities for the sponsor, such as shout-outs from event speakers or a sponsored welcome video for a virtual event.
• Exhibitor fees. Offer early-bird discounts to encourage exhibitors to sign up for your event as soon as possible. You may also price larger booth sizes or more premium locations at a higher rate and offer add-on services at an additional cost, such as access to attendee lists after the event.
• Merchandise sales. Limited edition merchandise that attendees can only get at your event may entice them to purchase. Or, if you’d like to expand your reach, consider offering an online store that virtual attendees and other supporters can explore.
• Event app advertising. Your event app presents various opportunities to promote your sponsors, speakers, and exhibitors. Allow them to pay for advertising space on banner ads, push notifications, and gamification challenges.

By diversifying your revenue streams, you can be confident in your event’s profitability and quickly bounce back if one source doesn’t generate as much revenue as you initially anticipated.

4. Minimize Event Expenses

As a nonprofit organization, your association could always benefit from strategies that decrease expenses. By actively working to minimize event expenses, you can stay within your event budget and increase profitability as much as possible.

Keep costs low by incorporating these tips into your event’s financial management process:

• Look for nonprofit discounts. Many software providers have affordable options geared toward nonprofits and associations. You may also negotiate with vendors like your venue and catering company to decrease costs.
• Solicit in-kind donations. As YPTC’s in-kind donation guide explains, “In-kind donations allow nonprofits to access goods and services that they may not be able to afford to purchase. As a result, they can free up resources they’d typically spend on those items and reallocate them to other areas of their budget.” In the case of an event, you may solicit physical goods, like supplies or auction items, or professional services, like web design or catering services.
• Use volunteers. Staffing can quickly become one of your largest event expenses. Lower these costs by tapping into your organization’s volunteer base. If you don’t have a dedicated group of volunteers, have your members and sponsors contact their personal networks to find community members willing to help.

Additionally, the time and location of your event can greatly impact your expenses. Investigate which time of year venues have the lowest rates, and try to choose a convenient location for attendees to minimize transportation costs.

5. Review Your Event’s Performance

After your event, reflect on your goals and budget to assess your event’s financial performance. Compare your projected revenue and expenses to your actual revenue and expenses to determine how well you stuck to your budget, any areas for improvement, and any surprises that led to higher revenue or lower costs than expected.

Then, calculate the profitability of your event by subtracting your event expenses from your event revenue and dividing it by your event revenue. The total will be your event’s profit margin. Record this number and any lessons learned so you can refer to this information when planning your next event.

Events are an incredible chance to build community amongst your association members and dive into industry-relevant topics together. Prioritizing smart financial management ensures you provide members with the best experience possible while staying within your organization’s means. If you need additional help with managing and tracking your event’s finances, contact a nonprofit accounting firm for assistance.

The post 5 Financial Management Tips for Association Event Organizers appeared first on EventMobi.

But kickoff events aren’t just about generating excitement and sharing your mission with the public. According to Donorly’s guide to capital campaign planning, these events also help you “identify prospective major donors, strengthen relationships with community leaders, and introduce your mission to brand-new audiences—ultimately ensuring that you have a strong, passionate support base that will see you through the capital campaign and beyond.”

This means you should take extra care in planning a kickoff event that truly inspires long-term support for your nonprofit. We’ve compiled four tips to help you do so.

1. Identify Your Target Audience

First, consider who you’ll invite to your campaign kickoff event. While leaving the event open to the public to attract new supporters may seem natural, it’s still important to be strategic with your invitations.

At a minimum, you should personally invite key stakeholders like:

• Major donors who contributed during the quiet phase. Include all donors who already gave a major gift to your campaign in the kickoff event. Thanking these donors publicly and engaging them throughout the rest of the campaign is vital to retaining their support long-term.
• Board members. Guests will appreciate seeing your board members’ support for the campaign first-hand. Since capital campaigns are such large-scale, impactful endeavors, it’s vital to show that your organization is united in pursuing this goal.
• Community leaders. Inviting influential community members to make an appearance can inspire all new groups of people to learn about your campaign. Ask leaders like local politicians, business owners, or directors of like-minded organizations to join your event.
• Prospective major donors. If you’ve identified any supporters who may be willing and able to make a major gift in the future, invite them to engage with your nonprofit at the kickoff event. Even if they don’t give to this campaign, sending a personal invitation will help you cultivate future support.

Depending on the size of your event and your current fundraising progress, you may also consider targeting prospective supporters, new community members, or even the broader public.

2. Choose an Engaging Format

With your target audience’s preferences in mind, decide if your kickoff event should be fully in-person, virtual, or hybrid. Which format will generate the most engagement and donations for your unique capital campaign?

Consider the pros and cons of each format when making your decision:

• In-person events give guests more opportunities for social connection and networking while making it easier for your nonprofit to strengthen relationships with key stakeholders. However, in-person events come with more costs and limit who can attend, potentially impacting your total fundraising revenue.
• Online events open up your kickoff to a much wider audience and increase accessibility for guests. Supporters who live out of town, have prior commitments, or might otherwise struggle to attend an in-person event can participate from home. Online events are more cost-effective, but these events may be less engaging for guests. Plus, you run the risk of supporters getting discouraged by technical issues.

Your audience is another important consideration when choosing the right event format and fundraising strategies. For instance, if you have a large target audience and want to invite as many supporters as possible, you might choose to host both in-person and online events. This way, you can invite certain donors to the live event (major donors, community leaders, etc.) while encouraging other supporters who can’t be there live to participate in an event online.

Remember that you may need an event management app if your event includes virtual elements like livestreams, live chat, and gamification. Explore your options by getting peer recommendations and browsing online software reviews from other nonprofits. Ideally, your solution should be cost-effective, easy for guests to use, and scalable for future events.

3. Plan Speeches and Activities

Next, determine what should happen during the event itself. Kickoff events come in various shapes and sizes, so there’s no standard agenda you need to follow. However, you’ll likely want to include a few speeches and at least one activity for guests to participate in.

Depending on your budget, target audience, and how casual or professional you want the event to be, you might choose to include a:

• Groundbreaking ceremony
• Community block party
• Tree planting ceremony
• Special one-time performance
• Time capsule burial ceremony

Along with a few engagement opportunities, consider who should speak at the event. Your capital campaign kickoff is a chance to share the vision behind your campaign with the broader public. Choose one or more leaders who can explain your vision eloquently and persuasively.

Your nonprofit’s staff and board members aren’t the only people you should consider for speaking opportunities. Long-time supporters, people who have been impacted by your mission, and influential community members can all be great choices for speakers who inspire guests to give. They can share their personal stories and emphasize the goals and benefits of your capital campaign from a new, relevant perspective.

Have a senior member of your team introduce any guest speakers at the event to make them feel welcome and supported. After a short speech from a member of your nonprofit’s leadership team, you could invite one of your lead donors to speak about their passion for your cause and how this campaign will further it. Then, you might unveil a rendering of a donor recognition plaque or wall to honor the major donors who’ve already contributed to the campaign. 

4. Strategically Market the Kickoff Event

Finally, plan an event marketing strategy that leverages the power and reach of various communication channels. For instance, you might promote the event via social media, email, direct mail, flyers, and more. Whichever channels you choose, ensure they align with your target audience’s communication preferences.

You’ll also need a PR strategy—how will you get press coverage for your event to generate more attention throughout the community? Brainstorm several media outlets and contacts you can approach, such as local news stations, newspapers, and influencers in the community. Write tailored press releases they can share, including any relevant images or videos that might make them more impactful.

After speaking to the media and sending personalized event invitations, plan several touchpoints to remind supporters about the event and generate excitement in the weeks leading up to it. Send reminder text messages, post teaser videos, and share relevant updates via email.

When you design promotional materials for social media or your website, ensure their visual style aligns with the rest of your capital campaign’s branding. According to Getting Attention’s nonprofit marketing statistics, posts that include images have a 650% higher engagement rate than those that don’t—so you definitely want to incorporate cohesive visuals into your event marketing strategy.

With these tips, your team will be on its way to planning an engaging capital campaign kickoff that drives public support. Remember that your kickoff is only the beginning of your campaign’s public phase, so budget your time and money accordingly. While you want to kick off the campaign with a bang, be sure you can sustain that energy in the coming months!

The post Planning Your Capital Campaign Kickoff Event: 4 Tips appeared first on EventMobi.

Before you partner with businesses to make your event a success, your sponsors should know who you are, why your event matters to them, what’s in it for them, and how they can help—all from your event sponsorship packages.

Use this pricing template to simplify the event sponsorship package design process.

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What Are Event Sponsorship Packages?

Event sponsorship packages, or sponsor packs, are collections of marketing services and benefits offered by an event organizer to potential sponsors. They typically include various sponsorship tiers or levels, each with distinct benefits designed to attract sponsors of different sizes and budgets.

How to Create Event Sponsorship Packages

Sponsors have always been a crucial source of revenue for events. However, with so much competition for attendee attention, it’s crucial to show that you’re offering competitive and valuable in-person, virtual, and hybrid event sponsorship package options.

To start, think like a sponsor! That means considering what goals your event sponsors might be hoping to achieve by supporting your event, including:

An event sponsorship package is essentially your “pitch” on why potential sponsors should choose your event over other events or channels in which they could invest their budget. It’s critical to understand the goals of any existing and potential new sponsors so you can align your packages with those objectives.

Now more than ever, sponsors are looking for customized event sponsorship packages with the best ROI possible. No matter their more specific event goals, most sponsors are looking to unlock two main benefits from your partnership:

• The ability to establish connections with attendees
• Opportunities for maximum brand exposure

Considering these benefits, you’ll want to offer as many opportunities as possible for direct interactions between sponsor representatives and attendees. You’ll also need to provide sponsors with high-visibility opportunities to incorporate their brand messaging into your event content wherever possible.

If you address all of these needs in your event sponsorship package offerings, you’ll be guaranteed to yield excellent event revenues and loyal sponsors who return year after year.

What Should a Sponsorship Package Include?

There are many options when it comes to building a sponsor pack! To help guide your decision-making, you could follow one of two models:

1. Tiered Sponsorship Model. This is the traditional approach where a variety of features are included in the event sponsorship package offerings, depending on the sponsorship level.
2. À La Carte Sponsorship Model. This approach is commonly used to serve sponsors with specific needs or goals—being able to customize their event sponsorship package is essential to win their support.

Regardless of your model, all event sponsorship packages should include:

Starting with those points, you can then decide whether to use a tiered model or à la carte. We’ll review these different approaches in greater depth in the following sections.

How to Set Up Sponsorship Packages Using the Tiered Model

A tiered sponsorship model has a clear structure to follow. When you’re creating your sponsor deck, you can easily present the tiers in ascending order, from least to most expensive.

Here is a step-by-step breakdown of how to build a tiered sponsorship model (that includes event technology features!):

Step 1: Create sponsorship levels.

Common sponsorship tier labels include Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Exhibitor, but you have lots of creative freedom to name the levels so that they fit your event theme or brand. Use your sponsorship levels to make your event seem fun and appealing to sponsors!

Remember that both your in-person event app and virtual event space provide plenty of opportunities for visual cues to signal sponsorship levels. When creating your tier levels, it’s a good idea to think about what sorts of badges or ribbons you can use to highlight each level of sponsorship. For instance, your event agenda may list the sponsors with a different colored star corresponding to each company’s tier level.

Tiered sponsorship packages allow sponsors to choose a level that best fits their budget and goals. Remember to include a range of options for both large and small sponsors! As you assign your sponsorship levels, be mindful to offer increasing value with each tier.

Step 2: Decide quantities per tier.

The next step is to determine how many event sponsorship packages of each tier level you need to sell to achieve your event revenue goals.

The more limited the quantity, the more you can charge for the sponsorship package. This exclusivity will also encourage sponsors to commit earlier so you’re able to better predict your revenue and plan your event.

The same principle applies to sponsor tier features—especially high-value offerings like prime scheduling slots for branded content.

When it comes to virtual events, your most popular sessions are equivalent to the trade show floor space that draws the highest foot traffic. If only your top sponsors are allowed to contribute to a keynote panel discussion, for example, exhibitors will rush to claim your premium event sponsorship packages!

Step 3: Distribute sponsorship benefits per tier.

The higher and more exclusive the tier, the greater the number of high-value benefits. Rank your benefits by value, and add increasingly more benefits as the tiers ascend. This step will allow sponsors to choose the tier that works best for them, increasing your overall opportunities for sponsorship.

To offer additional value, go beyond the standard tiers by offering custom sponsorship opportunities. Tailored packages may include sponsored networking events, VIP experiences, or opportunities for sponsors to provide educational content.

Ideas for À La Carte Sponsorship Packages

The à la carte sponsorship model is an alternative model for sponsors seeking to achieve specific goals or outcomes, such as attendee engagement or brand exposure. Consider structuring your à la carte sponsorship offerings based on the event’s lifecycle stages, like this:

Pre-event sponsorship options

Involve your sponsors in your marketing communications to build excitement before your event! Promote your sponsor using:

• Logos. Include the sponsor’s logo on your event registration page and any marketing communications promoting the event, such as registration invite emails.
• Social media. Post social media shout-outs to thank and promote sponsors ahead of your event. Make sure your attendees know which event features are made possible thanks to each sponsor!
• Speakers. Highlight your sponsors’ speakers! Building hype encourages session attendance on the day of your event.

• Giveaways. Everybody loves a prize! Your sponsored giveaways can help promote registration and build excitement for the event. For a virtual event, you can always mail physical prizes to online participants together with swag bags—or they can be rewarded through digital coupons, gift certificates, and discounts.

Highlight sponsors during the event

There are so many ways to promote your sponsors during your event! Try these methods to heighten your sponsors’ visibility:

• Banner ads. Use an event sponsor banner to highlight top-tier sponsors on the mobile event app and virtual event space home screen. It’ll be the first thing every attendee sees! You may also offer sponsors the option to hang a physical banner at your venue.
• Directions. Incorporate the sponsor’s logo into the show design by creating floor tiles for high-value sponsors with arrows pointing toward their stand. Then attendees will know exactly where to go!
• Sponsor profiles. Create dedicated sponsor profiles where you can feature the sponsor’s logo and information on your event app and virtual event platform.

• Signage. Place the sponsor’s logo on any printed and/or digital marketing materials or signage displayed in the event registration area or venue.
• Alerts. Send targeted alerts or push notifications with the sponsor’s logo included.
• Live polls. Running live polls during your event? Try highlighting the sponsor’s logo on the results window.
• Resources. Your event attendees are itching to learn more, and your sponsors have the info! Include links to downloadable resources provided by the sponsor, such as brochures or product collateral.

• Gamification. Structure your challenges so that attendees need to visit sponsors’ exhibitor booths (either physically or online) to collect codes. Award extra points and prizes for more in-depth interactions with sponsors.
• Appointment booking. Enable sponsors to connect with attendees via sponsored group discussions, private chats, and 1:1 meetings. Bookings are easy when they’re built into your event app! 
• Exclusive sessions. Help sponsors create a more personal connection with attendees by hosting breakout sessions for targeted groups, either on-site or in interactive breakout rooms online.

Post-event opportunities for sponsors

Although your event may be over, there are still ways to promote your sponsors. Experiment with these post-event sponsor opportunities:

• Follow-up communication. You’ll be emailing your attendees with post-event surveys and other information, so why not include the sponsor’s logo and mention them in your message?
• Volunteer thank you party. If you have volunteers, your sponsors could fund a post-event get-together where you show your appreciation for their time.
• Video library. Incorporate sponsor content into an ongoing library of on-demand video content. You could embed links to their virtual booth or website and then add contact information in the session description.

Event Sponsorship Examples

Now that you know what goes into the two main types of event sponsorship packages, how do you put one together so you can start promoting it? You can try out both models (and even see examples!) by downloading these free templates:

À La Carte Pricing Template

Tiered Pricing Model Template

Level Up Your Sponsorship Packages with Event Tech

When curating irresistible event sponsorship packages, offering unexpected value can help attract and build relationships with your ideal event sponsors. 

One of the simplest ways to do this? Using the latest event tech to build impactful packages that sponsors can’t resist! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Offer virtual and hybrid event sponsorships. With virtual and hybrid events and event spaces, sponsor visibility can go digital! Consider benefits like sponsored sessions, digital banners, or branded virtual lounges.
• Leverage tech to connect. Use event technology to provide unique opportunities for sponsor engagement and visibility. Send push notifications in a mobile event app, leverage sponsored polls during sessions, or gamification features that drive attendees to the sponsor’s virtual or physical booths.
• Measure and share analytics. Sponsors want to see the return on their investment. Event technology makes it easy to track and share detailed analytics, which allows you to provide sponsors with tangible insights into their impact and reach.

If you’re looking for an event platform that can support your sponsorship strategy at every step of your event journey, EventMobi offers all of the above and more! Using EventMobi’s hybrid events platform, you can implement your digital event sponsorship offers and provide in-person support to your sponsors, with the post-event analytics to match.

Struggling to offer real value to your event sponsors?

Watch the EventMobi Product Tour to see how to increase sponsor engagement at every stage of your events and ensure exhibitor ROI with a lightning-fast Lead Capture App.

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How to Find the Right Event Sponsors

Equipped with top-tier event sponsorship packages, it’s time to go out and find your sponsors! Keep the following tips in mind to find sponsors that are right for your event and organization.

• Look for sponsors that align with your event’s theme, audience, and values. For example, if you’re organizing a tech conference, tech companies might be interested in your event sponsorship packages.
• Research each potential sponsor thoroughly. Understand their objectives, their target audience, and what they usually sponsor. It may also be beneficial to review their past sponsorships, their presence on social media, and any recent news about them to get an idea of their interests and reputation.
• Personalize communication. When you approach potential sponsors, make your message about them and how the sponsorship packages for your event can benefit them. Show how your event aligns with their goals and can offer valuable exposure to their target demographic.

How to Pitch Event Sponsorship Packages

Pitching your event sponsorship package effectively is crucial for securing sponsorships. Here are the steps to ensure a successful pitch:

1. Prepare a compelling sponsorship deck. A sponsorship deck, or sponsorship packet, is a presentation that highlights the benefits sponsors will receive from partnering with your event. It should include information about the event, audience demographics, sponsorship tiers, benefits of each tier, pricing, and examples of sponsorship packages from previous events.
2. Tailor your pitch. Customize your pitch to reflect each potential sponsor’s goals so you can show them exactly how your event will help achieve their objectives.
3. Highlight benefits. Clearly outline what’s included in each sponsorship tier. This could range from logo placement on promotional materials to booth space at the event to speaking opportunities to social media mentions.
4. Provide a clear call to action. Make it easy for potential sponsors to take the next step. This could be a meeting to discuss the event sponsorship packages in detail, a link to a registration form, or contact information for further inquiries.

Remember to follow up after your pitch, thank the potential sponsor for their time, and be prepared to negotiate the details of the sponsorship package.

Also, consider offering digital event sponsorship packages for sponsors who wish to reach out to your online audience! This can be especially useful if you run a year-round event space, so sponsor engagement isn’t tied to specific events—just to how engaged your community is.

Next Steps: Designing Your Event Sponsorship Packages

By now, you should be well-equipped with the best strategies and tips to take your event sponsorship game to the next level. You know how to approach potential sponsors with the right pitch and create compelling, customizable event sponsorship packages that cater to their unique marketing objectives.

Remember that the secret to crafting an attractive sponsorship package lies in alignment—aligning the sponsor’s goals with the benefits you offer. Whether it’s through brand exposure, audience engagement, or valuable networking opportunities, ensuring your sponsors find the value they’re seeking is paramount.

With the rise of virtual and hybrid events, event tech has become a mainstay of the event industry—especially since in-person attendees at hybrid events rely on event apps to stay engaged and informed. As you may have noticed from the list of à la carte sponsor features above, many sponsor benefits apply equally to the in-person mobile event app as to the virtual event platform.

With the best event sponsorship packages at your disposal, you’re poised to form strong and enduring relationships with sponsors. These partnerships will not only provide critical support for your current event but pave the way for ongoing collaboration, bolstering your organization’s events now and in the future.

Want to learn more about increasing your event’s sponsorship opportunities? Check out these resources:

• 66 Creative Event Sponsorship Ideas to Help You Secure Your Ideal Sponsors. Not sure what to include in your event sponsorship packages? This article will equip you with a wide variety of ideas so you can secure your ideal sponsors.
• How to Create Sponsorship Levels & Lock in Sponsors [Examples!] For more in-depth information about how to create sponsorship tiers, check out this resource.

Looking for new ways to give sponsors a reason to return to your events, year after year?

Book your demo of EventMobi today to see how you can use a single, powerful platform to increase sponsor engagement and ensure Exhibitor ROI.

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The post How to Design Event Sponsorship Packages Too Good to Pass Up appeared first on EventMobi.

Event budgeting allows you to host events within your organization’s financial means that still achieve your event objectives. Whether you’re looking to increase non-dues revenue, encourage networking, or strengthen sponsor relationships, a proper event budget lets you stay on track.

Want to offset your event budget with sponsorships?

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With 70% of event organizers in North America expecting their meeting spend to increase in the coming year, it’s time to set your organization up for success. To help, we’ll cover the following event budget topics:

• What Is an Event Budget?
• How to Plan Your Event Budget: 7 Steps
• Event Budget Examples and Templates
• Event Budgeting FAQs

By consolidating all of your financial details, event budgeting makes it easier to understand your event cost breakdown, control your event expenses and revenue, and measure your event’s return on investment (ROI).

What Is an Event Budget?

An event budget is a financial roadmap for your event. It helps you organize your projected expenses and revenue so you can effectively manage your resources and stay on track to achieve your event goals.

Categories within your event budget may include:

• Fixed costs. Fixed costs are expenses that stay the same regardless of how many attendees join your event. These may include venue rental, entertainment, and event registration software fees.
• Variable costs. Expenses that vary according to your attendee count are called variable costs. Examples include food and beverage and event staff costs.
• Revenue. The money you expect to make from your event is your projected revenue. Common sources of event revenue include ticket sales, sponsorships, and exhibitor booth fees.
• Profit and loss. Considering the above factors, the profitability of your event depends on the number of attendees who show up. To determine how many attendees you’ll need, add a section to your budget summarizing your projected expenses and revenue for different potential attendee counts.

Planning your budget ahead of time prevents your team from overspending and sets realistic expectations for how much you can allocate to different areas of your event. That way, you can better prioritize which aspects you’d like to spend more on. For example, if you have to choose between a larger event venue or an upgraded catering package, you can make an informed, data-backed decision based on which is more important to your team.

Developing a clear event budget also helps you measure your success at the end of your event. In reality, your actual revenue and expenses will likely differ from what you projected. Still, these benchmarks help you determine whether you generated more or less revenue than expected and adjust your budgeting strategy accordingly for future events.

Ultimately, an event budget is a necessary tool for managing your event finances and making careful decisions during the event planning process.

How to Plan Your Event Budget: 7 Steps

Now that you know the main event budget categories, it’s time to begin the event budgeting process. Let’s walk through it step by step so you know exactly how to proceed.

Step 1: Set financial goals for your event.

Prepare an event profit and loss budget and predict as accurately as possible if the event will result in a profit, loss, or break even. What financial success means for your event, however, depends on the type of event and objectives.

For example, you may project your upcoming conference to break even or result in a slight loss, but if you acquire a significant number of new members for your association through the event, you’ll eventually profit through extra dues revenue.

Although you won’t be able to forecast all expenses and revenue from the beginning—and some of these could even change during the planning process—it’s vital to plan your budget considering the most common expenses and revenues, which we’ll dive into next.

Step 2: Determine your fixed and variable costs.

Differentiate between fixed costs and variable expenses. As a reminder, fixed costs do not change based on the number of attendees and are calculated as a total amount. Variable costs change based on the number of attendees and are calculated per person.

Expenses for In-Person Events

According to the American Express Global Business Travel Meetings & Events Global Forecast, this year, 68% of meetings in North America will be in-person only, and 83% of meetings will have an in-person component. Therefore, event organizers will mostly be budgeting for in-person event costs.

The report also notes that event and meeting professionals would prioritize “improving the onsite experience” when using an increased budget. When asked, “What makes a good attendee experience?”, these were the top responses:

• 38% said event content and agenda.
• 27% said venue.
• 25% said destination.
• 24% said social and networking events.
• 24% said food and beverage.

Other costs may include audio/visual, decor, labor, staff travel, marketing, speaker fees, entertainment, and event management software. While every event will have a different ideal cost breakdown based on your goals and budget, keep the attendee experience in mind when budgeting for in-person events. You may even survey past attendees to better understand their priorities and how you can allocate resources to best serve their needs.

Expenses for Virtual and Hybrid Events

Compared to in-person events, virtual and hybrid event costs will focus more heavily on technology expenses to create a stimulating attendee experience regardless of location. These may include:

Audio/Video (A/V) Costs 

Audio/visual equipment enables all attendees to experience event content and sessions properly. Hybrid event planners, in particular, should budget for both onsite and remote A/V equipment.

Onsite, aim to have two camera placements with an operator for each, an IMAG operator, and a video switcher. For your remote A/V equipment, you will need a solid, wired, and dedicated internet connection with minimum speeds of 100mbs download and 30mbs upload. You can also use streaming and encoding hardware/software like OBS (free) or vMix (paid) to capture the cameras, presentations, and audio of the presenters.

Having two well-equipped A/V teams allows you to create the best experience possible for your audiences and keep engagement high among virtual attendees.

Livestream and Video Production Costs

Streaming services vary widely. For instance, you can use Zoom to self-produce at a low cost, or some virtual event platforms (like EventMobi) have built-in DIY live streaming tools that allow you to create livestreams within the platform. This tends to be a mid-level price option.

For higher-end budgets, you may prefer to hire a full-service professional production team like EventMobi’s GoLive! Production Team, or an outside A/V company.

Step 3: Identify your revenue sources.

To cover expenses, consider different revenue avenues like: 

• Advertising
• Concession
• Booth rentals
• Management fees
• Registration
• Sponsorship

Use budget planning tools such as Excel or Google Sheets to track these revenue sources. Group your revenues in categories relevant to your event, such as “site,” “decorations,” or “publicity.” For hybrid events, consider broader categories like “in-person” and “virtual,” then subcategorize accordingly.

Forecasting expenses and revenues is a critical aspect of budget planning. Review past event finances and source quotes for new costs. Remember to keep all invoices and receipts to back up your budget.

Allocate a contingency fund for unexpected expenses. Finally, ensure your event is financially viable before moving to other aspects like venue selection, promotions, and staffing.

Step 4: Create an event budget proposal.

An event budget proposal is a document or presentation you’ll put together for leadership to sign off on. Fortunately, if you’ve already put together your projected event budget, you’re more than halfway through creating a solid budget proposal. In addition to your expected revenue and expenses, your proposal should include:

• The stated purpose and goals of your event
• Data about past events you have hosted 
• Information about similar industry events 
• Contingency plans for your budget 
• Potential overages for your budget 
• Information on how you will measure and report ROI on your event

Discuss the proposal with key stakeholders and make adjustments as needed based on their recommendations.

Step 5: Calculate cash flow for your event.

Cash flow is a measure of how much money you have on hand to cover event expenses. Calculating cash flow allows you to prioritize spending on essential items first, ensure sufficient cash availability at any given time, and monitor profitability.

To calculate your cash flow, add all your revenues and subtract the uncollected accounts receivables (money owed to you for services/work performed). This is your cash on hand before expenses. If you then subtract all of your accounts payable (money you owe for services/work provided to you) from that number, you will have your cash on hand. If the number is positive, you have a positive cash flow.

Cash Flow Calculation

All Revenues – Uncollected Accounts Receivable = Cash on Hand Before Expenses

Cash on Hand Before Expenses – Accounts Payable = Cash on Hand

Starting cash is the amount of money you have readily available at the start of any given period.

Step 6: Review and track your event budget.

As mentioned earlier, not all expenses can be forecasted, and your budget will likely change during the event planning process. Therefore, it is crucial to review and track your budget as you go. 

If possible, arrange a meeting with your accounting or financial officer to review your event budget’s format. This will help ensure you’re in good shape before continuing the event planning process.

As demands for your meeting or event might change, it’s also a good idea to confirm who would have the authority to spend beyond the approved budget in advance. However, the earlier-mentioned contingency fund will come in handy when dealing with unplanned expenses.

It is also important to track your budget throughout your event, including the planning stages. Several helpful technology solutions, like Expensify, will support this process.

Transferring your financial systems to a cloud-based system will enable you to manage your financial operations anytime, anywhere. Some examples of financial management software include FreshBooks, and Certify. 

Step 7: Analyze your event’s financial performance.

After your event, revisit the success measures and benchmarks you set. In the past decade, new technologies have enabled planners to measure an event’s overall performance in multiple ways. Using qualitative and quantitative event data, you can better understand your event’s performance and show impact.

Return on investment (ROI) is a performance measure used to evaluate the success of your event. You might also want to compare different budgeting strategies based on their ROI. For example, do you get a higher ROI from the money you invest in outbound marketing or from nurturing your existing attendee base?

Moreover, there are additional ways to measure non-monetary business impacts that will help you calculate your event ROI, for example:

The EventMobi Event Management Platform offers advanced analytics to enable you to calculate your event ROI and easily share it with stakeholders and sponsors. With Eventmobi, you can track:

• Attendance numbers, both on a macro and micro level
• Traffic to specific sections of the platform
• Attendee interest, engagement, and actions
• Content viewing duration (including sponsored and non-sponsored video views, banner clicks, and more)

These data points can highlight the most valuable leads to sponsors whilst demonstrating the ROI of participating in your event.

Calculate your event ROI with event management software.

Explore this Guide

Event Budget Examples and Templates

Now that you know what an event budget consists of, what does it actually look like? Let’s review some examples and event budget templates you can use.

Event Budget Example #1: In-Person Event

Let’s say you’re running an entirely in-person event for a single weekend at a hotel. You expect anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people to attend, with the ultimate goal of generating revenue. You anticipate hiring more booth rentals and sponsorships if you draw a larger crowd, but you’ll also require more staff and accommodations.

Here’s an example of what that event budget might look like:

Laying out your event budget like this lets you see exactly how any given scenario will turn out for your profit or loss.

In this example event budget, you would profit if you could attract at least 750 attendees, and your profit would increase the more attendees you register. However, you will lose money if you only manage to get 500 people to attend.

With this information in mind, you can take well-informed next steps, such as: 

• Shifting more money into marketing 
• Scouting more affordable venues
• Recruiting more sponsors 
• Adjusting ticket prices

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Event Budget Template #1: In-Person Event

Here is a blank version of an in-person event budget template you can use to map your own event revenue and expenses:

Event Budget Example #2: Hybrid Event

Let’s look at an event budget example for a hybrid event: 

This event budget example makes a compelling case for hybrid events. The high ticket price for in-person attendees is justified by the expenses associated with venue rental, design, F&B, and live entertainment.

Moreover, if you communicate how unique the onsite experience will be when marketing your event, you could even increase ticket prices beyond what you would charge for a strictly in-person event.

Meanwhile, virtual attendees require fewer resources and expenses, but the lower ticket price reflects that they will miss out on the multi-sensory elements of the in-person event experience.

Event Budget Template #2: Hybrid Event

Here is a blank version of a hybrid event budget template you can use to map your own event revenue and expenses:

Event Budgeting FAQs

Why is event budgeting important?

Event budgeting is important because it allows you to plan an event within your organization’s financial means and avoid overspending. Creating an event budget allows you to allocate resources effectively and prioritize spending based on your event goals. Additionally, an event budget helps you stay on track and measure your event’s success by comparing your projected revenue and expenses to your actual revenue and expenses.

What expenses should my event budget include?

In-person event budgets should include expenses like venue, food and beverage, audio/visual, decor, labor, staff travel, marketing, speaker fees, entertainment, and event management software. 

Virtual and hybrid event budgets focus more on technological elements like audio/video, livestreaming, and video production but also require funds for marketing, speaker fees, and event management software.

How should I estimate costs?

Start by evaluating your financial data from previous events to determine the revenue you’ve generated and expenses you’ve incurred in the past. Then, adjust these numbers for your projected number of attendees. For any new expenses, request quotes from the associated vendors to get a better idea of what to expect.

How should I track and manage event expenses?

Use a spreadsheet or accounting software to keep track of your projected revenue and expenses. Categorize your revenue and expenses so you know how much you’re spending in each area, and update them regularly as your event plans progress.

What happens if I go over budget?

Regular budget monitoring should prevent going over budget. If your expenses start to rise, work with your team to identify areas where you can reduce spending. For example, if your venue rental costs are high, you may downgrade your catering package to compensate for this expense.

What is a contingency fund?

A contingency fund represents money set aside for unexpected expenses or emergencies, such as additional staffing needs or technological malfunctions. Build a contingency fund into your budget to prevent unforeseen challenges from impacting your event finances.

How can I reduce costs while still delivering a high-quality event experience?

Ensure high quality while minimizing costs by negotiating with vendors, seeking nonprofit or industry discounts, recruiting volunteers, soliciting in-kind donations, securing sponsorships, and reducing or eliminating costs that won’t impact the attendee experience.

Event Budgeting is Key to Your Success

Evaluating and analyzing your event’s financial performance can be complicated, but doing so allows you to make smarter choices for future conferences or meetings. 

Event budgeting tools are just one aspect of how event planners today take advantage of event technology.

With an all-in-one event platform like EventMobi, you can unlock more ways to add value for attendees, sponsors, exhibitors, and more–which can translate into new revenue streams and opportunities for financial success.

Looking for event management software that makes creating on-budget events a breeze?

Book your demo of EventMobi today to learn how a powerful, cost-effective platform can help you create the right attendee experience at every stage of your events.

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The post The Ultimate Event Budget Guide (With Examples + Templates) appeared first on EventMobi.

The best events stand out to attendees and encourage them to return in the future. However, given the sheer volume of corporate events in the current landscape, it’s increasingly difficult to make your mark.

That’s where corporate event gifting comes into play. By offering gifts and mementos of your event, you can make your initial investment go further by winning prospect loyalty and building your brand identity. You can even use these ideas as prizes for gamified elements of your event. In this guide, we’ll review how to offer gifts that keep on giving (both to your company and your target audience).

Corporate Event Gifting FAQ

Before getting into corporate gift ideas for events, let’s answer pressing questions you might have about this prospect engagement strategy.

• Which gifts are most effective? This varies based on your company’s goals, budget, and values, as well as the event’s theme. For instance, if your company prides itself on its low carbon emissions, Unwrapit recommends focusing on digital gifts, experiences, and charitable donations as gifts—you’ll reduce physical waste and remain true to your values.
• How personalized should gifts be? Gifts should be as personalized as possible to resonate with your target audience. However, it can be challenging to personalize gifts at scale if you manage your gifting program individually. Leading corporate gifting companies provide personalized gifts at scale with interfaces that allow attendees to choose the gift they like best.
• How can you measure the success of event gifting initiatives? Track and report on key performance indicators, such as your gift claim rate and attendee feedback. If you work with a corporate gifting company, they can monitor and report that information for you. You may also use your event management solution’s polling or survey features to gauge attendees’ opinions about your event gifting. In fact, some digital gifting platforms have built-in surveying and polling to capture sentiment and ask other questions of your attendees.
• How can we reduce event gifting costs? A win-win solution is working with event sponsors to provide gifts. While you receive gifts or funds you can use to purchase them, sponsors spread awareness of their brands.
• Should gifts be the same for all attendees? This depends on your budget, but generally, the gift’s value should correspond with the participant’s influence. For instance, you might gift a high-profile keynote speaker a tablet to thank them for their support, but that likely isn’t feasible to give to all event attendees.

Event Gift Ideas

For each type of gift, we’ll review what it is, its unique benefits, examples, and a pro tip to ensure your success.

Physical Gifts

• What they are: Physical gifts are tangible items that attendees can take home with them.
• Why they work: These gifts are often practical, ensuring your company makes a lasting impression.
• Pro-tip for offering physical gifts: Prioritize sustainability. Studies estimate that around 40% of corporate gifts end up in landfills. Offset your environmental impact by using eco-friendly materials and sourcing from companies with a green track record.
• Gift ideas:
  • Drinkware. Provide different types of drinkware to account for every occasion. For instance, insulated drink tumblers are great for on-the-go attendees, whereas wine glasses might be ideal for your more social recipients.
  • Desk accessories. These items can be useful for anyone in a corporate role. For more influential recipients, such as keynote speakers, offer quality custom desk accessories, like a nameplate or paperweight.
  • Local food baskets. This is a perfect idea if your conference attracts a large out-of-town audience. Offer small, non-perishable items like assorted snacks, a bottle of wine, and candied fruit from local businesses so attendees can take a taste of your community home.

Experiential Gifts

• What they are: Experiential gifts allow attendees to access exciting or relaxing opportunities.
• Why they work: While physical gifts offer individual benefits, attendees can use these gifts to connect with others, enrich their worldview, and try something new.
• Pro-tip for offering experiential gifts: Offer flexibility. Some experiences can only occur under certain parameters, such as a specific season, date, or location. Provide as much flexibility as possible, such as by offering open-date vouchers, so busy recipients can use the gift when they have time.
• Gift ideas:
  • Sports game tickets. Regardless of the time of year, there’s an active team ready to engage the sports aficionados at your event. Provide free or reduced-price tickets to the sports team of the attendee’s choice.
  • City-specific experiences. Every city has a host of unique experiences to explore. Provide a voucher to enter museums, limited-time exhibitions, and landmarks in the attendee’s city of choice.
  • Wellness activities. Life in the corporate world can get stressful quickly. Give attendees the chance to unwind with wellness-based activities, such as yoga classes or a spa day.
  • Meal certificates. Treat recipients to a delicious meal at a restaurant of their choice.

Combination Gifts

• What they are: Combination gifts offer physical and experiential components that build on each other.
• Why they work: These gifts offer the best of both worlds, appealing to a wider range of event attendees. Plus, these gifts are often higher-value, making them ideal for thanking big players.
• Pro-tip for offering combination gifts: Cohesion is key. Ensure all gift components directly relate to each other to provide a holistic, positive experience.
• Gift ideas:
  • Wellness kit and personal training session. Pair athletic clothing or a yoga mat with a related class voucher to help your attendees get active.
  • Travel kit and vacation voucher. Send attendees on a trip to remember with a travel pillow, sleep mask, and a voucher for a reduced-price vacation to a destination of their choice.
  • Virtual cooking class and ingredients. Want a virtual-friendly idea to engage attendees wherever they are? Offer a virtual cooking class and provide the necessary ingredients so they can follow along at home.

Create Your Event Gifting Program

Now that you have inspiration, it’s time to launch your own event gifting program! To get the most value from your program, market your offerings extensively. Highlight your available items in event marketing collateral and throughout the event so attendees know what they can take home and how to acquire it. You can also note who won valuable gifts in your event follow-up to encourage future sign-ups.

The post Corporate Event Gifting: Creative Ideas that Stand Out appeared first on EventMobi.

As an event planner, you want to surprise your attendees (in a good way!) with conference swag bags full of clever, thoughtful, and practical gifts. Easier said than done, right?

So, what should you include in your gift bags to wow your attendees? Although the answer varies based on the type of conference you’re hosting, who your audience is, and who your sponsors are, there are some general rules of thumb to follow.

In this article, we’ll provide tips on best practices (including dos and don’ts for conference swag!) and offer 37 specific conference gift bag ideas to inspire you when planning your next event!

What Is a Swag Bag Exactly?

Swag bags (AKA goodie bags or gift bags) contain gifts for your conference attendees and offer them something to remember the event by. 

“Swag” might include sponsored items or branded merch and can range from snacks and apparel to gift cards, stationery, and more! In a conference environment, swag bags are a great way to welcome your attendees, develop brand recognition, and promote your sponsors.

As the name suggests, conference swag often comes in bags—paper, plastic, canvas, or tote. However, you have the flexibility to customize your swag bag to reflect the values of your organization. 

For example, if your brand prioritizes sustainability, an eco-friendly swag bag made from recycled material is a perfect place to uphold that mission. Or you could go digital with fully virtual packages full of gift cards, downloadable items, or subscriptions!

How to Come Up with Creative Conference Gift Bag Ideas

The value and contents of what should be included in your conference goodie bags can vary widely between events. At the Oscars, the gift bags are worth up to $148,000–but you don’t necessarily need a big budget to make a big impact. 

Not sure what to put in your conference welcome bag? Here are a few clever and creative ways to generate fresh conference gift bag ideas your attendees will love:

Survey your attendees—before and after your event!

The most reliable source for what’s valuable to your attendees? Your attendees themselves!

Take advantage of event management software to reach out to registered guests ahead of time, ask about their interests and priorities, and then tailor your event gift bag based on their answers.

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For example, you could ask attendees specific questions, like:

• Do you prefer coffee, tea, or energy drinks?
• Are you more likely to network at a cafe, bar, or restaurant?
• What’s the one thing you’re most likely to forget to pack when you travel to a conference?

You can also run post-event surveys to get feedback from your guests. A retrospective survey can provide helpful hints on how to improve your event for next time–including any in-demand conference goodie bag ideas you may have missed! As a bonus, a post-event survey can help you understand your event ROI.

Attend competing conferences

Another great way to learn about conference gift bags is to see what’s being offered at other events within your industry. A litmus test for the success of a goodie bag is how likely you are to use what’s inside—and which items you’re more likely to leave untouched!

Check out unrelated events

Stuck on brainstorming? Find creative ideas for conference swag by attending conferences outside of your field. Seeing what other types of organizations offer may give you ideas you’d never have thought of otherwise.

Explore independent suppliers

Before you can hand out swag, you’ll have to source it—and chances are, your suppliers would be happy to suggest additional ideas for your conference gift bag! They might even have insights into what’s popular or which offerings go best together. 

Independent suppliers could be especially creative sources of ideas, so consider reaching out and asking suppliers for advice. You never know—they might have something in mind from prior experience that would make your tote bag extra special.

Visit local art markets

Art markets bring together creatives and makers of all types. Browse local artist’s stalls and chat with them about their process. You might walk away with a fresh perspective, new ideas, and some unique local wares to include in your conference gift bags–whether that’s enamel pins, original posters, or hand-made ceramics or clothing.

Attend festivals

Festivals share many features with conferences–including swag bags! Check out the swag offered at different types of festivals—music, outdoors, or athletics—for ideas on what to offer groups of people brought together by common interests.

Follow Instagram hashtags like #swagbag

Social media of all kinds can help inspire creative #swag ideas, but hashtags are especially useful. Why? Because when someone goes to the effort of tagging their swag, it means they’re excited enough about their haul to brag about it to the world!

What Should Not Go in Your Conference Swag Bag?

After some brainstorming, you might find yourself overrun by ideas for what to include in your conference tote bags. So, before finalizing any of your conference swag ideas, go beyond the benefits of each item to consider why certain types of swag might not make a desirable gift for attendees.

Here are some examples of items that might not be a good fit for your swag bag (and why it matters):

Avoid anything that can melt

Snacks are a great way to build goodwill with conference attendees in a hurry, but any food that depends on weather conditions to stay intact is best avoided!

Don’t include “gifts” your attendees have to pay to use

While gift cards to cafés or restaurants may be welcome networking aids, asking attendees to spend to take advantage of your swag makes it plain old advertising—no longer a gift!

Skip low-quality items

Go for quality over quantity! Anything that breaks in a day or is noticeably low quality won’t do much to make attendees feel appreciated or expand brand awareness.

Leave out anything difficult to pack

Keep airport security in mind: What might people have to remove from carry-ons before boarding their flight? What else isn’t a good idea to pack in a suitcase?

Avoid overly branded gifts

Branding is important, but if the logo is the most important thing about the item, odds are it’s not very useful! We’ve assembled some tips on creating branded merch below.

Tips for Nailing Branded Merch

Branded merch is an excellent way to build brand recognition. That said, we encourage you to give gifts your attendees will appreciate regardless of branding.

Providing items attendees will actually use in their daily lives—and that inspires others to ask, “Hey, where’d you get that?”—is the trick to successful swag branding.

So, unless your branding is central to your organization’s mission—if your aesthetic is especially gorgeous, for example; or you’ve developed a strong relationship with the community and want to showcase your involvement—limit your branding footprint by:

Minimizing focus on your logo

Keep your logo to a reasonable size. Think of your favorite athletic jacket. Most likely, the logo is a smaller detail in a corner–rather than an obvious, dominating presence.

Placing the logo to the side of an item, for example, maintains your branding without making it the central focus.

Choosing consistent branding colors

Brands are more than just logos! A coherent color scheme is another effective way to convey your branding without emphasizing your logo.

Using high-quality materials

Remember, these objects are representing your organization. You want people to associate your name with quality!

37 Conference Gift Bag Ideas for Your Attendees

Now that you know what not to put in your bags, let’s talk about what does belong in your goodie bags! 

Remember to customize everything that goes into your swag bag to your conference experience–and don’t hesitate to get creative! If possible, consider working with your sponsors to elevate your conference gift bags. 

Here are 37 specific gift bag ideas for conferences to consider for your next event:

Stationery & office supplies

These practical staples are always a welcome addition to any gift bag:

• High-quality pens. Everybody needs a pen, but perhaps never more urgently than at a conference. Ensure the pen is high quality so attendees can rely on its performance throughout the event.
• Highlighters. Help bring your attendees’ note-taking to the next level.
• Notebooks or notepads. These are also perfect for conference environments. Go easy on the customization to ensure the notebook can later be used for other purposes!

Tech gizmos & gadgets

You don’t need to break the budget to include a few cool tech accessories, such as:

• Flash drives or portable hard drives. Digital storage is always useful! For an added bonus, offer protection or portability for the device—for example, a cloth bag for hard drives or a keychain for flash drives.
• Chargers and power banks. Including cords, wireless charging ports, and everything in between in your conference bag has huge potential to save conference-goers a lot of frustration.
• Smartphone printer. Portable and quality are keywords here!
• Headphones or earbuds. A spare pair of earbuds stashed in someone’s backpack could save their workflow—and their sanity.
• Pen light. You never know when a flashlight keychain might come in handy.

Decorative items

Consider these eye-catching gift ideas to add personality (and a flash of color) to your swag bags:

• Stickers or decals. Contact local artists to design these for an added boost to their desirability. Stickers are especially great options for cheap conference bags.
• Posters or prints by local artists. Conference gifts for attendees benefit from a personal touch. Try commissioning an illustration of a local landmark to offer aesthetic memorabilia of attendees’ trip to the conference!
• Enamel pins. Pins make a fun keepsake for attendees. Consider a slogan or fun saying that’s relevant to your conference or field.

Food and drink

Include consumable goods paired with practical swag (like a bag of locally-roasted coffee beans and a mug to enjoy them in!):

• Custom mugs or teacups. These can be branded for the conference, your field, or just fun collectibles. Travel mugs are always useful. You could also contact a local ceramics artist for a truly unique and unforgettable offering.
• Coffee from local roasters. Offer decaf or hot chocolate options for non-coffee drinkers. Encourage attendees to trade amongst themselves!
• Loose leaf tea + infuser. Your attendees will appreciate this for comfort and unwinding after the conference.
• Customized trail mix. Conference snacks are a quick and easy way to build goodwill with attendees. Bear allergies in mind by offering various snack options! 
• Bottle openers. Handy for those after-conference mixers—attach a keychain for bonus points.
• Water bottles. Whether recyclable or reusable, any attendee will be thankful for the hydration help.

Lifestyle goods

These are practical swag bag ideas that guests will actually use–either on the road, once they get home, or both!

• Mini first-aid kit. This can be as simple as a pack of band-aids or a more elaborate kit for the outdoorsy explorer.
• Lip balm, hand cream, or sunscreen. Protect attendees from the elements! This may be especially useful if the weather is harsh during the season you’re hosting the conference.
• Toothbrush. For extra utility, make it a miniature size for travel. 
• Sleep mask or earplugs. Hotel sleeping is never easy. Help make it easier by blocking out light and sound!
• Incense. Spice things up with a memorable scent. This is another great opportunity to contact local crafters for added value.
• Handheld massager. Although it’s a bit pricier than other gifts, a handheld massager will help attendees relax after a long day at your conference.
• Fidget toys. These are great items that can help signal your event’s willingness to accommodate attendees’ diverse needs.
• Throw blanket. Cozy and practical—especially for those with a long journey home ahead of them!
• Cooler bags. Your attendees will remember you every time they pack a homemade lunch or head to the beach.
• Bookmarks. Especially great for academic conferences or other events geared toward avid readers. These cheap swag options are easy to customize–so you can create variations for attendees to swap and compare!

Seasonal clothing and apparel

Keep your attendees comfortable with season-appropriate gear and apparel, such as:

• T-shirts, hoodies, or sweatpants. These staple garments can—and will—be worn again and again. Throw a fun, industry-relevant slogan on to add some personality!
• Warm or athletic socks. Encourage attendees to explore the area by giving them the aid of comfortable footwear.
• Sunglasses. Many attendees may have forgotten to pack these!
• Slippers. For padding around the hotel after sessions.
• Scarves, toques, or baseball caps. Be sure to customize the headgear depending on the season your conference is held in
• Flip flops. Both casual and useful! Consider finding a way to match sizing to your attendees.
• Umbrellas. Another great idea for protection against the elements in your event’s host city. Use a compact design for easy travel!

Evergreen swag for any bag

These gift ideas never go out of style—and give you an opportunity to show your attendees what you care about:

• Gift cards. As evergreen conference swag bag ideas, café and restaurant gift cards encourage networking between conference-goers and support local businesses. For added goodwill, opt for gift cards from Black-, Indigenous-, LGBTQ-, or women-owned brands or businesses.
• Map of the city or a tourist guide. In-person events mean an opportunity for attendees to explore. Recommending places to eat or grab coffee can be especially useful for networking sessions! You could even get creative and include walking tours, or guides to local flora and fauna.
• Swag for charitable causes. Some businesses sell swag specifically to raise money for a particular cause. Let your recipients know what cause their gift bag supports!

What Will You Include in Your Next Conference Swag Bag?

We hope you’re feeling inspired to put together an awesome swag bag for your next conference! When in doubt, remember to pick items that reflect your audience’s interests, serve a practical need, or tie into your org’s mission or industry. 

In our experience, the best conference swag bags often contain something unexpected or fun that attendees will remember and want to use—so don’t be afraid to think outside the box (or bag!).

If you go the route of branded swag, stick to practical gifts to ensure your conference attendees have something to remember your event by that they’ll be happy to use when they get home.

Prioritize quality and utility when considering what to put in a conference welcome bag, so your attendees will look back fondly on your event every time they use your swag! 

Need an event platform that makes it easy to engage attendees at every stage of your events?

Book your demo of EventMobi today to see how you can keep your attendees engaged and excited at (and in between!) events with a single, powerful platform.

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The post 37 Conference Gift Bag Ideas Your Attendees Will Actually Be Excited About appeared first on EventMobi.

Breakout sessions are key to facilitating important conversations, networking, and skill-building. They break up the pace of the conference day and diversify the attendee experience. 

Read on for 37 creative conference breakout session ideas to add to your next conference program!

What Are Conference Breakout Sessions?

Conference Breakout Sessions are a key opportunity to break larger groups (E.G. panels, workshops) into smaller groups, to facilitate networking, conversation, and exercises.

Breakout sessions can be implemented into a session agenda for all kinds of reasons, like: 

And more! Regardless of the reason, breakout sessions are great ways for attendees to connect.

How Do You Make a Breakout Session Interesting & Productive? 

When you plan your breakout session with your goals in mind, opportunities for creative implementation may jump out of the woodwork and surprise even you!

Here are our tips for crafting a dynamic session that offers even higher value to participants.

Get feedback before the event

You don’t have to plan in a vacuum! You never know where other people’s feedback might take you.

Some people to ask for feedback could include:

• Experienced facilitators. Do you know someone who’s organized a great breakout group or two in their time? Ask what helped make their experience great—and what to avoid.
• Experts in the field. Running an educational breakout session? Ask seasoned experts in the field what they wished they’d learned earlier in their career.
• Your conference attendees. If you can poll attendees before they arrive, ask them what experience they’re hoping for! Questions could include what skills they hope to build and what their ideal conference structure looks like.

Select the best format for your session

The right format for your breakout conference session depends on what your session aims to achieve!

For example:

• Skill-building. These sessions might allow attendees to practice the skill in mind. For research, sales, or pitching, a three-minute thesis format might fit the bill!
• Leadership. A leadership session could involve role-playing exercises or a roundtable discussion with prompts.
• Teambuilding. Strengthening bonds takes time—and it can be fun! Your session could focus on skill-sharing and collaboration. An escape room is a great example.
• Networking. Attendees need an interactive format to connect with each other. Consider small groups with conversation prompts, speed networking, or experience sharing.
• Relaxation. Sometimes attendees just need a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the conference environment. Consider guided meditation, a breathing exercise, or a quiet collaborative activity.

There are also ways to vary how attendees participate in sessions. For example, interactive conference session ideas could include gamifying your session to encourage greater participant engagement.

Set clear expectations

When you set goals for your breakout session, you not only provide yourself with planning guidelines—you also have built-in attendee participation guidelines.

Be sure to convey your goals to your breakout groups before they begin.

Keep the breakout on topic

With so much happening at conferences, it can be easy to wander off-topic! Appointing facilitators within each small group is a great way to make sure the session moves in the right direction. 

Give your facilitators a hand by providing an outline or other facilitation tips. Even a few sample segue phrases could help keep the group on task. 

Designate the right amount of time

How much time do you have available for a breakout session? Make sure that participants have enough time to warm up to their group, get into it, and figure out—if relevant—what they’ll share on the other side.

Too short, and the breakout sessions won’t be productive. Too long, and breakout session participants might complete the task and disengage.

Calculating the right amount of time may require some trial and error. “Three-minute thesis” events make it quite easy to estimate timelines, but a more collaborative and constructive event might need more flexibility.

Everybody deserves a chance to speak, so don’t forget to factor in the number of participants in each breakout group!

Use the right space or event tech

From the in person setting to the virtual space, your environment and tools set the tone for your breakouts.

For in person, is the room big enough, or too big? Does each breakout group have their own space? Does everyone have the tools they need (whiteboard, pens, paper, fidget toys, seating), and, if relevant, privacy?

For virtual, do you have event tech that lets you easily set up and run virtual breakout rooms? Do your facilitators know how to use it, and is there troubleshooting available for your participants?

Figuring out your needs before the event gives the session itself more time to flourish.

Mix introverts and extroverts

The trick to any well constructed group is balance. Group strong talkers with strong listeners for a dynamic conversation full of insights and different ways of processing information.

Create an inclusive event

An important question to consider when planning your breakout session is: how easy is it to alter or accommodate the setup depending on participants’ abilities and needs?

For example:

• If there’s a strong visual component to the session, is there an alternative way for people with low vision to participate?
• If there’s a strong physical component, how can mobility needs be accommodated?
• If there is a strong verbal component, is there a visual accommodation (like captions) for people with audio processing disorders?

After all, the last thing you want is for someone to be unable to enjoy the event you’ve so thoughtfully put together!

Create safety measures

Attendees come from a variety of backgrounds and each may have varying levels of comfort at events.

Safety measures help all participants feel empowered to participate in breakout sessions, where event staff might not be present to help moderate uncomfortable situations.

These can include:

• Providing facilitators with de-escalation or segue skills. If tensions rise in a breakout group or if someone says they aren’t comfortable, facilitators should feel empowered to quickly address the tension and/or move the conversation along.
• Code of Conduct. A comprehensive code of conduct that attendees are required to agree to beforehand holds everybody to the same standard and protects you from any attendee misbehavior.
• Security. Invest in hired security so that you can focus on running your event and supporting your facilitators. That way, any in person disruptions can be professionally addressed. 
• Moderation. In a virtual setting, it’s important to task one or more people with moderating the digital space and managing breakout room assignments. With EventMobi’s GoLive! Production Services Team, you can even find expert support for your breakout sessions. 
• Incorporating illness-prevention protocols. Recommending and providing masks or ensuring your venue implements air filtration helps you create an inclusive event. Disabled and immunocompromised people may feel more comfortable coming to your conference and breakout sessions! Plus: no one likes con crud.

What Are Some Good Conference Breakout Session Topics?

Hosting the best conference breakout session will depend on what kind of conference you’re hosting!

To start brainstorming ideas, focus on your goals for the session.

Not sure of your goals? Ask yourself:

• What are people learning? Are they building skills, or gaining knowledge? Another way of framing this is what conference-goers want from the breakout session—whether that be industry info or professional skills.
• What are people sharing? Again—will they share skills, or knowledge? Another way of framing this is what conference-goers have to offer the breakout session.
• How do you enrich the existing programming? Will you provide attendees with new skills, new knowledge, new connections? Will you build on or deviate from existing conference programming?
• What tools will facilitators use to drive discussion? This could include technology like slideshow presentations or facilitation tools like brainstorms and mediation skills.

With your goals clearly established, it’ll be easy to align your conference breakout session ideas with your attendees’ interests! 

Looking for breakout session examples? Attendees at a leadership conference might benefit from a breakout session that allows them to share leadership experiences and problem-solve. Or, at an academic conference, a three-minute thesis competition could encourage academic inspiration and learning.

How To Structure a Breakout Session

Breakout sessions are more than just the main event! Here’s one structure to help make your sessions feel social and natural—and to build connections between your participants.

• Provide a framework or outline. This helps you share your goals for the session with attendees. Make sure participants know what’s expected of them—and how to time the components of the session.
• Appoint breakout leaders/facilitators. Identify leaders before breaking into groups, or ask the groups to elect one amongst themselves. Ideally, your leaders will volunteer!
• Facilitate introductions. This is a great time for an icebreaker question, or even an activity if time permits! Have participants offer one fun fact about themselves, or ask what made them smile in the last week.
• Dive into the activity. The reason everyone’s here!
• Wind the session down. Provide some light guidance on how groups should wrap the session amongst themselves before returning to the main room.
• Reunite and share findings. Everyone will be eager to share what they learned! Have a plan for how best to discuss the conference breakout session once everyone’s come back together.
• Ask for feedback on structure. Find a way to collect feedback efficiently, such as through live polling, then implement those suggestions in the next session you host!

Now you know what should be included in a conference breakout! If you’ve set goals for your sessions and planned around them, odds are that your breakout session’s structure has already started taking shape. 

Now, let’s explore 37 interactive conference session ideas to help guide your next event.

5 Collaborative Discussion Conference Breakout Session Ideas

A conference breakout session that focuses on discussion can be a great way for attendees to connect, problem-solve, or brainstorm.

If you’re hoping for attendees to come away with some bright ideas, try one of these breakout session ideas:

Roundtable 

Roundtables are a classic breakout session. A roundtable discussion allocates time for small groups to discuss a specific topic or prompt. Generally non-hierarchical, these sessions can be a great chance to give quieter attendees dedicated space to share their thoughts. 

Case study discussions

Looking to solve a problem? Assigning a case study to your breakout sessions allows your attendees to put their heads together and focus on the solution. When you reunite as a room, you’ll have many new ideas to consider. Many hands make light work, after all!

Brainstorming and ideation

Big dreams need space to breathe! Your attendees have a lot to offer, but the conference setting doesn’t always enable collaborative ideation. Creating breakout sessions where participants can use their creativity will result in fresh suggestions and help everybody feel heard. 

Goal setting

First comes the brainstorm, then comes the plan! Whether it be to set individual, team, or organizational goals, your attendees can take a hands-on approach to the future of your event topic by participating in a breakout meeting centered on goal-setting.

Book discussion

Running an event where a key text or book is central to the attendees’ interests? It’s easy to skip over the individual reading experience when in a large group, so this is where the breakout session shines. Provide prompting questions so that each group has a place to start chatting. 

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5 Presentation Conference Breakout Session Examples

At a busy conference, not every attendee will get the chance to speak at length to a large audience. But that’s no reason to assume your attendees can’t share knowledge in other ways! 

Here are 5 ways to offer presentation opportunities through breakout session examples:

Three minute thesis

A staple of academic conferences, three minute thesis sessions allow presenters to share their thesis in a short, concise manner. Your participants can either register and prepare their pitch beforehand, or even sign up on the day-of and deliver a quick talk. 

Demo or showcase

Sometimes the best way to understand a product or new idea is to see it in action. If you’re looking to give attendees a closer look at a product, tech solution, or another tangible item, holding breakout sessions can give better access to individual attendees and a chance to ask and answer key questions. Ultimately, this can be the difference that makes a sale! 

Debate

Common conference session formats don’t allow for much back and forth between presenters. Through breakout sessions, your presenters can have more freedom to converse on their topic of choice. Or, you can create a team-building exercise and separate attendees into groups to strategize around preset topics. Return from the breakout sessions and let the debate begin!

Lightning talks

Even the most interesting conference presentations can feel monotonous after a long day. To break up the rhythm of lengthy conference sessions, use a series of lightning talks. Invite attendees to share their expertise for 5-10 minutes each and you’ll be surprised what you learn!

AMA

Engaged attendees will always have questions that don’t get answered in a main conference session. The solution? An AMA—or Ask Me Anything—where attendees get direct access to conference speakers or other experts in a field. Relatively unstructured, these Q&A sessions allow your presenters to speak in greater detail based on the interests of attendees in the room. 

7 Skill Development Conference Breakout Session Ideas

Many attendees hope to develop professional skills when they attend a conference.

Whether they’re looking to learn something new or to brush up on old skills, here are 7 breakout session ideas to give attendees a way to improve their skills at your conference:

Workshop

Most workshops consist of facilitator(s) and attendees focused on a specific topic. With one or several experts leading, workshops can include interactive as well as presentational components. The best workshops give attendees key takeaways to apply after the session!

Worksheets

For many, the best way to remember information is to write it down! Give participants worksheets to fill out in response to prompts during the conference breakout session, or have registrants fill them out beforehand to prepare for discussion. You can pair this idea with others on this list!

Training session

Training is crucial to the operations of any organization, no matter the size. And attendees from across different organizations can benefit from learning similar skills to bring back to their teams! A group setting can provide training where attendees have time to ask questions, while also efficiently working through material. 

Roleplay

Practice makes perfect, and what better setting to practice in than during a breakout session? Get creative by presenting attendees with a hypothetical scenario they might encounter professionally. Then, invite attendees to play out those conversations! Afterwards, your attendees will feel better equipped to tackle the real thing. 

Mentorship session

There are many ways to learn, but nothing is quite like having a mentor in the field take time to speak to your specific concerns. Keep the headcount in these breakout sessions low so attendees get individual attention. You could even consider using an event app that makes booking 1-on-1 meetings easy for attendees and mentors alike! 

Skill sharing

Every attendee of your conference brings something new to the table. Create a breakout session where each participant has a chance to share their skills, perhaps around a theme or organizational need, and your attendees will empower each other with knowledge. 

Peer learning

Similar to skill sharing, some attendees will have skills that other attendees are seeking! Rather than bringing in outside experts, tap into the knowledgeable people in the room and encourage them to lead a peer learning session. This can also enhance team cohesion and help peer leaders keep their skills sharp.  

3 Networking Breakout Session Ideas

Did you know 80% of professionals consider networking to be crucial to their career success? 

Conferences are a great place to form new and lasting career connections, so breakout meetings created for networking helps make that process even easier. 

Speed networking

A bit like speed dating, speed networking sets up participants in small groups of two or three to chat and connect. After about 3-5 minutes of conversation, participants will rotate to new groups. You can provide prompts to guide conversation, or leave things open for attendees. 

Drop-in networking café

A long conference day means hungry, thirsty attendees. Why not combine refreshments with networking? Set up a seating arrangement that encourages new connections, or take an extra step and include prompts at your café tables! 

Icebreaker games

Who says networking can’t be fun? Whether during a dedicated session or at the start of each breakout group, you can introduce games that facilitate connection between participants. From two truths and a lie, to a participant bingo, there are many games that encourage conversation.

6 Casual Breakout Conference Session Ideas

Sometimes what your attendees need after information-packed conference sessions is to unwind.

As a bonus, casual sessions passively tick a lot of boxes that other kinds of breakout sessions explicitly develop!

Help your attendees recharge with these 6 conference breakout session ideas: 

Meditation

Nowadays, employee wellness is more important than ever. In a quiet space, set up your attendees with a meditation instructor to take them through a 15-minute guided meditation between sessions. The peace and quiet will refresh your attendees and they’ll emerge ready to focus on the rest of the day!

Trivia

Always a hit with a crowd, hosting a trivia game is an easy way to lighten up your breakout sessions. If you want to make things fun and educational, you could break attendees into small breakout groups to answer trivia themed around a talk they just attended. 

Game room

Set up a leisure space at your conference venue with small areas for different games, and you’ll have an easy way for attendees to relax. You can include board games like Charades or Werewolf at different stations to encourage participants to collaborate on teams.  

Creative activity

Regardless of your field, creativity is a valuable skill to cultivate. Give your attendees a way to use their creative energy by providing arts and crafts materials or a canvas and paints. Participants will have a tangible reminder of their time at your conference and get to see the creative side of their fellow attendees! 

Scavenger hunt

Send teams on a scavenger hunt throughout your event venue to get attendees moving. You can even use event tech to help gamify your conference breakout session and encourage attendee engagement! Just make sure to think up a valuable prize for your winners. 

Independent work time 

Do your attendees have work to finish even as they attend your conference? Create a space and time for coworking so that they can focus on work, then let everyone check in or share for social accountability throughout the session. Working alongside others can be very motivating!

9 Virtual Breakout Session Ideas

At your next virtual or hybrid event, try using these 10 virtual breakout session ideas to keep your breakout session attendees engaged: 

Virtual lunch & learn

Give your attendees the option to break into small groups that learn as they snack on their lunch! Introverts might spend some time to themselves, but this is a great way to let your high-energy con attendees keep engagement up through rest time.

Virtual Ask Me Anything

Honestly, a lot of the breakout session ideas we listed above can be repurposed for virtual! But expert sessions like an Ask Me Anything can sometimes be MORE valuable online…because your experts aren’t limited by geographic location.

Show & tell

Screen sharing makes showing off projects, experiences, or past events way easier than in person. Make use of the fact that your attendees have all their work at their fingertips, and create show & tell breakout rooms where they can explore real experiences together.

Interactive brainstorming

One of the best ways to drive a new strategy home is letting people put it into practice. Give your breakout rooms some time to brainstorm how they’d put their new skills to work in a sample scenario, or work towards an actual project they have on hand. Then they can present their new findings using a virtual whiteboard or similar tech!

Virtual games

Heard of scribblr? Letting attendees have a moment to break out into smaller groups focused on ridiculousness and fun can help them bond and connect, when virtual events can feel less engaging on an attendee-to-attendee level.

Script-based roleplay

Want to challenge some new skills? Give your attendees a script to walk through a scenario, and put them in breakout rooms of 2-4 individuals. One person will be on-script, one person will respond, and the others can provide feedback. Then they can swap roles!

Questions & discussion

A tried and true standby, send breakout groups off with a list of questions for them to discuss. Want to keep things moving? Make sure you get the group to assign a group leader as soon as they start, to shorten those awkward silences.

Poll-based topics

Are some participants feeling quiet? Live polls are a wonderful way to democratize session decisions and collect attendee feedback in a virtual setting. Then, once you’ve let them choose their breakout session topics, send them off to discuss and return!

Speed networking

Put groups together and let them chat for 2-5 minutes, before swapping who they’re chatting with. This works best if attendees can also book time with one another on the event platform you’re using (psst: EventMobi does this!).

Conclusion

Whether your conference is academic or professional, in-person or virtual, your breakout sessions are sure to impress attendees when you plan around your goals and structure the sessions according to their needs. 

Running virtual breakout sessions? It’s so much easier with the right technology partner. With EventMobi, you can:

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