Be the Expert on Your Audience

Sponsors love data. More than anything else, sponsors use data to evaluate, select, and justify their investment. You need to GO DEEP. Dig into your audience and really understand who they are, what they want, and everything that makes them tick – professionally and personally.

Utilizing a third-party company to conduct attendee surveys is essential to proving your attendees are who you say they are. The key questions your prospects will ask about your attendees (and need the answers to) include:

1. What’s their buying power? Are they decision makers, specifiers or recommenders?

2. What size companies do they come from? What are their titles?

3. What products and services are they interested in?

4. What is their purchasing budget?

5. When are they looking to buy?

All of this information allows you to inform your prospective sponsors and exhibitors as to why they should participate within your event.

In addition, gaining psychographic and behavioral data provides additional insights into your audience which you can share with your sponsors. Again, the more information and knowledge you have about your attendees, the more your event can deliver to your sponsors and exhibitors ultimately helping them to customize their event participation to meet the attendees’ wants and desires.

Always be sure to include your positive survey data into your Sales Prospectus, prospect emails and conversations obviously promoting the best results and downplaying those not as impressive. Speaking of the sales prospectus, I do want to point out that this tool is used by many of your prospects as their key means of initially determining their interest and then their level of participation. Make sure your prospectus is persuasive, informative and easy to read.

A good prospectus includes the following essential elements:

1. The event overview – what is your event about and what is the value proposition?

2. Attendee demographics – who is your audience? Provide 2-3 key specifics about your attendees aligned with the questions above.

3. Pricing and the benefits or the gives and gets…what is the cost and what do I receive for my participation?

4. MPOs or Marketing Promotional Opportunities. These are the items we sell over and above the booth space sometimes called sponsorships or add-ons. They are generally banners, kiosks, lanyards, lunch sponsorships, paid speaking opportunities, etc.

5. Include sales contact information either on every page in the footer or at least on the last page. 

If you are the expert on your audience, can back it up with data and facts, then your potential sponsor will have more confidence in your potential partnership. Show them that you are the perfect complement to their business and brand.