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Unit 4: Marketing and Promotion of the Event

Also, list those concessions that you cannot make. Finally, list these items that may require Notes
further approval from your board or others before you agree to them. Begin the negotiation by
asking the prospective sponsor to list all items that are acceptable, bundle them, and have the
sponsor approve them. Now you are prepared to focus on those items that require further
resolution. Ask the sponsor to describe his or her concerns about each negotiation point and
take careful notes. Look at your list of concessions and decide if any item you have listed will
help resolve these concerns. If it is appropriate to offer a concession, do so and ask the sponsor
for his or her approval. Once the sponsor has approved, ask him or her to provide you with an
additional service, usually at modest additional cost to the sponsor, to balance his or her end of
the negotiation. If the sponsor is unable to provide you with an additional service or product,
determine if you are able to proceed to the next point.
Do not be afraid to walk away. In some cases the concession that the sponsor will ask for may
sacrifice the credibility or reputation of an event. In other cases, the sponsor will want a concession
that may undermine the financial wealth of your event. Do not concede your reputation or the
financial success of the event. Instead, thank the sponsor for his or her time, offer to work with
him or her in the future under different circumstances, and leave the room as quickly as possible.
In some instances, event organizers have reported that this approach has forced the prospective
sponsor to reexamine his or her position. It is not unusual to have the sponsor call the event
organizer the next day and offer a greater concession to save the sponsorship.

4.6.5 Closing the Sponsorship Sale

You must always ask for the order when presenting your sponsorship proposal. State at least
three times that you want to develop a positive relationship with the sponsor. Start your
discussions by stating that your desired outcome is to ensure that the sponsor understands all
the benefits and features of your event and will desire to become a sponsor.
Throughout your presentation ask for feedback from the sponsor and build on the sponsor’s
positive reactions by telling him or her that you are pleased that he or she recognizes the value
of your event product. Finally, at the conclusion of your presentation, ask the sponsor for his or
her overall impression and state once again that you would like his or her business. Unfortunately,
these techniques may not be enough to get a clear answer. In some cases you may have to say
something like, “So, can we count on you to sponsor our event?” Sometimes you need to secure
the answer to this question in order to plan your next step in sponsorship negotiations or to
decide to move forward with the next sponsor. The word ‘ask’ is the most powerful three-letter
word in sponsorship sales. Unless you ask, you will never know. Remember to ask early, often,
and before leaving to confirm the sponsorship sale.

4.6.6 Servicing Sponsorship Sales

Once the sponsor has accepted your offer, the next task is to service the sale in order to retain his
or her support in the future. One of the most common reasons that sponsors fail to renew their
sponsorship is due to poor communications. Make certain that you develop methods for
implementing positive communications with your sponsors. Some event organizers use
newsletters to update their sponsors, others provide regular briefings, and still others offer
their sponsors marketing seminars to help them design a booth or target their product or
service to event guests. It is wise to assign one or more persons on your staff to service all
sponsorships and communicate regularly with sponsors to make certain they remain informed,
excited, and committed to the event activities.
Another reason that some sponsorships go sour is due to the inability of the event organizers to
deliver what they promise. If you promise that the sponsor’s banner will be suspended on the

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