Incorporating Sponsorships in Online Events

As we prepare for the long-term effects of the coronavirus pandemic, we are going to see a true transformation of fund-raising and sponsorships in the events space. Virtual Events open up a lot of additional revenue streams and sponsorship opportunities that give even greater exposure and impact. There are a lot of ways within a virtual format to showcase sponsors that increases sponsor benefits and their reach to new audiences, including:

Title sponsor opportunities

Just as it would with an in-person event, the naming rights of a Virtual Event will give sponsors significant exposure throughout and leading up to an event. The advantage of virtual events is that they have the potential to give brands much larger audiences—much larger than what can fit in a ballroom or convention center. That in itself is going to increase a brand’s reach and ability to grow brand awareness not to mention increased visibility for sponsors.

Virtual Waiting Rooms

The 15-30 minute experience before the show starts is ideal for sponsor recognition because it gives an opportunity for a sponsor to be the first thing the audience sees of the virtual production, whether it is logos or actual video content. Similarly, the real estate around the landing page can also be shaped for sponsor recognition because you know that everyone attending will be visiting prior to logging on to your event.

Forced Focus moments

Another advantage of virtual is that your captive audience is focused on the screen alone- unlike in a live event where there may be discussion, networking, keynotes all going on when a sponsor is being recognized. This creates the opportunity to showcase your donors and sponsors through videos or supplied sponsor content as part of the experience itself.

Closing credits recognition

Not unlike watching a televised event or a movie, virtual events give you a chance to show rolling credits that thank a large number of sponsors and donors in a more impactful way than an in-person event could because sponsor names and/or logos can be fundamentally weaved into part of the production.

We very much predict Virtual Events will continue long past the need for social distancing. With that comes the need for new and innovative ways to incorporate various event elements, like sponsorship promotions. When you take the time to think creatively and check all the boxes, your new Virtual Event will be just as, if not better, if it were live.