5 Unique Things for Sponsors to Do Before a Networking Event

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As the sponsor of an event you want to brand yourself and your company in a way that will leave guests thinking about you. You want to make a good first impression and transform the guests into long lasting customers.

So to help you with your personal branding, this post will show you five unique things that can make you and your company more memorable before any networking event.

#1 BUSINESS CARDS

Create unique business cards prior to the event to pass out during the event. To make your cards unique give your them a different shape, a different size. Make sure to include your company name and logo, and include unique things like your contact/social media handles. This will allow other event organizers or event attendees to know where the event products/services are coming from in case they are looking to have you sponsor their next event.

#2 CONNECT WITH THE GUESTS

Before the event starts connect with the guests. It’s important to connect with the guests so that they will know to expect you during the event. So a fun way to connect with them is by tweeting about the event (using the event hashtag) and asking all event attendees what they would like for you to bring or do. Interact and involve them in the experience. They will be more than likely look forward to seeing you during the event if you ask them for their input or let them know about the awesome products/services you will be giving away.

#3 CREATE REWARDS

The All New 2013 XV Crosstrek Tweetup
Photo credit: BostonTweetUp. Taken at: The All New 2013 XV Crosstrek Tweetup! Presented by Subaru of New England

Creating rewards for the guests to partake in will give everyone an incentive for guest to visit your station during the event, and it’s a fun and interactive way to get guests excited and boasting about your company and merchandise. Set these rewards up before the event so that during the event, all the guests has to do is follow the rules in order for them to receive their free product/service. This is a fun way to get guests engaging and interacting with you. You can do things like creating rewards for checkins on Foursquare or on Twitter (as seen in the photo above).

#4 CREATE TAILORED PRODUCTS/SERVICES

Kick*ss Cupcakes Happy Hour: Special Holiday Edition w/ Google Places!
Photo credit: BostonTweetUp. Taken at: Kick*ss Cupcakes Happy Hour: Special Holiday Edition w/ Google Places!

A unique thing to do is to tailor your products/services to fit the event. So if it’s a fashion event then make fashion decorated food, if it’s an art event then give away art supplies, if it’s a marathon then give away hydrating products, or if it’s a happy hour event then create suitable happy hour treats (like in the photo above). Do things that will different things that will tie in with the event theme. This will make the event that much more fun and memorable.

#5 USE HASHTAGS

Go on twitter and tweet about the event which you will be sponsoring. You want to make sure you use the event hashtag to centralize your tweets with other event guests tweets, but you also want to make sure you create a hashtag for your product/service. This wil allow guests to tweet and share about you during the event. This also lets you easily search for photos, videos, tweets, etc that you can leverage to connect with your customers, fans, ambassadors, etc.

BONUS

Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl
Photo credit: BostonTweetUp. Taken at:Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl

If you plan on distributing any custom merchandise like shirts, mugs, or stickers, make sure you have all the necessary tools and equipment to do so. Or if you have any food, divy it up, label it, and have it ready for distribution. This will make it easier for you to distribute the merchandise during the event. It’s better to be prepared and organized than to be flustered and a mess, so bring all of your tools ready!

Think about these tips next time you are asked to sponsor an event. And leave us a comment below. Let us know which tip(s) worked for you. Or which tips have worked for you in the past that were not mentioned.

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