Working with Local Sponsors and Your Community

By Dean Shepherd

Finding local sponsorships and integrating into your community pays off: your presence will expand, customer retention will grow, and your partnerships will become more rewarding. Your events will attract a greater crowd from increased visibility and attendee trust. Increased revenue from attendance and sponsorship deals will improve your ability to create better experiences in the future. 

Moreover, working with local sponsors deepens your connection to the community by showcasing a shared commitment to supporting local businesses and initiatives. This collaboration fosters goodwill and mutual investment, as attendees recognize and appreciate the partnership between trusted local brands and your events. 

Local sponsorships also open doors to additional community resources, such as volunteer networks, promotional channels, and cross-marketing opportunities, all of which drive engagement and solidify your events as a cornerstone of the community.

Working with larger companies or franchises may be attractive because they have deeper pockets and wider reach, but those factors may not be as beneficial as they may seem. While larger companies and franchises can bring significant resources and brand recognition, they often lack the personal connection and community focus that local sponsors provide. National brands may not resonate as strongly with local attendees, who value businesses that directly impact their area.

1. Benefiting from Local Sponsorship

Trust

If your event is trying to reach a previously untapped area or market, gaining public trust is vital. Focus on searching for local businesses or well-known community players who are recognizable to community members. It is far more likely that individuals will attend an event when they see a familiar group helping host it. 

Returns

Having a bigger crowd will directly lead to bigger monetary returns on an event. Though working to gather such sponsorships will certainly take time and effort, the potential payoff is tremendous. Not only will sponsors bring in a greater audience, but they will also provide financial compensation for the increased exposure they will receive. A beautiful symbiotic relationship benefits both parties. Building those community connections also helps you to put on future events. If you put on a great event, your partners will want to work together again.

Local sponsors play a crucial role in delivering these benefits. By partnering with local businesses, you tap into their established networks and loyal customer bases, which significantly increases attendance at your event. Their financial support can help offset costs and provide the resources needed to create a memorable experience, from quality entertainment to enhanced amenities.

2. Developing Sales Strategies and Building Relationships

Focus on Company Values

As you search for sponsors, focus on your organization’s values. Smaller companies that pride themselves on providing personalized interactions may want to look for similar types of businesses in the community that share those values. Partnering with food, beverage, or travel companies is common and will offer event-goers products and services that will directly enhance their experience. 

Meanwhile, working with cities, local dentists, or other community-based brands will provide that unique, homegrown touch. Find companies that will help you to offer the best community experience by bringing in additional revenue. Offer the ability for vendors to set up booths, place posters, or spread their logo across the event to ensure that they benefit from the partnership as well. Trust and respect can be built from working in tandem with these businesses.

Finding partners may require you to get boots on the ground. Be willing to visit main street, or other popular spots in town, to get a feel for the people and their lifestyle. Most cities have Facebook pages full of information, advertisements, and other community events that will give you a synthesized version of what you might experience in person. Using these—and other—resources will highlight individuals and local businesses that are already highly visible and active in the community. 

Get out there and make connections! Send friend requests or personalized messages to prospects you want to partner with or who could offer insight or connections into the town. Expect to meet all kinds of people and keep a bright smile and inquisitive outlook while you build relationships.

Time for the big moment. If done correctly, all of your previous work will inform the pitch you’ll extend to potential sponsors. Explain how you got there. The values you share and the benefits to gain. Be personable and kind. Negotiate a relationship that will be based on honesty and benefits both businesses. It is essential that you believe in your own event and the experience it offers the community. If you are sold on yourself it will be much easier to sell to sponsors.

Coordinate with the Community

Now that you’re in with the locals, work with the community to create the best event. Local leaders can offer insight on regulations, and key locations or traditions to incorporate into your plan. Get a spot in the newspaper! Or if that’s a bit old fashioned, try to advertise on that city Facebook page you worked on. These will be your go to contacts in the future if you are ever wanting to return, so get well acquainted with (and save contact information for) those who play a key role in the community. That network will aid you when moving to towns close by too.

Relationship Building

Before, during, and after your event, help all involved to have an enriching experience. All of that groundwork you did to integrate with the community can springboard you right into the event itself. Mingle with participants, sponsors, and friends you’ve made. Look for what people are enjoying and ask questions about what might be done better next time. After your event is done, send thank you notes to those involved. Whether digitally or physically, reach out to sponsor, community volunteers, or other essential players who helped bring your event together.

3. Working with Sponsors

Finding and building strong relationships with sponsors is one of the most impactful ways to ensure your event’s success while fostering community engagement. By identifying and partnering with the right sponsors, you can create a mutually beneficial relationship that adds value to your event, the sponsors, and the attendees.

Cross Promotion

Sponsors, particularly local ones, thrive on visibility, and cross-promotion can provide them with the exposure they seek while boosting your event’s reach. Leverage your event’s marketing channels—social media, email campaigns, and websites—to showcase your sponsors. In return, encourage sponsors to promote the event to their own customers, followers, and networks. This collaborative effort broadens your audience, creating excitement and a sense of community involvement before the event even begins.

Participant Discounts and Offers

Sponsors can enhance the attendee experience through exclusive discounts or promotional offers tied to your event. For example, a local restaurant might offer discounted meals to participants, or a fitness center could provide free trial memberships. These perks not only incentivize attendance but also strengthen the relationship between your sponsors and the local community. By tying your event to tangible benefits, you make it more appealing to attendees while showcasing the sponsor’s offerings.

Highlighting Sponsor Contributions

During the event, ensure your sponsors’ contributions are acknowledged and visible. Provide booth space for them to engage directly with attendees, include their logos on event signage and materials, and offer shoutouts during speeches or announcements. Showcasing your sponsors’ involvement reinforces their value to the community and encourages them to continue partnerships in the future.

Long-Term Partnership Building

Think beyond the immediate event. After the event concludes, schedule follow-ups with sponsors to discuss how the partnership benefited them and explore ways to work together again. Provide detailed feedback on how their support helped the event succeed and offer data, such as attendance numbers or survey responses, that showcase their impact. By nurturing these relationships, you lay the foundation for long-term partnerships that can grow alongside your events.