Do you remember the last time you attended a conference or a convention? The pandemic situation has made our entire world virtual, from our daily meetings and office interactions to video calls with extended family members or friends, it is all online.

With travel and living expenses slashed, virtual events offer the same experience as a physical event at a fraction of the cost. This opportunity is being used by people worldwide to learn via webinars and virtual events they could never have otherwise had the opportunity to attend.

The increasing popularity of virtual events has created a huge opportunity for organizations to capitalize on. Companies are looking to partner with the right set of event organizers to reach a wider audience. Even in the virtual environment, your event sponsors don’t need to feel left out, and there are many creative ways to make sure they get noticed. Keep reading to find out how your virtual events can adopt modern marketing approaches to feature your sponsors creatively and effectively.

Leverage The Power Of Digital Marketing

Will you be using digital marketing to market your event? If yes, the digital ad space is one of the best opportunities to showcase your sponsors and add value to the event. Use this to your advantage by including your sponsors in pop-up ads, banners, social media campaigns, or video ads to popularize the virtual event.

While you promote the event, you can use the ads and digital posts to redirect attendees to the sponsor’s website or social page, depending on what they prefer. And this joint marketing is sure to benefit both parties, as the branding and overall reach expand to a diverse range of followers.

Add Your Sponsor Names In The Event App

An event app is a must-have as it helps attendees and speakers to understand exactly the kind of audience and sponsors who will be there. Make sure to harness your event app for your sponsors as well.

You can have a separate section to provide more details on the sponsors or consider using a banner or in-app ad that promotes the sponsors. This will help your sponsor reach a particular target audience and will be greatly appreciated.

Create Branded Breakout Sessions

A subtle way to promote your sponsors is by using branded breakout sessions. Breakout rooms offer your audience and speakers a chance to connect for informal chat or conversations, and sponsored breakout rooms will make sure your sponsor gets featured where the action is.

You can offer VIP branded breakout rooms for special speakers or one-on-one opportunities to get sponsors directly connected with the leads.

Branded Giveaways & Awards

Will your event have any giveaways or awards that will be handed to particular attendees? Providing digital goodies or awards is a great way to increase audience interaction. Provide a special gift or a voucher to attendees who ask thought-provoking questions or participate in various sub-events.

And if you are doing a giveaway, speak with the sponsors if they’d like to provide a special goodie bag, coupons for particular services, or a special discount to the attendees. Sponsors can use this opportunity to promote their services or offerings while providing branded goodies too!

Branded Speaking Opportunities

If you ask the sponsor the #1 thing they expect from the event, a speaking opportunity would probably top the chart. For sponsors, speaking opportunities are vital, as they offer a direct opportunity for the sponsor to interact with the audience.

For virtual events, offer sponsors special offerings like a speaking slot, opportunity to be a panelist, and more. The sponsor speaker can add value to your event by bringing industry experience. Meanwhile, you can now promote them on your ads, banners, or videos, showcasing what attendees can expect from the event.

On-Screen Sponsor Placement

Finally, your virtual event will have speakers and panelists with their videos on, and instead of a plain background, add some sponsor placement there. You can share the background with the speakers and moderators before the event, so they have the setting in place for the main event.

Sponsored backgrounds will not just feature the sponsor logos throughout the virtual event; they also give it a powerful branding that add value.

In Conclusion

Mentioned above were just some of the ways you can generate sponsorship opportunities from your event. As in a physical event, successful branding is all about ensuring that the sponsors are showcased to the audience in an organic and cohesive way. There are many more ways to promote your sponsors and increase their participation at the event, but make sure you do it with the right approach, keeping the audience perspective in mind.

Ready to host a virtual event of your own? With enough effort and expertise your virtual event will shine. If you are looking to do more or need help hosting a virtual event of your own, check out the​ key roles you need to assign within your team to ensure your event is smooth and efficient.