Following the tips in our guide on getting sponsorship, you recently landed a sponsor for your upcoming event by writing a sponsorship letter, customizing a sponsorship pitch deck, conducting a valuation and you drew up a sponsorship contract. In fact, you may have several sponsors. Not only are you excited for what this can do for your event from a funding perspective, but you’re also thrilled at the opportunity for greater brand recognition through the sponsorship. You want every attendee to know about your sponsors, but the question becomes, how?
Don’t just put up another boring sign! To display sponsors at an event and get people to see it, consider the following options:
- Floral wall
- Floating signs
- Neon signs
- Projections
- Photo backdrop
- Event badges
- Printed furniture
- Charging station
In this article, we’ll explain more about each of these great attention grabbers sure to get all eyes on your sponsors! Keep reading, as you won’t want to miss it.
Before you dive in, if you are interested in event sponsorship, check out these titles in our “sponsorship for events” series:
How to Find Corporate Sponsorship for an Event
How to Ask for Sponsorship for an Event
The Six Step Event Sponsorship Checklist
5 Things to Include in Your Event Sponsorship Proposal
How to Measure Event Sponsorship ROI
Why Sponsorship is Important for Events: Using Sponsorship to Make Events Awesome
How to Get Event Sponsorship: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
Sponsorship During Times of Crisis: Cancelled Events, Postponing and Refunds
Why Sponsorship Is Important for Events: Using Sponsorship to Make Events Awesome!
How to get Media Sponsorship for an Event: A Practical Guide
8 Eye-Catching Ways to Display Sponsors at an Event
Floral Wall
Few images are more iconic and Instagram-worthy than a floral wall. These walls have begun showing up at more and more events since they tend to go viral. They may attract even more attention than a photo wall. These walls are often outside, but not exclusively. For the best results, the walls should be made of real flowers and greenery, but you could use an artificial version depending on seasonality and budget.
While floral walls will send event attendees running in that direction, there should be a match between your décor choices and the sponsor. The most popular floral walls have been those by jewelry brand Pandora (the one in the image above), fashion houses like Jimmy Choo or Vera Wang, and upscale kitchen item retailer Russell Hobbs.
If your sponsor deals in luxury goods, fashion, or beauty, then a floral wall is a natural extension of their brand. For other companies, all the flowers might seem a bit off-kilter.
Floating Signs
Did you plan a big beach bash or a summertime soiree? If so, then your décor options are a lot more fun and open-ended than typical indoor conventions. For instance, if you have a swimming pool on the grounds of your event, then a whole new décor option just opened up.
What some corporate events have done is brand the pool with customized floats. Here’s an example of a pool emblazoned with the PopSugar name. You could even advertise a hashtag by putting the # symbol in front of your floats.
It is a little more expensive to acquire floating signs that spells out the name of your sponsor. That said, if you’re having an outdoor, poolside event, this signage is certainly worth considering. It will make a big splash!
Neon Signs
Even if you’re stuck indoors for your event, don’t fret. There’s still a way to create some signage that will make your guests stop and look for a moment, maybe longer. Put up your sponsor’s name in lights, quite literally!
A large neon sign in an electrifying color is sure to get event attendees pulling out their phones, snapping photos, and posting on social media. You can limit your signs to the entrance or exit of the event, or you could spread them across the entire expo if your budget allows.
Don’t just stop at the name of your sponsor or a related hashtag. The glass in neon signs can be bent and contorted many ways, including into a company logo.
While size matters with neon signs, if you have smaller signs, then make sure where you put them is clear of other distractions. This way, you can maximize the amount of people who check out the neon displays.
Projections
When we say the word “projections,” the first mental image that’s probably conjured to mind is of a dusty, antiquated machine from the school classroom, right? You know, the one accompanied by a projector screen with cloudy images that could give you headaches if you looked at them too long?
Luckily, projections have come a long way. Projected lights on a black backdrop can be done up any which way you want in all the colors of the rainbow and then some. You could spell out your sponsor’s logo, replicate their logo, or opt for another way to display their branding.
Whichever option you select, you can be sure you’re showing off your sponsors in a far more interesting way than a bland sign. Projections are hard to miss, and yours will certainly grab and maintain attention.
Photo Backdrops
Corporate events aren’t always stuffy, buttoned-up affairs. The most successful expos, conventions, and fundraisers combine elements of work and play. That often means including the perfect spot for a photo op, such as a backdrop.
If you can get your sponsor’s name somewhere on the backdrop, then for each photo the event attendees take, that brand recognition will spread. When these photos inevitably end up posted on social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, that brand recognition has an even farther reach.
Event Badges
The event badge is not only your exclusive entry pass into all the festivities, but it’s a great branding opportunity as well. Since your sponsor had such a big role in getting this event off the ground, their name should be somewhere prominent. It doesn’t get much bigger or better than being front and center on an event badge.
All attendees must have their badges in clear view, whether pinned to their shirts or worn around their necks on a lanyard. Sure, you won’t see your own badge much as you wear it, but you will look at everyone else’s all day. It’s hard to forget the name of a company that’s seen countless times throughout the day, especially if your event is a multi-day one.
Printed Furniture
At a convention or expo, having a place to sit and take a break is always much appreciated. What if, instead of plain chairs and tables, the furniture at your event came emblazoned with the name of your sponsor? You can likely fit a logo as well.
For the above reason, people will flock to the furniture at your event. It’s also a nice place to sit and grab a bite to eat, so event attendees will linger a bit. Who knows? The printed furniture with the sponsor’s name could even be used as a conversation piece.
Charging Station
Like a place to sit is a godsend during an expo, the same is true of a charging station. Attendees may start with a fully charged phone in the morning, but between using apps, taking photos, and networking, they begin draining their battery.
Any charging station will be a populated place. While guests are waiting for their phones to fully charge, you might as well give them something to look at with some sponsored branding. You could cover the wall with the name and logo of your sponsor, as this is very difficult to miss. You might even go understated with a sign saying something like, “this charging station is brought to you by [name of your sponsor].”
Regardless of which you choose, the event attendees will be extra grateful towards the sponsor since they now have a place to recharge their phones.
Conclusion
When it comes to advertising your sponsors at an event, you have nearly countless options. Pens and printed wall signage have been done to death, so it’s time to get a little creative. Whether you like the idea of projections, customized pool floats, or even a floral wall, you now have the perfect way to get your sponsor’s name seen at your next event. Best of luck!
- About the Author
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Chris Baylis is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Sponsorship Collective.
After spending several years in the field as a sponsorship professional and consultant, Chris now spends his time working with clients to help them understand their audiences, build activations that sponsors want, apply market values to their assets and build strategies that drive sales.
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