Negotiating an Event Sponsorship

A guide to making the most of an event sponsorship

The key to negotiating an event, is to evaluate if the event concurs with the corporate image, the product market and the target audience, that will further promote your brand.

Once you decide to sponsor the event, you should receive convincing responses to the following questions!

1. Is the event organization credible – did I check past history and references?
2. Can I put my company in the spotlight – will I get noticed consistently through promotional channels in front of my target?
3. Will I interface with relevant contacts that can promote my brand, corporate image or product- by way of new business inquiries, potential customers, industry groups, analysts, potential employees, policy makers, influencers, to name a few?
4. Can I leverage stage presence as a speaker, panelist in order to position my company as a thought leader, an employer of choice and to promote my products?
5. Can I get press attention to use the event as a platform to interact with the media and communicate key messages?
6. Can I leverage the event manager and my company’s social media channels to promote and post promote the event?
7. Can I create/ leverage white papers and case studies that can be part of an award-winning strategy?
8. Last but not the least, have I exchanged business cards and LinkedIn contacts of relevant professionals that shared the stage or networked during the event?

Once you are convinced that the evaluated outcome is in line with your expectations, you should aim at increasing the engagement and value of the event to your audience and partners. Set a countdown period much before the start of the event and ensure that you get noticed, capture eyeballs and create call to action strategies that lead up to the event.

This could well prove to be an inexpensive way of marketing with unlimited Return on Investment (ROI).

Case Study:

Here’s how the Communications team at Societe Generale Global Solution Centre (SG GSC) created success out of the TNLS – 2018 (The Negotiation and Leadership Symposium )- the first C-level Negotiation summit in India, held between 7^th& 9^th June 2018 and organized by “Competitors Review”.

TNLS-2018, aimed at creating a new & unique “Negotiation and Procurement”, property in India after their astounding success in other countries. This event was evaluated and qualified by the Sourcing and Communication teams.

Based on the success factors and feedback from past editions, expectations were clearly drawn – questions answered, venue options weighed, monies aptly negotiated, agenda structured, expected participants scoped, benefits listed and additional leverages examined.

The Communication team negotiated for “Title Sponsorship”, that encompassed logo sharing and online pre-event and event promotions, agenda booklet sponsorship, Societe Generale delegate badges and lanyards for all participants, audio visual displays of our corporate messages, branded collaterals across the venues and break out promotional walls.

In addition, one panel and one speaker opportunity for over 60 minutes combined, followed by a CPSCM (Masterclass Certificate) for a deserving procurement team member.

Convinced that Societe Generale’ brand leverage from the event will prove satisfactory, the event visualization kicked in, creative team and content team got their heads scratching.  The event took off at The Leela  in Mumbai.

The Result:  

1. Societe Generale – Title Sponsor and Thought Leader
2. The Sourcing Head of SG GSC on stage representing the organizations thought leadership
3. Over 200 unique attendees that included 70 CXO and 50 speakers and panelists exchanging thoughts, carrying on them Societe Generale lanyard identifications and agenda booklets, surrounded by Societe Generale collaterals
4. Sharing of rich insights with progressive takeaways from various sessions by speakers and panelists spanning KPMG, ProTaigo, Mastercard, SwissRe, Deloitte, PwC, Reliance Retail, Godrej Properties, Accenture, Philips Healthcare, Consultants, Life Coaches, CPSCM Certified trainer, Quikr realty, Hinduja hospital, Cummins, Aditya Birla Insurance, GMR Airports, Future Group, Jindal Steel and power, HCL, Capgemini.

5. Killer topics including Negotiation and Competitive Advantage, Dealing with Difficult People, Building Talent in Corporates, Women in Sourcing, Innovation and Digital Transformation, Critical Strategies for a successful Purchasing Negotiation, Building Talent in Corporates, Essential Tactics of Negotiation, Emotional Connectivity, Essential Tactics for M&A Negotiation, VUCA.

This could well prove to be an inexpensive way of marketing the brand with unlimited ROI. The event raised brand awareness, created emotional commitment to the brand via topics related to women and shared what Societe Generale stands for, to a wider audience. This platform brought together the best of minds from across industries and Societe Generale facilitated the outcome.

Additionally, the Sourcing team won the Best Negotiator award for SG GSC , based on a case study presented and qualified by a jury panel. The case stood qualified amongst the 12 companies and 70 entries (that included IBM, Schneider, Infor to name a few).

By Renuka B L,
Head-External Communication,
Societe Generale Global Solutions Center