Sponsorship. It’s a powerful marketing tool and when done right can open a company up to a whole host of benefits. Whether you are an SME or a large enterprise, sponsorship should be part of your marketing strategy.

We here at Grapevine recently sponsored The Fastest Growing Firm in Tourism and Leisure Award at The Fast Growth 50 Awards last month as well as being the Event Managers for the event. The Fast Growth 50 Awards celebrate the 50 fastest growing firms in sectors ranging from construction and building services to recruitment services around Wales.

*Grapevine presents the Tourism and Leisure Award to ZipWorld UK at The Fast Growth 50 Awards*

This is such a great event to be a sponsor at because these are companies that in 2015, collectively turned over nearly £700m and employed more than 3,000 people right here in Wales. As an events company we feel it is not only important to have our name on the events we have worked on, but for the Grapevine’s name to be associated with events exactly like The Fast Growth 50 Awards which are benefiting the Welsh economy.

With so many kinds of events on the market there are many ways you can become a sponsor. From sponsoring an entire event or just offering a product or service in kind. These are just a few ways a company can become a sponsor, but there are many more.

Here are five reasons why your company should become a sponsor:

*NatWest sponsor The Services Start-Up of the Year at The Wales Start-Up Awards*

Your company gets put into the spotlight

Sponsoring at an event positions both you and your business as a leader in your industry. This can gain you respect and credibility with attendees and it puts you ahead of the pack. Instead of just being another company handing out business cards at an event, you will be the company other companies give their business cards to!

Advertising to your target market

Whether you’re sponsoring a technology conference or a pet competition, event sponsorship gives you access to an invested, enthusiastic audience. You’re going to be sponsoring an event because it has some relation to your company which means you’re advertising in a pool of potential customers. You get to expand your brand awareness and expose your brand to a group of people that has the most interest in what you do.

Good PR

They say that there’s no such thing as bad publicity… but good publicity is better! So, when you sponsor an event you’ll be showing all your stakeholders not only what type of business you are but that your invested in your industry. Also, you’re bound to get extra brownie points from your PR team too.

New contacts, new clients, new business

By sponsoring an event you can not only gain new clients and business you can gain new contacts with businesses that can help you too! If businesses see you as an industry leader they will want to be associated with you, so could potentially offer you products and services of theirs in return to be associated with you.

It’s affordable

Running advert campaigns can be expensive. TV adverts can cost millions and as a traditional marketing channel they have a short shelf life too. Most events have lots of different sponsorship options for companies so you’ll be able to find one that gives you the best exposure for the best price. So, unless you want to sponsor an event like the Six Nations where you’ll be needing to break quite a few piggy banks, sponsorship can be very beneficial as your target market is right there at the event with you.

We hope this has given you an insight into the world of event sponsorship. If you feel that sponsorship is something that you or your company would be interested in doing but don’t have a clue where to start don’t hesitate in getting in contact with us and we can help you with any queries you may have.

Email: liz@grapevineeventmanagement.co.uk

Twitter: @GrapevineEvents

For more information on the Fast Growth 50 Awards visit: www.fastgrowth50.com