The PCO Q3 2020 - News from the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO

VIRTUAL – SPONSORSHIP

HOW VIRTUAL CAN MULTIPLY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

IAPCO Member: AIM Group International Author: Gaia Santoro, Head of the Sponsorship Unit

The transition to digital and hybrid events has been caused and accelerated by the recent social distancing recommendations and travel restrictions.

Most stakeholders have decided to embrace new experiences and have embarked on the path to virtual e-meetings. The positive feedback from all those involved in these first virtual projects has been able to win over even the most ardent sceptics.

Online platforms are today amongst the most popular meeting venues. Companies feel they must be there to be close to their community, their team and their market. Even now, the virtual and hybrid approach is becoming part of the industry’s strategic planning process both in terms of resource allocation and communication considerations.

Virtual meetings add a new string to the bow of the events industry, as a sustainable, efficient and measurable tool that can meet event goals.

Admittedly, the context and the channels have changed and it is therefore necessary to adopt a new approach. Sponsorship professionals are encountering challenges in securing the same investment levels to which they were accustomed. Traditionally, a logo or banner placement on the event programme and other communication materials, sponsorship packages, and a corporate booth in the exhibition area usually satisfied a sponsor’s needs.

Today we must think outside the box and design new opportunities to engage with decision-makers and delegates in a virtual environment. It is important to offer a customised proposal based on the needs of each sponsor, and to provide opportunities to communicate with a large audience that last beyond the period of the conference.

Digital technologies present a wider range of channels and tools for consideration. However, it is human interaction that remains the essential driver of the sponsor. We need to develop new ways to maximise the sponsor-delegate relationship even in a virtual event and to ensure sponsor benefits and lead generation.

VIRTUAL – SPONSORSHIP

Here are the six immediate benefits of being a virtual sponsor:

1. Cost-saving and budget control: Virtual meetings allow accurate budget control, with minimum risk of last-minute contingencies. Booth setup, staff accommodation and travel expenses are no longer an issue.

2. Flexibility and customisation: The online event will elevate your brand visibility and engage your audience through professionally designed templates or a 100% configurable virtual experience that reflects your brand and image.

3. Focus and clarity: A consistent agenda, clearly presenting content and deliverables is a must, whilst visual elements – slide animations, images, font and vector patterns – can reinforce the content of each speaker’s presentation.

4. Huge opportunity to expand reach and lifespan: The event becomes accessible from any screen across the world and can be accessible on-demand with no time limits. There is massive scope to reach new audiences, from senior executives (normally time-sensitive and unable to attend multiple-day events), to junior and early- career professionals (cost-sensitive and less keen to travel).

5. Emotions and creativity: The digital strategy can be enriched by including on-demand content, gamification, polls, digital campaigns and emotional videos.

6. Feedback and results measurement: Interaction and real-time feedback are easy for virtual events and represent an immediate key to measuring the overall success of your meeting, along with the automatic tracking of participants’ journeys that tell you how many attendees followed your symposium, for how long, which content they consulted the most, and which document they downloaded, etc.

A question to ponder: Is it all about sponsorship strategicplanning or is it not? Once again, the new frontier ofsponsorship requires skill, expertise and market intelligence.

| Sept 202043