Event Experiences Leverage Value for Sports Sponsors
In a recent survey by The Event Marketing Institute, 8 of 10 people who participated in an experiential marketing event said they told others about it. To Jeff Boedges of SoHo Experiential, this simply validated what he’s been saying for years: What people want to share most is experience. As he puts it, “We are no longer as concerned with sharing what we’ve bought, what we have, or what we can afford.” But we are interested in enjoying experiences that are unique, special and personal. Perhaps even more important in terms of leveraging corporate sponsorship investments, we are excited about sharing those experiences with others, with social media being by far the most popular vehicle for sharing.
At Playoff Technologies, we believe that the power and ROI of these truly special sponsorship events will continue to increase, fueled by the social trends Boedges cites and by technology trends that are changing what we elect to view and attend and how we balance the growing content and delivery choices we have, both on-screen and off.
For sponsors looking to maximize the ROI from their sports sponsorship investments, this means four things:
In a world of declining viewership, attendance at sponsored events can be more important than ever. But to maximize ROI, the event and the event experiences must be special and personal for every guest.
When guests feel special and have a great time, they will remember it and tell about it. But the corollary is also true: When they have a bad experience, they will also remember it and tell about it. This has always been true, but the power of social media today makes the impact of this sharing far more visible and immediate--whether positive or negative.
In this environment, event planning and guest management are more and more essential to success. The incremental costs of making an event special and personal are insignificant compared to the returns achieved. Whether viewed as an investment in leveraging the immediate and longer term ROI of the event or as protection against failed execution, the cost of the staff time and management tools necessary to do the job well can easily be the most important and effective expenditures in the overall cost of the event.
While there are a variety of individual apps that can help manage the guest experience, it takes an integrated cloud-based system to manage the event, the activities and the guests at the level required to assure a world-class experience and maximize ROI.
Recognizing these industry trends, leading sponsors and agencies are increasingly using our Sponsor Locker event management tools to help them plan and deliver exceptional event experiences for their guests. From integrated ticket request and management tools to custom itineraries and notifications for every guest to follow up surveys and analysis, Sponsor Locker is helping sponsors and agencies make events special and personal for their guests. Learn more here.
