2. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
The Sponsorship Proposal
Must answer three basic questions:
– What is the organisation being asked to sponsor?
– What will the organisation receive for its sponsorship?
– What will it cost?
3. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
Attributes of a Successful Proposal
1. Sell benefits, not features - not the artistic merit of the festival -
rather benefits to sponsor
2. Address the sponsors needs not the festivals: many proposals
emphasise the festival needs for money, rather than the sponsors needs -
such as market access
3. Tailor proposal to the business – Benefits will not have equal
meaning to each potential sponsor
4. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
Attributes of a Successful Proposal
5. Include promotional extensions
a) identification in collateral materials
b) sponsor leverage of event: provide ‘exploitation menu’
6. Minimise Risk - e.g. guaranteed media coverage or listing reputable
co-sponsors
7. Include added value – present in terms of its total impact on
achieving greater sales
5. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
Sponsorship Criteria
Mandatory Requirements
The following information is designed to help potential partners understand and tailor
their proposal to Yorkshire Bank's requirements.
In order to be considered, sponsorship applicants must include the following details:
• A list of the key values of your organisation
• How you plan to advertise and promote your event/programme
• Your target market/audience
• Confirmation that we will be the only financial services company associated
with your organisation/event/programme
• A full list of your current or previous supporters (if any)
• Your contact details.
6. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
Sponsorship Criteria
• Is there a full list of sponsorship benefits?
• What are the dates and location of the sponsorship?
• Can our employees be involved, and if so how?
• Is the activity one-off or annual?
• Is there any hospitality, entertainment or general involvement for our
customers?
• Which media partners have been confirmed and what will be the media
exposure?
• Does the organisation/event complement our existing sponsor
partnerships?
• Will there be national exposure for the activity?
• What is the reach of the sponsorship - how many people see, attend or
are involved?
7. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
Sponsorship Criteria
• What is the maximum number of sponsors who could be involved and
what are the levels/hierarchy?
• Has research been undertaken to help define the target market and
acceptance of sponsors?
• Can we leverage the partnership across other companies within the
National Group?
• What is the proposed cost of the proposal and any payment schedule?
• What will the funds provided by Yorkshire Bank predominantly be used
for?
• How will the sponsorship be measured and reported to us?
• How long has the organisation been in operation, what is its history and
long-term goals?
• How will the organisation manage the partnership? Will there be an
account manager?
8. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
Sponsorship Criteria
We expect a return on our investment and have therefore the following criteria must be adhered to:
Awareness
• Will the event be featured in the National Press or on TV?
• Can Saga be featured as part of this coverage? Saga has a preference for events with wide audience reach.
Appeal and brand fit
• Does the event appeal to today’s over 50s market?
• Will people over 50 play an integral role in the sponsored activity?
• Is the theme of the activity of genuine interest to the over 50s audience?
• Does it fit with our brand values of genuine and authentic, reliable and honest, supportive and dedicated?
Geographic reach
• How many people will be aware of the event? In which parts of the UK will it have a presence?
• How widespread is its media coverage likely to be? The wider the audience, the greater the opportunity.
Data capture
• At our events, we often like to run competitions to increase our customer base. Would this be possible?
The more new customers the activity introduces us to the better.
Product showcase
• Will there be an opportunity at the event for us to promote our insurances, magazine, cruise and holiday
products?
9. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
Sponsorship Criteria
Our criteria
• When we review a sponsorship opportunity we use the following criteria to guide each application
through the assessment process:
Product exclusivity
• We prefer sponsorship and sales exclusivity in the airline and travel package category.
Creation of long term value
• The opportunity should deliver long term value to the airline.
• The potential to leverage the sponsorship with additional investment.
• The potential for long term, sustainable partnership or relationship.
Brand fit and exposure
• Our goal is to partner with organisations and events that are a strong, natural match to our brand values
and positioning.
Reach
• The sponsorship must provide the ability to reach targeted audiences and build long term relationships.
Adequate time to activate
• Minimum of 6 months lead time required to effectively plan and implement sponsorship leverage activity
Locations
• Usually only requests located close to an airport that we operate out of are considered.
10. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
The Sponsorship Proposal
• Succinct - maximum 4-5 pages in length
• Make it fast and easy to read
• Present facts clearly
• Ensure key facts are highlighted
11. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
Online Sponsorship Proposal
• We would appreciate if you would complete this short Sponsorship
Request Form. (Handout)
• You will be able to type or paste any additional comments and
information towards the end.
• Please complete one Sponsorship Request Form for each type of
package (i.e. Major Sponsor, Secondary Sponsor, Official Supplier,
etc.).
• Please answer all questions and ensure you include a rights fee or
asking budget.
12. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
What to Include in Your Proposal
1. Title Page
2. Overview - what the festival is about and how it
matches sponsor’s needs
3. Festival details – dates, times, venue, attendance
4. Target markets – audience, market research
5. List of benefits – tailored package
6. Price – reflecting the total investment
13. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
1. Proposal Title Page
• Show Sponsor’s name and Festival name together –
Use ‘and’ or ‘presents’
• If selling naming rights - show name of event if
sponsorship was taken up
• Always date the proposal
• Include legal statement of copyright if proposal
features your creative ideas
14. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
2. Festival Overview
Paint the picture
• Emotional appeal - use powerful adjectives
• Express what your Festival is about
• Demonstrate you know sponsor’s wider
objectives
• Why audiences engages with Festival
• How being involved will benefit sponsor
• 2/3 visualising the festival - 1/3 visualising
the sponsorship
15. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
3. Festival Details
List hard data
• Name of Festival
• Specific event or project title
• Dates & Times
• Locations/Venues
• Projected attendance/participants
• Short history
16. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
4. Target Markets
• Showcase target market segments
• Use audience and market research
• Describe who festival is aimed at
• Emphasise market place most relevant to
sponsor – even if not festival’s primary audience
• Don’t use bland phrases such as ‘music lovers’
or ‘general audience’
17. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
5. Marketing Plan
• Overview of you festival marketing plan
• Outline how you will market festival to target
markets
• The value, reach and audience for all marketing
components
• Media and publicity plans
• Promotional activity
• Website and e-marketing
18. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
6. List of Benefits
• Use inventory to create list of benefits
• Make a comprehensive package
• Categorise benefits where appropriate
• Must be tailored to sponsor’s needs
19. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
7. Price
I. The total fee must be less expensive than if the
sponsor were to run the event on their own
II. The package must represent value for money
III. Never tell the potential sponsor how you are going
to spend the money
IV. Needs to cover cost of servicing sponsorship
20. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
Calculating Cost of Sponsorship
Cost of servicing sponsorship:-
3 x (cost to deliver benefits + cost of sale +
cost of servicing) = baseline fee
Then apply market influencers:
• What the market will bear
• Lead time before the event
• Other activities competing in the marketplace
• Uniqueness of what you offer and its position in the
marketplace
• Economic situation and trends
21. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
Determining Market Price
• What is cost of similar sponsorship products on the market?
• How does your proposal stand up?
• How does you sponsorship servicing measure up?
• How much is your potential sponsor likely to invest?
No sponsorship proposal should be valued solely on what
you need to make your project work
22. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
Example Sponsorship Proposals
• Queen Square Music Festival
• White Rose Winter Festival
• Moor Music - Thirsty Planet
• Harrogate Festival offer
23. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
Proposal Issues
a) Should we offer different sponsorship levels?
b) How do we define category exclusivity
c) Do we need a glossy sales brochure or video?
d) Should we go to one company at a time or can we go to
several?
e) How much lead time does a potential sponsor need?
f) When is the best time to approach sponsors?
24. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
a) Should We Offer Different Sponsorship Levels?
• Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze levels are popular –
But
• Only usually work best with lower level sponsorships - e.g.
Corporate Membership
• Main problem not tailoring approach is that lowest level gets
fewer supporting benefits
• Not beneficial to creating strong high level sponsorships –
makes for bargain hunters paradise
• Try up-selling approach – offer optional upgrades
e.g. VIP tickets; prominent logo accreditation.
25. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
b) How Do We Define Exclusivity?
• Rule of exclusivity – the more exclusive is granted,
the more valuable it is
• Exclusive naming rights - Title sponsorship
• Event exclusivity – sole concert sponsorship
• Official supplier (water; alcohol; travel/transport;
printing; musical instruments...)
26. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
c) Do We Need Glossy Sales Brochure or Video?
• Flashy sales brochure outlining sales packages BUT lack
customisation for sponsors
• Proposals should be neat and professional put it on letterhead
and bind it
• Send an example of previous year’s promotional materials to
show off your festival and degree of professionalism
• Do we need a video – NO! sponsors never watch them
27. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
d) One Company at a Time or go to Several?
• Unlikely you have enough lead time to research, approach and
negotiate you sponsorship consecutively
• Do send several proposal offers out at one time
• If you have done background research this should not exceed
10 – 12 companies - Expect the offer to be different for each to reflect
different needs
28. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
e) How Much Lead Time Does Sponsor Need?
18 – 24 months
• Major sponsorships (often national or televised)
• Multi- year events
12 – 18 months
• Most sponsorships come under this timeframe
6 – 12 months
• Likely you have to undercut value of your sponsorship as no time for spend to
maximise programme fully
• Limited pool of opportunities fund
Under 6 months
• Unanticipated events
• Lower cost corporate membership; in-kind support
• Missed print deadline – cause problem with your own budgets smack of
desperation
29. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
f) When Is Best Time To Approach Sponsors?
• Best time is before they have set their annual budget
• Ask when they set budgets during your research
• Can try last minute deal the sales offer but can be smack of
desperation
30. British Council Vietnam
Festival Workshop
June 2011
Exercise
• Decide on a major event at DMIAF
• Prepare a short (no more than 4 pages) sponsorship
proposal that incorporates:
1. Title Page
2. Overview
3. Festival event details
4. Target markets
5. List of benefits
6. Price – reflecting total investment cash / in-kind support
