Sponsorship packages for a property's events: what goes in one, and how to build it
By Tully Zeitlin · Published
Sponsorship packages are the defined sets of assets, dates and rights a property offers a sponsor at each level, and at a programmed place they are built from the calendar: a named weekly series, a season title, the presenting sponsor of a tentpole, the market, the movie night. This guide covers what a sponsor package is, the assets a year-round calendar holds, how to set the levels, how to price each asset, and what the one-page sponsorship proposal says. It explains structure, not our prices; we publish none. The case for the whole subject is on event sponsorship.
What a sponsor package is
A sponsor package is one page: the asset, the dates, what the sponsor can do on site, where the sponsor's name appears, and the level it sits at. A sponsor supports a series or a season with its name on it. A brand experience is the brand itself at the day, the sampling tent at the market or the product moment at the movie night, and many sponsors want both, so a package names the activation the sponsor can run inside the night as well as the name on it. It is your brand and your place, so you approve every sponsor and every package.
The assets a programmed calendar holds
The named weekly series. What the sponsor gets: its name on the series for a season of dates, and a presence at every night. Where it shows up: the acoustic series on the patios, the trivia night, the family night on the green.
The season title. What the sponsor gets: the whole season's calendar under one name. Where it shows up: the summer series, the holiday season.
The presenting sponsor of a tentpole. What the sponsor gets: the biggest day of the season. Where it shows up: the fall festival, the tree lighting, the spring kickoff.
The market. What the sponsor gets: the tent at the entrance and the sponsor's bag on every arm. Where it shows up: the weekly or monthly market.
The movie night. What the sponsor gets: the screen's presenting sponsor and the product moment before the feature. Where it shows up: the monthly movie on the lawn.
The family zone. What the sponsor gets: the kids' area at the festival or the family night. Where it shows up: face painting, the character moment, the craft table.
The watch-party series. What the sponsor gets: the big nights, under the sponsor's name. Where it shows up: the season's games on the green.
The holiday partnership. What the sponsor gets: the whole holiday calendar with the sponsor's own experience inside it. Where it shows up: the brand's photo moment, the tree lighting, the holiday market.
The community partnership. What the sponsor gets: recognition from the stage at the nights that bring their own crowd. Where it shows up: the team night, the recital, the benefit night.
Hospitality. What the sponsor gets: the sponsor's table or tent on the biggest nights. Where it shows up: the festival, the tree lighting.
Every asset is a real night with a real crowd. That is the difference between a package built from a calendar and a package built from a logo sheet.
The levels
Keep the levels few. A title sponsor takes the name of the series or the season. A presenting sponsor takes the biggest day. Supporting sponsors take one asset each: the market, the movie night, the family zone. In-kind partners bring the thing the night needs, a vehicle for the family day, the ice for the festival, the hot cocoa for the holiday night, and sit beside the supporting level. What a title sponsor really takes is the category: one bank, one dealer, one beverage brand per series, so the level means something.
How to price a sponsorship package
Price each asset on its own, against two things: what it costs to deliver, and the size and reliability of the crowd it reaches. A season of dates is worth more than one night, and a weekly series with a crowd that shows up every week is worth more than a single festival with a crowd that shows up once. Count the crowd honestly before you price anything: attendance on programmed days against the days without, measured, not modeled. An in-kind partner's contribution counts at the value of what it brings to the night. Keep each line priced on its own so a sponsor can choose; a single bundled number hides what each asset is worth and is harder to renew. There is no standard rate, and we publish none.
The one-page sponsorship proposal
The proposal is the package with the place around it: the property and its crowd, counted; the calendar and the dates; the asset and the level; what the sponsor can do on site, which is its activation in the industry sense; where the sponsor's name appears, on the series wherever the owner's own channels carry the calendar; the ask; and the owner's approval. One page. A sponsor who has stood on the green on a programmed night rarely needs a second.
Who builds the packages
We plan, book, and produce. The vendor network, the talent, the sponsors, the schedule, built and running today. Sponsor and partner development is part of the monthly programming work at the properties we run, and the packages are built from the calendar, once the crowd is counted. How a property then finds and signs the sponsor is on how to get sponsors for an event. A brand's own case for being at a programmed place is on brands, and the calendar the packages come from is year-round event programming.
Frequently asked questions
What is a sponsor package?
One page: the asset, the dates, what the sponsor can do on site, where the sponsor's name appears, and the level it sits at. At a programmed place the assets are the calendar: a named weekly series, a season title, the presenting sponsor of a tentpole, the market, the movie night.
What should a sponsorship package include?
The asset and its dates, the crowd it reaches, counted, the sponsor's presence on site, where the name appears, the level and its category, and the owner's approval. Every asset should be a real night with a real crowd.
How is an event sponsorship priced?
Price each asset on its own, against what it costs to deliver and the size and reliability of the crowd it reaches. A season of dates is worth more than one night. Count the crowd before you price anything. There is no standard rate, and we publish none.
What is the difference between a title sponsor and a presenting sponsor?
A title sponsor takes the name of the series or the season, for every date in it. A presenting sponsor takes one day, usually the biggest: the fall festival, the tree lighting. Supporting sponsors take one asset each.
How many sponsorship levels should an event have?
Few. One title or presenting sponsor per asset, a handful of supporting sponsors, and in-kind partners who bring what the night needs. More levels than that and the levels stop meaning anything.
Can a sponsor bring product or services instead of money?
Yes. In-kind partners bring the thing the night needs: a vehicle for the family day, the ice for the festival, the hot cocoa for the holiday night. Their contribution counts at the value of what it brings, and their activation on the night is often the part the crowd remembers.
Get in touch.
Tell us about the place. We listen first, propose what fits, and shape the engagement around what you actually need.