Hybrid meetings have experienced tremendous growth since 2020. This is one of the most popular formats worldwide, bridging the gap between virtual and onsite events. The virtual component allows for a wider reach, with hybrid events experiencing an average of 40% higher attendance than in-person-only conferences.
This transition has not only reshaped the way events are conducted but has also impacted the sponsorship opportunities available. But with change comes uncertainty. Sponsors play a crucial role by providing financial support, expertise, and networking opportunities, but getting them to join your event in the virtual realm can be more challenging.
The Importance of Attracting and Retaining Sponsors
Traditionally, sponsors and exhibitors have dedicated spaces to display their banners and products at the conference venue. Now, add remote attendees. Remote attendees cannot access the booths onsite and probably do not even know who your sponsors are – hence sponsors might be wary of participating in hybrid and virtual conferences.
However, virtual platforms offer many opportunities to give sponsors and exhibitors visibility and connect with attendees. As an organizer, you need to choose a software provider with attractive packages for sponsors and exhibitors. At the end of the day, sponsors want to reach as many people as possible, so give them the best tools to achieve their goals!
Understand the Virtual Sponsorship Landscape
Incorporating virtual tools into scientific conferences presents new opportunities for exhibitors and sponsors. Remote attendees cannot personally attend their booths and get branded items such as congress bags, which makes communication between participants and attendees more difficult. However, organizers can use the virtual platform to place banners, links, and exhibitor booths that can be accessed online.
Software providers often offer options to customize and configure the virtual platform to accommodate your sponsor’s needs. Some examples include banners placed on the meeting site so the user sees while navigating, streaming sponsored sessions, or allowing exhibitors to place branded content across the website.
Naturally, the cornerstone of your event is content, and it needs to be accessible for remote attendees as well. Organizers should reserve the most visual places to display the conference content and leave the sides or bottom of the pages for sponsor and exhibitor content. And just like in a traditional onsite event, create packages tailored to every sponsor’s visibility goals.
You can also set up online exhibitor booths. Exhibitors can customize their virtual booths according to their logo, corporate colors, or add relevant banners and links. Online booths can be easier to manage than booths at the venue. Exhibitors do not need a staff member who greets participants. Attendees can swing by and access all the sponsor and exhibitor content in just a few clicks. It doesn’t get any easier!
Craft Compelling Sponsorship Packages
Offering tiered packages with varying levels of visibility and engagement allows sponsors to choose according to their goals and budget. Higher-level exhibitors can upload larger banners in more visible places, linking to their sessions, booths, or an external site. This will increase the chance of attendees accessing their content.
However, smaller exhibitors can still customize their booths and display their content on the virtual platform. On average, hybrid meetings have a larger attendance than in-person-only, so they will probably still get more visits and clicks at an affordable price. There are many ways to configure virtual booths to accommodate exhibitors and sponsors with varying budgets and needs.
Enhance Virtual Visibility and Brand Exposure
Another advantage of virtual booths over traditional ones is the possibility of implementing multimedia and interactive tools:
- 1-1 chat: Attendees can ask questions through the chat, even if the exhibitor is offline. Once the exhibitor is online again, they can reply to the attendees individually to address their doubts.
- Group chat: Like the one-on-one chat, remote attendees and exhibitors can communicate easily in groups. The added advantage is that attendees might get the answer from questions already asked, and exhibitors don’t need to answer the same messages over and over again to each attendee.
- Polling: Exhibitors can test participant knowledge and gather helpful feedback through polling. This is also a more interactive way to make attendees participate, and by making the results anonymous or allowing pseudonyms, exhibitors can guarantee more honest responses.
- Email/In-App messages: Exhibitors and sponsors can also communicate through the built-in email in the virtual platform or by messaging in the conference app without attendees having to share their personal email and information.
By leveraging these interactive tools, the virtual booth experience comes as close as possible to in-person events. Sponsors and exhibitors decide which tools and strategies they follow online; the key is to make their virtual booth an extension of their brand, just like they would do in a traditional meeting.
Leverage Social Media and Digital Channels
We’ve already covered leveraging social media to promote your event in this blog. As an organizer, it is your job to give sponsors and exhibitors the tools and materials they need to share on their social media channels.
Exhibitors and sponsors can drive more traffic to your conference by using event-specific hashtags in their publications. Likewise, by sharing highlights and updates through official event channels, organizers can redirect attendees to the exhibitors’ and sponsors’ virtual booths. It’s a win for both parties!
Event organizers can also collaborate with sponsors on targeted email campaigns to the event audience. This strategy helps strengthen the connection between sponsors and remote participants.
Demonstrate ROI
But the best way to show sponsors that hybrid events are as successful as onsite ones – or even more: report on the ROI the event is bringing to them. Providing sponsors with detailed reports, success stories, and testimonials from previous virtual sponsors establishes a track record of success. This way, sponsors can compare with their actual results and analyze which strategies they might want to implement for future events.
Choose a software provider with detailed analytics about the sponsor’s virtual booth. Additionally, try to brainstorm solutions and emphasize the potential for long-term brand visibility and connections by sponsoring again in future events.
Year-Round Engagement and Reaching a Wider Audience
Beyond the event, sponsors can engage with their community year-round. Offering exclusive webinars, content contributions, or virtual meetups provide sponsors ongoing visibility.
As an organizer, make it a point to regularly reach out to sponsors during the year, establish a conversation with them, and inform them about upcoming opportunities. By fostering a personal relationship with sponsors, organizers and sponsors can communicate with their audience and promote each other.
Wrapping Up…
The success of hybrid events and sponsor satisfaction go hand in hand with event technology. With these best practices, you can provide sponsors valuable brand exposure and connection opportunities.
If you’re looking for the best way to manage your exhibitors and sponsors for scientific meetings, look no further! Schedule a free demo to talk about your specific needs here.
