What’s every charitable event organizer’s worst nightmare? Nobody buys tickets; nobody shows up. The same nightmare haunts sponsoring companies.

Never forget that sponsors want strong, positive publicity for the dollars they have invested. All this means that getting the word out about a sponsored event or project needs to be very high on the `to do’ list of the imaginative, energetic person with responsibility for lining up sponsors.

At the outset, it’s worth understanding that the media/sponsored-event relationship works both ways. The media have time and space that they need to fill with events of interest and importance to their audience. With this in mind, a wise approach for sponsorship seekers is to go for sponsorship from the beginning rather than PSAs (public service announcements – which often run after midnight and even then get scant attention).

Most experts advise that event organizers provide a media sponsor with exclusivity in its genre, be it print, radio, or television. This doesn’t mean that other media cannot know about an event – and indeed you will want to do all you can to create advance publicity – it just means that the sponsor will not find itself promoting its competition as it publicizes the event.

Remember that the most important thing the media can get from a sponsorship is exposure for itself. Media want their name, logo, or call letters out in front of their markets after the newspaper is discarded or the radio and TV are turned off. For this reason, media are happy when a variety of methods are used – including direct mail, on-site signage, programs, letterhead, tickets, press releases, T-shirts and anything else a savvy event organizer can think of. When approaching broadcast media, sponsorship seekers will want to keep in mind the power of the Canadian Radio & Television Corporation. When it is time for broadcasters to renew their license with the CRTC, they have to demonstrate what they have contributed to the well-being of the community in which they operate. The bigger the contribution, the better. This means that the opportunity to associate with your charitable organization can be very appealing to a media sponsor, so make certain you give prominence to the cause your organization serves in discussions with potential media sponsors.

Building relationships between the event organizer and the media are well worth the time and energy required. Sponsorship seekers will want to try for personal contact with media personnel. The in-person meeting is preferable to confining the relationship to the telephone. Discussing a proposal over lunch can make a huge difference (as between getting and not getting the sponsorship). Media are inundated with sponsorship requests, and personal likes and dislikes and plain old chemistry can play an important role.

A final point: Creativity counts. Event organizers should strive to make their event an event. Media are always on the alert for something unusual and exciting, so if your project is exceptional or a bit off-beat, your chances of drawing in a media sponsor are significantly improved. Creativity works in the matching of event and media partners too. Sometimes when event organizers go to a smaller radio station or a trade paper, for example, they are well rewarded with better support than can be provided from the major media.

Judith Barker is publisher of The Sponsorship Report and consults with not-for-profit organizations interested in exploring their sponsorship options. Find out more at www.sponsorship.ca or contact Judith at (416) 466-4714.