Gold sponsor, missing logo
A conference you run for a trade association has sponsors at three tiers, plus a drinks reception sponsor and a lanyard sponsor. The gold package includes a logo on the website, the app, the holding slides, the stage backdrop and the lanyards, a double stand in the best spot, a speaking slot, ten delegate passes, a mention from the stage, an advert in the programme and the attendee list where delegates have agreed.
On the first morning, the gold sponsor's marketing manager walks the venue and sends you a photo: their logo is missing from the holding slides, which were built from the silver logo folder. Their speaking slot was moved to the graveyard session after lunch. Four of their passes were never registered because nobody sent them the link.
Why sponsor promises slip
Sponsor packages are sold by one person and delivered by many. The package is a list of promises that touches the website, the app, print, the stage, registration and exhibition teams.
- Packages are sold with variations, so the brochure is not a reliable list of what each sponsor bought.
- Assets (logos, adverts, copy, stand graphics) are requested by several people with different deadlines.
- Each team uses its own list of sponsors, which falls out of step with late sales and upgrades.
- Nobody photographs or records delivery, so it cannot be shown afterwards.
- Pass allocations and speaking slots are managed separately from the package.
What an unhappy sponsor costs
Sponsors renew when they feel they got what they paid for, and they talk to each other. A missed logo or a lost speaking slot can mean a refund request, a discount at renewal or a sponsor who does not come back. For your client, the trade association, sponsorship is often a large part of the event's income, so the damage lands on them and then on your relationship.
Even when everything is delivered, not being able to show it makes the renewal conversation harder than it should be.
A sponsor tracker built from each package
- Package templates list standard deliverables per tier; each sold package is created from a template and adjusted for what was actually agreed.
- Every deliverable becomes an item with an owner on your team, a deadline and the asset it needs from the sponsor.
- Sponsors get one portal page listing what they need to provide, with specifications and deadlines, and upload logos, adverts and copy there.
- Assets are checked on upload (file type, size, logo versions for light and dark backgrounds) and passed to the teams who need them from one place.
- Pass allocations are issued as registration codes linked to the sponsor, so you can see how many they have used.
- Delivery is recorded as it happens: a screenshot of the website, a photo of the backdrop, the app listing, the scan counts at their stand.
- The post-event sponsor report is generated from the records: each promised item with its proof.
| Deliverable | Owner | Asset needed | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logo on holding slides | Production | Logo, dark background version | Photo on the day |
| Speaking slot | Content lead | Speaker details and slides | Programme and session scans |
| Delegate passes | Registration | Names via sponsor code | Passes used and checked in |
| Programme advert | Artwork to spec | Page proof |
Show week, with the sponsor list under control
A week out, the tracker shows three missing assets and one sponsor with unused passes. Reminders have gone; the account manager makes two calls. On the day, a runner photographs each deliverable against a checklist on their phone. The gold sponsor's marketing manager walks the venue and finds everything where it should be. A week after the event, every sponsor gets their report, and the renewal conversation starts with evidence.
Recognise this at your events?
- Sponsor deliverables are tracked in a spreadsheet by one person.
- Sponsors have found missing logos or mentions at the event.
- Logo files come in by email to several people.
- Sponsors' passes go unused because nobody chased them.
- You cannot easily show a sponsor proof of what they received.