Your Event App serves you in countless ways — as a digital guide for in-person attendees, a communications and networking vehicle, a way to promote your brand, or, for virtual events, your entire event space! A well-executed event app pays for itself, both in time savings for your event support reps and in creating an engaged and invested attendee base. Are you ready to take it a step further and monetize your Event App?
We're here to help you create a raving sponsor base that's excited to sponsor your event each year! Check out some of the ways you can showcase sponsors in your Event app, below. 👇 The best part? Most of these tips are great for any kind of event - virtual, hybrid, or in-person!
Use the Sponsors/Exhibitors Feature
Using the Sponsors feature, create a profile for each sponsor. If you want to differentiate between sponsors and exhibitors, you can also add the Exhibitors feature. Both features are identical, so we're going to just talk about the Sponsors feature going forward. When you build out a sponsor profile, you can fill in the following:
Icons, Booth Cover images, and Booth Size
Give each sponsor some distinction with branding that uniquely represents them! If you set your Sponsors feature to use the Grid View, the Icon and Booth Cover image will be used for Medium and Large Booths, and Small Booths will only use the Icon.
Consider using the Booth Size setting to sell tiered sponsorships. Your title sponsor could have the exclusive privilege of having the only Large Booth. If a sponsor wants to include a banner, they have to purchase the right to have a Medium Booth.
Content
Does your sponsor have a killer promo video, Facebook page, Website, or PDF sell sheet? You can use the Content Provider field to embed that content right inside the Socio Platform!
Simply select the proper Content Provider from the dropdown, then fill in the URL or upload the file to add the content to the sponsor profile.
Attendee Calls to Action
Boost sponsor engagement by adding Attendee Calls to Action to the sponsor's profile. You can add buttons for attendees to Request Follow Up or Schedule Meeting.
You aren't limited to meeting links, either. Since you can change the Schedule Meeting Button Label, this could be a link to a sponsor's website, a webinar, a demo video...the options are endless. 🙌 For more info on the Attendee Calls to Action section, check this out.
Internal and External Links
The internal links on a sponsor/exhibitor profile let you link to other content within your event. This is a perfect way to make sponsors visible throughout the event, with links to sponsored sessions like a happy hour, a party, or session a sponsor's representative is speaking at.
For more info on internal links, check this out.
The Links section of the sponsor/exhibitor profile is where the external links appear. You can show websites, phone numbers, and email addresses. Consider adding an external link to the sponsor's website or even a special landing page to capture leads. The options are endless!
You can also offer more links for top sponsors. 🥇For more info on external links, check this out.
Use the Banners Layout
When you create your Socio Event, consider choosing the Banners layout for your app. Banner images appear in the lower left corner of your Web App, or at the bottom of the main screen of your Mobile App and are a great way to surface sponsor branding. If you have a Booth Cover image for a sponsor, you can add that same image as a Banner, or use an entirely different image. Whichever you choose, you can link the Banner to the actual sponsor page so attendees need only tap the banner to go right to the sponsor page.
The Smart Feed layout will also show Sponsors from time to time, but it only shows the icon, and other non-sponsor content appears there.
Attendees will see the banners whenever they use the Web App or Mobile App, and the link can go to the sponsor's website. You can even pass the user's event app data to the URL!
⭐️ Keep in mind, it's a good idea to maintain some creative control over the design of sponsored banner ads. This helps ensure that your event look is cohesive and polished.
For more info on banners, check this out.
Leverage tons of other Socio features
Aside from the standard Sponsors and Exhibitors features, you can get creative with sponsorships with just about any facet of your Socio Event. Keep reading to learn about some of the ways other event organizers have uniquely monetized their events!
Announcements
Consider having an announcement "from" the sponsor! Announcements allow for pre-approved sponsor messaging, which can be sent to all attendees or specific Groups. Pre-schedule push notifications to go out at designated times, or send them on the fly, all on behalf of your sponsors. For more info on Announcements, check this out.
⚠️ Caution, as with all apps, attendees can opt to turn off notifications for your event app. Don't have too many sponsored notifications!
Splash Screen
If you're using a Branded Event App, consider incorporating your title sponsor into your Splash Screen. A full ad is not recommended for a Splash Screen, but using a small portion of it for sponsor branding is a great option for visibility. The splash screen is seen by every attendee when they open the app.
⭐️ Keep in mind, it's a good idea to maintain some creative control over the design of splash screens. This helps ensure that your app look is cohesive and polished.
⚠️ Caution, the splash screen applies to branded event app customers only. There is only one Splash Screen per branded app. If you are using your app for multiple events, it may not be a good fit to offer this to sponsors.
Wall
Posting on the Wall "from" the sponsor or talking about them is a great way to increase excitement leading up to your event. This is also a more organic way to showcase sponsors because it's mixed in with posts from attendees. Simply create a new account with the sponsor's name, and post!
For more info on the Wall, check this out.
Live Display
Grant your sponsor amazing visibility and branding opportunities at your in-person event with Live Display! Whether you'd like to showcase one app sponsor, or give them all opportunities to be seen, Live Display is a great option to do just that. Some virtual and hybrid events have also used the Web Link feature to embed the Live Display in their Event App as a "what's happening now" type feed.
For more info on Live Display, check this out.
Maps
Link your sponsor & exhibitor profiles to the interactive Map. Your in-person attendees can access the Map from the sponsor profile, or they can tap the Map feature and locate the sponsor from there! This is also a great option to highlight locations of after-hours events or meet-and-greets provided by your sponsors.
For more info on the Map feature, check this out.
Sponsor-specific Web Link
Create a feature dedicated to your top-tier sponsor for even more visibility. A Web Link feature is easy to create, and you can link to their website or special landing page. You can also upload custom feature icons to allow your sponsor's logo to be the icon.
For more info on the Web Link feature, check this out.
Video Rooms
Give your sponsors a place to self-promote to your virtual attendees with Socio's Video Rooms feature. Simply add a Video Rooms feature to your event, and make a Room for each sponsor. You can customize each Room with the sponsor's logo and link the Room directly to the sponsor so attendees can find their way there easily!
For more info on the Video Rooms feature, check this out.
Socio Streaming
If your event is hybrid or virtual, Socio Streaming is a great option for showcasing sponsors in your live streams! You can fully customize your stream with your own branding or your sponsors, including the theme color, logo, overlays, and even videos. Socio Streaming is an additional cost add-on feature, reach out to your Socio contact for pricing.
For more info on Socio Streaming, check this out.
Event Game
The Event Game is a great way to get attendees at any type of event engaged! Why not monetize the game by giving the credit to a sponsor? The game's name can include "sponsored by...", and you can even ask the sponsor if they'd like to provide the prize! Mention this in other marketing communications for even more visibility!
Another option with the Event Game is to have attendees interact with a sponsor to receive a challenge code! This could include getting a badge scanned, posting a picture to the Wall, or joining a sponsor's Video Room. This is a fun way to generate leads and encourage attendees to interact with and learn more about the sponsor. You can even assign different numbers of points based on sponsorship tiers.
For more info on the Event Game, check this out.
Titles
Consider adding "brought to you by..." to the Overview title, the title of your event, the event description, Agenda sessions, booth locations, and more! This is a great way to get sponsor names out there for any type of event.
⚠️ Caution, keep these to a minimum. They'll have more impact when they are used sparingly!
Event Code
If you're using the Event Code privacy setting for your event, a creative option is to use the sponsor's name as the Event Code!
For more info on privacy settings, check this out.
Example of Sponsorship Tiers
While you can offer any of these options to sponsors "a la carte", you may decide to provide different packages, AKA "tiers". Pricing will be different for each event because the audience and value are different for each event.
Platinum 🏆
Large Interactive Virtual Booth with embedded video, PDF, or website, company description, and up to 5 external links (ie. Social media or additional websites)
Live Text Chat with Attendees Enabled
2 Video Rooms
“Request Follow Up” Button & Custom URL Button
2 Exclusive Banner Graphics
2 game challenges featuring your company
2 30 second commercials during event broadcast
2 Sponsored Announcements
Gold 🥇
Medium Interactive Virtual Booth with embedded video, PDF, or website, company description, and up to 5 external links (ie. Social media or additional websites)
Live Text Chat with Attendees Enabled
1 Video Room
“Request Follow Up” Button & Custom URL Button
1 Exclusive Banner Graphic
2 game challenges featuring your company
1 30-second commercial during event broadcast
1 Sponsored Announcement
Silver 🥈
Medium interactive Virtual Booth with embedded video, PDF, or website, company description, and up to 3 external links (ie. Social media or additional websites)
Live Text Chat with Attendees Enabled
1 Video Room
“Request Follow Up” Button & Custom URL Button
1 Banner Graphic Shared with up to 2 other logos
1 game challenge featuring your company
Bronze 🥉
Small Interactive Virtual Booth with embedded video, PDF, or website, company description, and up to 3 external links (ie. Social media or additional websites)
Live Text Chat with Attendees Enabled
“Request Follow Up” Button
1 Banner Graphic
Shared Banner with up to 2 other logos
1 game challenge featuring your company
Additional Exclusive Sponsorship Opportunities
Official Live Stream Sponsorship - Limited availability, please inquire
Your Logo & choice of special promotion is presented in the welcome & closing screens for a session
Mobile App Sponsor - Limited availability, please inquire
Mention in App Store Description & Custom Splash Screen artwork
Gamification Sponsor - Multiple Available
Donate a game prize and be listed as an event game sponsor
Photo Booth - Limited availability, please inquire
Your branding inside of our official event Photo Booth
Session or Happy Hour Sponsor - Limited availability, please inquire
Introduce a speaker, participate in a panel, or host a virtual happy hour
⭐️Keep our other products in mind! If you're using our Lead Retrieval product, consider including that for your top tier sponsors. If you're using our Live Display product, consider providing a full banner ad for each top tier sponsor. Lower tiered sponsors can have a "combined" banner ad.
Have something else that worked well for your event? Let us know! 😉
We'd love to have a personalized conversation about your event! Reach out to your Socio contact to strategize on the best way to make your sponsors come back year after year.
Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events