Sebagai imbalan investasi, wajar saja jika sponsor memiliki ekspektasi tinggi yang kadang cukup unik. Tak masalah bukan, selama jalinan kerja sama bisa berlangsung lama.
Founder Indonesia Outdoor Festival (Outfest) TJ Anggara berbagi pengalamannya selama menggelar pameran di masa pandemi. Menurutnya dalam perbincangan Podcast di kanal YouTube MICE Indonesia, sponsor event virtual di masa pandemi tetap ada, bahkan masih ada sponsor yang datang menawarkan diri.
“Ada juga platform e-commerce yang menawari kami bekerja sama. Semakin inovatif (event) secara digital, sponsor pasti lihat,†ujarnya.
Nah, namanya sponsor wajar saja kalau ekspektasinya tinggi dan bisa jadi permintaannya kadang unik. Selama masih bisa diakomodir ya lakukan saja. Karena dalam jangka panjang, sponsor tidak hanya menginginkan janji kemitraan yang menyenangkan, mereka juga butuh data untuk membuktikan bahwa pilihan mereka bermitra dengan Anda ialah tepat.
Pada prinsipnya untuk mendapatkan sponsor setidaknya Anda perlu mempelajari cara untuk, pertama, membawa kreativitas dan inovasi dalam cara Anda mendekati sponsor yang tepat.
Kedua, membangun hubungan dengan pihak sponsor dengan rasa hormat yang setara. Selain itu, sponsor juga perlu asupan data dan fakta terkait kegiatan yang akan mereka sponsori.
Ketiga, memelihara hubungan dengan sponsor. Anda harus ingat, kerja sama dengan sponsor harusnya untuk jangka panjang. Bahkan ketika perusahaan sponsor berkembang, Anda juga masih dipercaya menjadi mitranya.
“Kalau brand simpel, selama target market tercapai pasti akan sponsori,†ujar Silih Agung Wasesa seorang pakar branding. Tantangannya, menurut Silih ialah bagaimana meyakinkan pihak sponsor bahwa trafik kegiatan MICE yang Anda gelar bagus dan banyak pengunjungnya meskipun diadakan secara online.
Menurut Anggara, tujuan sponsor di masa pandemi tetap sama, yakni untuk branding. “Saat ini belum sampai ke target transaksi penjualan, atau key performance indicator (KPI) untuk event virtual belum ada, biasanya sponsor belum kesitu yang penting pesannya tersampaikan,†jelas Anggara berbagi pengalaman.
English
Three Tricks to Attract Sponsors
For a return of investment, sponsors usually have high expectations that are sometimes pretty unique. It shouldn’t be a problem as long as you can maintain the relationship, right?
Founder of Indonesia Outdoor Festival (Outfest), TJ Anggara, shared his experience of organizing exhibitions during the pandemic. In a podcast on MICE Indonesia’s YouTube channel, he said that there are still sponsors of virtual events during the pandemic, and some of them even offer themselves to sponsor.
“There was an e-commerce platform that offered us a partnership. The more innovative the digital event, the higher the possibility of a sponsor noticiting it,†he said.
As a sponsor, they may have high and sometimes unique expectations. But as long as you can accommodate them, just do it. In the long term, sponsors may want not only a pleasant partnership but also conviction that they have the right partner.
Basically, in order to get a sponsor at least you need to learn these three tricks. First, bring creativity and innovation in your way of approaching the correct sponsor.
Second, build a good relationship with your sponsor with mutual respect. In addition, sponsors also need updates on facts and data regarding the event they are sponsoring.
Third, maintain relationships with your sponsors. Keep in mind that sponsorship is a long term partnership. Even when the sponsor continues to grow, they need to still trust you as their partner.
“If it’s a simple brand, as long as the target market is met, they will sponsor,†said Silih Agung Wasesa, a branding expert. The challenge lies in how to convince them that the traffic and number of participants of your MICE event are promising despite being online.
According to Anggara, the purpose of sponsorship during the pandemic is still the same: branding. “For now, sales is not a target yet, so there is no clear key performance indicator (KPI) for virtual events. Usually sponsors have not thought about that. What matters is the message,†explained Anggara.
