Sample Proposal

This is a proposal I wrote for a property I was interested in representing.

A NEW SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM FOR THE ———–
Successful events should have successful sponsorship programs

Target: To implement and manage a long term, best practices sponsorship program that cultivates mutually beneficial relationships with the —–, its attendees, and sponsors.

In today’s sophisticated marketing environment, brand managers expect well developed, flawlessly executed sponsorship programs that deliver measurable results. I work in event marketing and operations for the Ventura County Fair and the California Strawberry Festival—two of the largest annual events in Southern California. I’ve coordinated sponsorships for Fortune 500 companies, privately owned businesses, government agencies, media companies and nonprofit organizations and have a proven track record in business-to-business sales and marketing. I believe my skill set and sponsor network is what the… needs to maximize its sponsorship potential, but time is of the essence. Corporate sponsors generally need a minimum of 12 months to properly leverage and integrate their sponsorships. The sooner I get started, the more successful the 2014 —- will be.

I’ve attended the… several times, and am well aware of its unique offerings and customer loyalty. Your Festival is a well managed, well attended event with a highly marketable target audience. Sponsorship dollars for festivals, fairs and annual events have increased exponentially in the last 10 years. In 2012, US sponsors spent $823 million on annual event partnerships. A successful event that does not utilize its commercial potential is a missed opportunity for lucrative partnerships that generate revenue for the property and enhance customer experience.

A well defined sponsorship policy and best practices sponsorship strategy are essential to a successful sponsorship program.

A sponsorship policy should include an outline of the property’s sponsorship history, a situation analysis, exclusions, delegations, processes and procedures, approvals and contracts, accountability and responsibility.

A best practices sponsorship strategy is based on the premise that a sponsor doesn’t want to connect with the property, they want to connect with your audience and they want to use their sponsorship of your event to deepen their connection with their audience. If you hire me to manage the —– Sponsorship Program, I will:

Create and/or evaluate your property’s marketing plan, including attendance reports, audience profiles (demographic and psychographic), hot buttons, SWOT analysis, social-media and e-marketing strategies, media schedules, PR kit, press releases, vendor contracts and event schematics

Audit and price the event’s marketable commercial assets

Research and reach out to local and national potential sponsors

Draft custom proposals and tailored marketing material to qualified, potential sponsors and follow-up

Negotiate with clear business objectives and close business

Draft sponsorship contracts

Coordinate sponsorship related PR, media buys and impressions

Work with sponsors to develop a sponsorship implementation plan

Manage and evaluate the sponsorship implementation plan

Create and distribute sponsorship information kits

Create and present custom deliverable reports that document all contracted benefits, media and event assessments and objective based outcomes

Always work with the intent to renew current sponsors

Financials:
Retained Services Fee*: ———-
New Sponsor: 20% commission
Existing Sponsors: 20% commission on increase in benefits from prior year
In-Kind Sponsorship: 20% of budgeted value of the goods/services
Renewal of Existing Sponsor: 12% (effective 2015)

*Retained services fee covers implementation of all phases of the… Sponsorship Program for 2014, all business related travel and lodging, and on-site sponsorship management.
Action: Sean McKean to meet with —– to negotiate and finalize this proposal.

Sean G. McKean, 4 January 2014