Sponsors don’t just help bankroll your New Year’s Eve event. They help you promote and throw a better party.

But landing the right sponsors for your New Year’s party is a challenge. It’s a memorable evening for sponsors to engage consumers — but there are seemingly endless events where they can do so. You have to prove to sponsors that you’re the event that will give the biggest return.

Here are six steps to creating a value proposition to attract New Year’s sponsors.

1. Define your audience

To attract big-spending sponsors, get detailed with demographic data. Sponsors want proof that your event-goers are part of their target market. So what’s the profile of your attendees?

Take the time to do a little research and create some defining characteristics such as:

  • Demographic information like age, gender, marital status, and education level
  • Spending information like employment information, average income, and buying habits
  • Product and brand preferences

Ideally, this data is based on real numbers you’ve gathered about previous attendees. If you’re using an online ticketing service like Eventbrite, you can collect demographic data in the purchase process. Or, to keep your ticketing process streamlined, use a separate survey tool like Survey Monkey to poll ticket buyers after they buy or after the event.

With a survey, you can ask tactical questions specific to your event or your sponsors’ needs, such as:

  • What’s your favourite cocktail? (To approach alcohol company sponsors.)
  • Do you plan to take a cab, walk or drive? (To approach rideshare sponsors like Uber or Taxify.)
  • What types of festive hors d’oeuvres hit the spot? (To  approach food sponsors.)

The ability to describe partygoers to sponsors gives you the advantage over other New Year’s event organisers who aren’t as data-savvy.

2. Get creative with experiential promotional ideas

Prove to potential sponsors that you have more to offer than just a logo slapped on your New Year’s flyer. Come up with creative ways to introduce your sponsor to your fans both before and during the event.

For example, if you’re courting an alcohol brand, offer a potential sponsor exclusive placement — their liquor will be the only one served at the New Year’s party. You might also work with a sponsor to create an experiential marketing activation like a special VIP lounge, an art installation, or a distinctive bar space.

3. Demonstrate your dedication

Assign a dedicated “sponsor liaison” on your staff to each prospective sponsor to prove your commitment to the relationship. Make sure that liaison is empowered with up-to-date information to answer questions (like how ticket sales are doing) before the event — and resolve any issues during the party quickly.

4. Make them part of your marketing plan

Approach potential sponsors with a thorough digital marketing plan that includes a website, email marketing campaigns, and social media. You could:

  • Create a custom hashtag for your sponsor that makes it easy to track mentions of their brand across social media.
  • Create a Snapchat filter co-branded with your sponsor.
  • Commit to sharing a certain number of posts about your sponsor across social media platforms.

5. Help break down the value of their investment

Why the focus on digital marketing? Because social sharing is a valuable metric for marketers.

When you market your New Year’s party online, you make it easy for your audience to expand quickly. You’re not just marketing to those who already follow you on social media, but to their friends when they share and like your posts and events.

Analyse the data from your social networks to see who’s interacting with your brand online. Often, social media platforms offer this type of information on their built-in dashboards, but you can also find more detailed data from social media analytics tools.

The more you can demonstrate how you will measure and deliver a return on sponsor investment, the more tangible the offer becomes. After all, sponsors might love a good party, but they’re ultimately after the monetary value of being involved.

6. Create a beautiful pitch deck

To bring all of your efforts together, it’s time to create a pitch deck. This is a shiny, concise presentation you use to convince potential sponsors to come on board for your New Year’s Eve party.

For more in-depth information about how to produce your New Year’s Eve party, read How to Host an Unforgettable New Year’s Eve Party.