The Importance of Generating Leads and Sales for Music Festival Sponsors.

Sponsorship deals are an essential part of any music festival’s overall revenue and often contribute towards their ongoing survival. The relationship between sponsors and festival organisers is more important than ever with key elements like detailed festival-goer demographics combined with lead and revenue generating opportunities being a priority.

Sponsors are no longer content with just splashing a logo on banners around a festival site. Brands with event sponsor budgets are under more scrutiny than ever to demonstrate an ROI for their investment. Music festival organisers recognise the importance of lead and sales generation and have adapted some of their operations to service sponsors. Organisers now collect vast amounts of data on their audiences to create demographic profiles and behaviour which can help to seal a sponsorship deal. In addition, festivals will do their utmost to create leads and sales generating opportunities for sponsors. 

Understanding Sponsor Objectives. 
Sponsors may be attracted to a particular festival because of the opportunities it presents to connect with new customers. Whilst brand awareness may be a high priority it is probably more important that an event allows sponsors to capture data and generate engagement. The first consideration for a brand sponsor is the matching demographics of festival-goers to their own target audience criteria. A sponsor may allocate a budget for sponsorship of an event, but they will expect to demonstrate post event how many leads and sales have been generated enabling them to clearly establish their return on investment. Many sponsors will have established over time their expected cost per lead and sale which they will apply to event sponsorship. Festival organisers must present a detailed sales pitch to any potential sponsor which includes proven data linked to the various marketing activities they can offer. 

Digital Data Collection and Online Promotions. 
Sponsors can collect data using their own QR codes often linked to a promotion or introductory discount for example. Scannable codes can be used on banners, tickets and lanyards enabling multiple opportunities to collect data. Rewards and discounts can also be offered to festival-goers who follow the sponsor's social media channels and competitions like best event photo encourages festival-goers to upload images increasing engagement further. Working with organisers sponsors may also get opportunities to generate leads form the organiser's website and social media channels that link to a dedicated event sponsor landing page. Sponsors may also be able to piggyback on the official festival app by sending out push notifications about a promotion, give away or demonstration during the live event dates for example. 

Utilising On-Site Presence. 
Most sponsors will demand that they get a well-located pitch space as part of their sponsorship deal which enables them to have a physical presence on a festival site. This enables various brand activation opportunities with free samples and competition entry in exchange for submitting festival-goer details for later follow up. The sponsor space will usually be staffed by a mixture of the brand's own personnel combined with hired promotional teams who are the face of the sponsor and key to generating interest and further conversations about a brand. For festival-goers who are existing customers a sponsor space could offer a VIP lounge and relaxation zone which enhances the brands perceived value. 

Measurement. 
Sponsor brands will inevitably be conducting a detailed post event review where they measure leads and sales generated against their planned expectations. Essential metrics like cost per lead and cost per sale will always be considered in conjunction with factors like social media followers generated and increased online website traffic for example. Whilst an initial post event review is useful the most valuable data will probably be from several months later when revenue generation can be more accurately assessed. To enable this deep understanding of leads and sales revenue generated sponsors must have collected suitable data that links the source of a sale to a specific event attended where the first contact was established. 

For festival organisers planning their next event using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics including a dedicated sponsor module. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Image by Nadia Abregu via Pexels

<< Back to articles