As the economy has changed every aspect of our world and our decision making process, the face-to-face industry has not been immune to a new way to operate.

Shows have had to adapt and really push the envelope to make sure that they remain relevant, ahead of the curve and always a must-go-to event for both exhibitors and attendees. As it relates to the exhibitor side, companies have had to greatly reduce the number of shows in which they exhibit, reduce their footprint to save money, and really be able to prove the true ROI of an event.

Events have had to embrace new technologies and look for ways to provide additional revenue for not only their industry and advocacy of the organization, but to invest into their shows to keep them at the top of the food chain.

Show organizers and exhibitors have come together to partner in an effort to create a true win-win for each another. For exhibitors who want to extend their presence and their brand beyond their booth, or even past the actual show, they look to sponsorships; however banners won’t cut it anymore. They need true metrics, data to prove the amount of touch points or impressions that they are getting, and contact information for someone that might have never been to their booth or even the show itself. Those will in turn give them the ROI and justification to continue exhibiting and spending their dollars at that particular event.

Show organizers, through sponsorships, are able to enhance their show by providing new technologies, programs, and/or experiences. Another benefit to these new sponsorship offerings are the multiple price points which a show organizer can price their options, creating chances for exhibitors with smaller budgets that might not have such an opportunity in the past.

Some organizers don’t think to talk to collaborate with the vendors providing these solutions, and discuss the pricing. However so many want to help the vendors to ensure repeat business. Vendors can offer best practices, either as it relates to those shows that are in a specific industry or the event industry as a whole. They can discuss successes, failures, learning curves and new expectations that they have seen as a result of implementing these new solutions.

Gone are the days of the old-fashioned exhibitor sponsorship prospectus….they still exist but really are more of a starting off point. Today we are seeing so many show organizers working with their exhibitors one-on-one to see what it is the exhibitor is looking to accomplish and what is important to them, and from there, creating these customized packages. It is better to ask than to assume.

-Jen Hardee, CEM, is a National Sales Manager with Freeman. She was a panelist on “Leveraging Sponsorship Opportunities to Improve Event Marketing ROI” at this year’s Expo! Expo! She can be reached at Jennifer.Hardee@freemanco.com