ABSTRACT
Sponsorship, either provided as cash or in-kind support such as products or services (often called ‘contra’), is central to the revenue and resources of new and continuing events. Event managers and marketers are usually actively engaged in tasks such as identifying potential sponsors, preparing sponsorship proposals and managing their ongoing relationships with sponsors, as event sponsorship is a large part of modern event management. This chapter begins with a discussion of the role and growth of sponsorship as a marketing communication medium. It also explores the benefits that events and their sponsors seek, before explaining the policies, strategies and actions needed for successful event and festival sponsorship. The process of establishing a sponsorship strategy is then discussed, along with how agreements in this area should be managed and evaluated. The chapter concludes with two case studies, ‘Microsoft UK’s sponsorship of the 2002 Commonwealth Games’ and ‘Cheltenham Festivals’.
