Stephanie Selesnick,

Stephanie Selesnick,
International Trade Information, Inc.

At Trade Show Executive’s Fastest 50 Summit and Awards last month, Larry Settembrini, Vice President ReedPOP spoke about bringing sponsorships to life in his session, “Selling B2B Sponsorships in a B2C World.“

Below are three of his ideas that stuck with me, along with my interpretation of how they may be used in business-to-business events.

  1.  Consumerism is defined as B2B events adopting elements and creative inspiration from consumer experiences. The rest of the world calls this Festivalization. Essentially it means incorporating more fun and/or interactive moments for our attendees, exhibitors and sponsors.
  2. “Don’t sell a sponsor on a first-time time technology. Do it the second year instead.” Sounds basic, but it’s not! How many new technologies work perfectly the first show? Few at best! Instead, take your time, work out the kinks and plant seeds with potential sponsors.
  3. “Sponsorships should give back to the attendees – that’s where your focus should be on the design.” How can you enhance a coffee break or area of your show with a sponsorship activation? Is there a dead spot on your exhibit floor that could use some attention-getting activity? Think Instagrammable moments, special food and drink service, lounges or unique educational offerings. Or what about a factory or shop in 2025?

Ask your team and sponsors for suggestions on changing sponsorships. Think about how these new, different ideas are viewed through the lens of your attendees, then through the sponsor lens. Your industry will thank you!